Maintaining My Kitchen Freezer
Another important kitchen project is complete - servicing the freezer and making sure it's in top-notch shape.
Freezers are a crucial part of most households, allowing for so many of our foods to be stored in bulk. I have many freezers at my Bedford, New York farm, and all of them are well-used to store everything from fruits from my gardens, to breads, meats, nuts, butter, and homemade pet food. Several times a year, I make sure these freezers are cleaned and checked. Recently, I noticed that the large commercial freezer in my Winter House was acting up, so we called in a team from the Supercool Company RHVAC, Inc. in nearby Cortlandt, to take a look.
Here are some photos.
-
- I have several commercial and residential freezers. This Traulsen commercial freezer is in my Flower Room kitchen. Every freezer is different, so always check the owner’s manual to make sure you know exactly what the care needs are for your unit.
-
- Check the temperature often. All freezers should be kept at zero-degrees Fahrenheit, or negative-18 degrees Celsius, so adjust the controls when necessary and call in a professional if it starts fluctuating on its own.
-
- This unit is in another kitchen – you may recognize it – it is in the same kitchen where I shot a recent season of “Martha Bakes” for PBS. This is a residential refrigerator/freezer unit with the fridge on one side and freezer on the other.
-
- In my Tenant House, where my daughter and grandchildren stay when they come to visit, there are refrigerator and freezer drawers in the kitchen. Wherever your unit is placed, be sure it is in a temperature-stable area. Extreme changes in temperature outside your unit will cause the freezer to work harder.
-
- A large refrigerator/freezer is in the Tenant House basement. Aside from the temperature, the gasket, or seal, of the freezer is also checked frequently. The gasket keeps cold air in and warm air out. If the seal is damaged or broken, the freezer will leak and its performance will suffer.
-
- It’s a good idea to keep the freezer at least half full of food at all times. This helps stabilize the temperature and keep energy consumption down. Here, I have stored some fruits from the garden as well as some nuts – both freeze extremely well. And always be sure to use storage containers and wrappings designed for the freezer.
-
- On this day, Scott Halfmann, founder and co-owner of Supercool Company RHVAC, Inc. came by to service my Winter House freezer. The company, which Scott runs with his wife, Roberta, specializes in commercial refrigeration, ductless heat pump systems, ice machines and HVAC.
-
- And this is the freezer in my Winter House kitchen – also a Traulsen commercial unit. It was not working as well and not defrosting properly. I noticed condensation forming along the outside of the fan cabinet, so it needed attention right away.
-
- When Scott pulled out the freezer, it was easy to see condensing water along the outside of the cabinet.
-
- The condensation formed streaks down the side of the fan cabinet from a mixture of dust and condensing water.
-
- And here was the biggest clue that something was wrong – a frozen evaporator coil. Scott used a heat gun to power defrost the coil and then discovered that its temperature sensor was improperly placed and the onboard computer’s defrost settings were incorrect. Scott re-programmed the settings, which corrected the problem.
-
- And this is what it looked like after the coils were defrosted – clean and dry.
-
- The sensor was then repositioned to the correct location at the top of the coil where it should be.
-
- Scott also found breaks in the insulation caused by poorly wrapped lines. I am glad we were able to have all of this fixed.
-
- Here is another area where the insulation was installed poorly.
-
- Here, Scott and his apprentice, Julio Ramos, re-insulate the fan cabinet. Re-insulating the cabinet helps prevent warm, moist air from coming into contact with any cold surfaces.
-
- Here is the finished insulation – a double wrapped suction line, which will never sweat again. A fresh new bracket was also installed to keep the refrigeration line in place.
-
- Here is the vent cover – cleaned and returned to its position over the freezer.
-
- Downstairs, more service was necessary for the compressor/condensing unit. Scott covered the unit with a bag, so he could blow any remaining dust from the condensing coils.
-
- Scott also inspected the sight glass of the condensing system for the adjacent refrigerator. It was a very thorough visit.
-
- The freezer was slid back into place in full working order. Remember, it’s a good idea to clean the refrigerator and freezer twice a year or more with a topdown, inside-out, front-to-back scrubbing. This not only keeps the unit clean, but allows you to see any abnormalities in its performance. When was the last time you cleaned your freezer and had it serviced?
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
