Really, the above headline isn’t as odd as it sounds. My
daughter and her family were planning a visit, which meant I had to make some
plans of my own - like house cleaning. One thing led to another, and I had
pulled and pushed the refrigerator out of its space to sweep the floor behind
it. That’s when I realized I had not once cleaned the coils in the six years
since I bought it. Considering thatProcess Cooling preaches
“maintenance, maintenance, maintenance,” I got down to business.
Actually, at first I thought there was some new
“self-dusting” design because there weren’t any exposed coils like those on my
past refrigerators. But, of course, no such luck - or more accurately, no such
invention. I had to unscrew a cardboard panel covering the coils.
I have a galley kitchen, which didn’t give me a lot of room
to maneuver. I had squeezed myself into the tight space behind the
refrigerator, and then I had to squeeze out again to hunt down the right size
and type screwdriver. Squatting, with little elbow room, I unscrewed six
screws. Fighting the lack of space, I hand-vacuumed the coils. One screw dropped,
rolled and wedged itself under the refrigerator. That meant squeezing out again
to get a long-handled something - in this case, a ruler in a kitchen drawer. I
worked out the screw, climbed out of the space - again - and rolled the
refrigerator back. Done. Finally.
So, now I’m thinking about all of you out there who operate
industrial refrigeration systems. How easy - or tough - do manufacturers make
your maintenance job? I know that a lot of companies tout the ease with which
their equipment can be accessed for cleaning. But is it true?
Can you get to the parts that need care? With the high cost
of equipment, tight economy and minimal personnel, the least you can demand of
your capital equipment is a normal lifespan, which requires regular maintenance.
Let me know. If enough of you have serious complaints - and
be specific, please - we’ll write up a piece for the magazine to let
manufacturers know they have some additional work to do. I’m at
armela@bnpmedia.com.
Anne Armel, Group Publisher, armela@bnpmedia.com
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