If you have a business that relies on commercial refrigerators — such as a restaurant — you need to make sure they're properly maintained. This helps you keep important food items preserved and safeguards you from costly repairs. These maintenance steps in particular are important to take with these refrigeration systems.

Check the Door Seals Often

Your commercial refrigerators will have seals (gaskets) around the doors that keep cool air from escaping. Since you probably open and close these doors often during the day, these seals can experience wear and tear and you need to check for this often.

If you start to notice the seals coming down or they have visible signs of damage, you need to see about repairing them. A commercial refrigeration repair contractor can help you out with this. If the seals are too severely damaged, then replace them with compatible options to help maintain proper cooling performance with these systems.

Store Foods Properly

It sounds pretty simple, but storing foods properly in your commercial refrigerators is going to go a long way in preventing damage and keeping these units cleaner overall. 

One thing you can do is only store the appropriate amount of food items on all of the shelves. That will keep you from overstressing them and thus make it easier to avoid shelving damage. It also helps to make sure food can't leak out any liquids when inside your refrigerators because then they'll remain a lot cleaner. That saves you a lot of time from a maintenance standpoint too. 

Have a Professional Inspect Some of the More Technical Components

There are going to be some pretty technical components incorporated throughout your commercial refrigerators, such as the compressor, condenser, thermostat, and fan motor. Rather than trying to inspect these parts yourself, it's smart to let a skilled commercial refrigeration contractor perform these assessments. 

They will know how to access these components with ease and inspect them in a thorough manner, so you can find out exactly what condition they're in. Just make sure you have these more technical components professionally inspected at the right times.

You can get a lot of years out of commercial refrigerators if you do everything right from a maintenance standpoint. Whether it's cleaning or inspecting major parts, take your time with each maintenance step and follow your refrigerator manufacturer's recommendations. Then you won't be worried about how these units hold up. For more information on commercial refrigeration maintenance, contact a professional near you.