29

Sep

Solved: Ice Cream Freezer Is Melting Ice Cream

No one wants to buy ice cream or gelato that appears to melt even in the ice cream display freezer. So, if your ice cream freezer is not keeping the ice cream frozen or there are crystals on the ice cream, it can directly impact your business. Therefore, you should get help from commercial appliances repair services. In case you want to try a few fixes yourself, here is what you can do.

Check The Power

Like other appliances, ice cream freezers also show a clear light indicator that it’s receiving power. So, no power is out of the equation. But if the power cord, the outlet, or any other wiring is malfunctioning, the unit might not receive power constantly.

The freezer will run fine for some time and due to the mentioned issues, the power might cut off for a few seconds only to resume again. This cycle might keep repeating. It can affect the performance of your ice cream display counter and the ice cream might start melting.

What to check? Inspect the power cord and the power outlet for damage. Make sure the power cord is firmly plugged into the power outlet, there is no visible damage on the cord, and the outlet is fine.

Temperature Settings

Many times, incorrect temperature settings are the culprit of ice maker issues. Check the temperature settings and make sure they are optimal. Keep in mind the outside temperature as well when setting the temperature.

However, the temperature control panel or the thermostat may be faulty if you’re setting the correct temperature and the ice cream is still melting inside the freezer. Hire an appliance repair expert for the inspection of the temperature control panel and other components of your ice cream display freezer.

Obstructed Vents

Gelato display freezers have vents inside the unit and on the exterior as well. Both these vents should be unobstructed.

The vents inside the ice cream freezer can get blocked by spillage or ignoring regular cleaning of the inside of the freezer. Due to this, the airflow is affected. You will notice that the ice cream display counter is not maintaining temperature as it was before. You might also see that the ice cream is melting even inside the freezer. So, make sure to keep the vents clean.

There are also vents on the exterior that are to remove heat from the coils of the ice cream freezer. These can get clogged by ignoring regular cleaning of the exterior of the appliance. Moreover, another reason is obstructed vents. If the ice cream display freezer is too close to a wall or an object is blocking the vents,  heat won’t be properly removed from the coils which will hinder the performance of the unit. The freezer won’t be cold enough and the ice cream will melt.

So, if your ice cream is showing problems, clean it daily, and make sure nothing is obstructing the vents of the freezer.

Don’t Store Ice Cream In The Ice Cream Display Freezer

If you have less space or feeling tired, you might want to leave the leftover ice cream in the ice cream display freezer till the next morning. But remember that ice cream display freezers are for displaying ice cream during business hours. They are not for storing ice cream or any other item.

If you don’t follow this advice and keep the ice cream freezer running even in the off-time, ice will build up and it will make it difficult for the freezer to maintain temperature. With temperature issues, the ice cream will melt even when inside the freezer.

To avoid this, remove everything from the ice cream freezer and store it in a freezer that you use for storing frozen items. Turn off the ice cream freezer so it defrosts. This should be done at the end of each day. If you can’t do this daily, do it at least once a week.

Some ice cream display freezers have storage freezers as well apart from the display freezer. If you have one of those, make sure to defrost the ice cream freezer once a month.

Clean The Freezer

We mentioned the importance of cleaning in an earlier point and how ignoring it can block the vents and negatively impact their performance. Let’s know how to clean your ice cream display freezer.

  1. Turn off the ice cream freezer, unplug it, and let it be for some time so its temperature reaches room temperature. Cleaning a freezer right away after turning it off can lead to cracks in various components.
  2. Remove any ice cream and keep it in a storage freezer.
  3. Take out all the removable shelves and other parts to clean them separately. Use a cleaner recommended by the manufacturer to avoid problems.
  4. Wipe the internal parts of the freezer.
  5. Clean the doors, especially the door seal.
  6. Dry the unit with a cloth or leave it to air dry overnight.
  7. Put the shelves back into the freezer.

This thorough cleaning is required usually once a month. However, don’t forget daily cleaning because it’s as important. Keep in mind that if your region is too humid, there’s a lot of food spillage, or there was a power outage that lasted for hours, you should clean the ice cream freezer more often.

Check The Doors

The doors of ice cream freezers are frequently used. Many times, the door may not be closed properly. It can allow warm air to reach the freezer and cold air to escape. Now, when the door is wide open for selling the ice cream, it’s for a short time, but if the door is left improperly closed, it may be for many minutes or hours. So, instruct your staff to close the door properly every time

In some cases, the door seals are worn and even when the staff member closes the door properly, it doesn’t seal and allows some air to escape. This can also be the reason your ice cream freezer is not maintaining the temperature well and melting the ice cream or crystals form on the ice ruining the softness of the ice cream. Have the door seal repaired or replaced by a professional.

Is The Fan Running?

If your ice cream freezer has a fan that blows hot air from the exterior vents of the ice cream freezer, check to make sure that it’s running. If not, clean the internal parts of the freezer. In case the fan doesn’t work, the fan motor may be blown.

Get The Whole Unit Inspected

If you checked the above-mentioned things and the ice cream freezer is still melting the ice cream, get the whole unit inspected. There could be low refrigerant levels, the unit may be overheating, or the compressor may be malfunctioning.

Many kinds of problems can occur and if your ice cream freezer is too old and requires repairs often, you may be better off replacing the unit instead of spending more money on replacing expensive components like the compressor.

Conclusion

As you can see an ice cream display freezer struggles to maintain the temperature or melts the ice cream due to many reasons. To save time, hire a ice cream freezer repair Springfield technician who can properly inspect your unit and fix the issue.