Equipment
Reach-in and prep table repair
The most common prep table call we get is not a broken machine. It is a rail running 10 to 15°F warmer than the cabinet below it, and that is usually a loading problem, not a refrigeration one.
Answered live, 24/7 (617) 938-5404The rail problem
A sandwich or salad unit cools the cabinet and the top rail from the same system, but the rail depends on airflow reaching it. Overfill the pans above the load line, or drop in pans that block the air path, and the rail climbs while the cabinet below reads perfectly fine. Staff see warm product in the top and report a broken table.
It matters because 105 CMR 590 requires TCS food held at 41°F or below, and a rail at 48°F is a violation sitting in plain sight on the line. Before you call anyone: check the pans are below the fill line, that nothing is blocking the air return, and that lids are going back on during slow periods.
If the cabinet is cold and only the rail is warm, the refrigeration system is almost certainly fine. Fixing that with a service call and a refrigerant top-up is money spent on the wrong problem.
When it is actually the equipment
Reach-ins share the walk-in failure list but at smaller scale, which makes them behave differently. Less refrigerant charge means pressures swing faster, and less air volume means the box loses temperature quickly every time a door opens. A reach-in on a busy line is opened hundreds of times a shift.
| Symptom | Cause | The check that confirms it |
|---|---|---|
| Low superheat, frost on the suction line | TXV overfeeding: stuck valve, or a sensing bulb that has come loose from the line | Check the bulb is tight, correctly positioned and insulated before condemning the valve |
| High superheat, warm suction line | TXV starving, low charge, or a lost bulb charge | Subcooling separates starved-valve from low-charge |
| Runs constantly, never satisfies | Door gasket failure or a hinge dropped out of alignment | Close the door on a slip of paper at points around the frame. It should drag |
| Ice on the evaporator, poor airflow | Defrost fault or a blocked drain refreezing | Same logic as a walk-in: frost with falling suction is not a charge problem |
| Fan running, no cooling, compressor silent | Failed start components or contactor | Confirm 24V control signal present and line voltage at the load side |
Doors, gaskets and hinges
Gaskets are the cheapest part on the unit and the one most likely to be costing you money right now. A compressed, cracked or torn gasket lets humid kitchen air in continuously, the system runs longer, the evaporator ices faster, and the compressor accumulates hours it should not have. On glass-door merchandisers a failed anti-sweat heater shows up as condensation on the glass long before anything else goes wrong.
Common questions
Why is the top of my prep table warm but the bottom cold?
How do I test a door gasket?
My reach-in freezes the product at the back. Why?
Related
Rail warm, cabinet cold?
Check the fill line first. It costs nothing. If that is not it, call and we will find what is.
Get in touch
Request service or a quote
If something is down right now, call. The phone is the fast path, day or night. For quotes, maintenance plans and installs, send the form.