Walk-in cooler and freezer quarterly maintenance checklist

Kitchen lead told and product protected near the coil

Kitchen or store lead told the box is being serviced, product under the evaporator moved or covered before coil or defrost work, door kept shut between trips.

Lock and tag on every circuit feeding the box

Condensing unit, evaporator fan, defrost and heater circuits locked. Powered checks: people clear, covers on, locks off by whoever hung them, run, re-locked before hands go back in.

Condensing unit and coils cleaned

Condenser coil clear, fans running true, evaporator coil not iced or dirty, no oil trace pointing to a leak.

Defrost cycle observed clearing the coil

Defrost initiating and terminating on schedule, coil clearing fully, no ice bridging the fins after the cycle.

Defrost clock or controller schedule read

Clock showing the right time of day, defrost starts set away from deliveries and peak door traffic, count and duration matching the manufacturer's setting.

Suction line insulation and valve bulb inside the box

Suction insulation at the evaporator dry and sealed, expansion valve sensing bulb strapped tight and insulated, no frost creeping back along the line.

Door gaskets, closers and freezer heater wire checked

Gaskets sealing all around, closer pulling the door tight, freezer perimeter heater warm to the touch, no ice at the frame.

Inside release opens the door from inside the box

With a second person outside, door closed and opened from inside by the safety release, knob or push rod free, not iced up or blocked by shelving or stock.

Emergency light and entrapment alarm tested where fitted

Inside light lit on its own switch or battery, alarm button inside the box sounding where staff will hear it and answer, button not hidden behind stock.

Strip curtains checked where fitted

Every strip present, overlapping with no gaps, clear enough to see through, not torn, brittle or dragging on the floor, cleaned where soiled.

Box temperature verified against setpoint

Actual box temperature read and compared to setpoint for both cooler and freezer, thermometer and controller agreeing.

Reading compared with the site's food-safety log

Today's box reading lines up with recent entries on the site's temperature log, any high entries or gaps since the last visit reported to the kitchen lead.

Condensate drain and its heat trace clear

Drain flowing, freezer drain-line heat working, no ice plug in the line or puddle freezing on the floor.

Covers refitted, locks removed and box running

Coil and fan covers fastened, locks removed by whoever hung them, unit restarted and the box pulling down with doors closed and product back in place.

Quarterly findings logged and kitchen lead briefed

Readings, defrost settings and any door, gasket or release defects entered against the box, and the kitchen lead told what was found and what follows.