Commercial Refrigeration & HVAC Blog

Most ice machine manufacturers call for a full cleaning and sanitizing at least every six months. In hard-water areas like the Treasure Valley, or in bakeries, breweries, and other high-yeast environments, every three months is often needed to control scale and slime. Always follow the cleaning procedure in your machine's manual.

A well-maintained rooftop unit typically lasts 15 to 20 years. Units over restaurants and kitchens often wear faster because grease-laden air loads up coils and filters. Regular maintenance (filter changes, coil cleaning, belt checks, and an electrical inspection) is the biggest factor in reaching the high end of that range.

Reach-in, prep table, and walk-in condenser coils in a kitchen should be checked monthly and cleaned at least quarterly, since grease and flour dust clog them quickly. RTU condenser coils should be cleaned at least once a year, ideally in spring before cooling season. A dirty condenser coil is one of the most common causes of high head pressure, high energy bills, and compressor failure.

Consider replacement if the unit is near the end of its expected life, repairs are approaching half the cost of replacement, breakdowns are frequent, or it uses R-22 refrigerant (phased out and increasingly expensive). We'll give you the repair cost and the replacement option side by side so you can decide based on your budget and operations.