The short answer
Keep cases off the floor and away from the walls, leave the fan and coil clear, and load hot deliveries in a way that lets air move. Clean the box out on a schedule, a section at a time, so product never sits out. If it still runs warm with the shelves in order, call a technician.
The box cools with air, not with cold walls
A walk-in cools by blowing cold air off the coil and across the shelves. The fans pull warm air back to the coil and push cold air out again. Anything that blocks that loop leaves a warm pocket.
The most common blocks are easy to spot.
- Cases stacked tight against the evaporator, the coil with the fans near the ceiling.
- Boxes pushed flat against the back wall.
- Pallets or cases on the floor in front of the shelves.
- Shelves loaded so full there's no gap between them.
When air can't get through, the box reads fine near the door and runs warm in the back. That's where food spoils first.
Gaps, height and first in, first out
Leave a few inches between the stock and the walls, and between cases on a shelf. Keep the top shelf well below the fan so air can blow out freely.
Keep everything off the floor. Food on the floor is a health code problem, and it also blocks the cold air that settles low.
Rotate stock first in, first out. New deliveries go behind or under the older product. It keeps waste down, and it keeps the crew from digging through the whole box with the door open.
Walk-in still warm with the shelves in order?
Don't fight the box
A big order of warm product makes the walk-in work hard for hours. Break cases down and spread them out so the air can reach them. Don't stack a fresh delivery against the coil.
Food that was cooked in house should be cooled before it goes in the walk-in, using an ice bath, shallow pans or a blast chiller. A big pot of hot stock can warm everything around it.
Keep the door closed while you put the order away. A propped door lets in warm, wet air, and that water turns to ice on the coil.
One section at a time
Pick a slow day, ideally before a delivery when the box is emptier. Work one section at a time.
- Move that section's product to another cooler, or keep it in the box on a cart.
- Throw out anything expired, unlabeled or spoiled.
- Wipe the shelves, walls and floor with the cleaner your health department allows.
- Put product back in date order, with gaps for air.
- Check the door gasket for tears, and the floor and drain line under the coil for water.
Don't unplug the walk-in to clean it. Leave the refrigeration to a technician, and keep the crew away from the fans and coil.
More guides for managers
Free guideFive signs your walk-in is about to fail
Warm readings, water on the floor, ice on the coil, a box that never stops running: the signs a walk-in gives before it goes down.
Read the guide
Free guide41°F and the four-hour clock: what to do when your walk-in runs warm
Cold food must stay at 41°F or below. Here's how to check your walk-in, what the four-hour clock means, and what to do first.
Read the guide
Loaded right and still running warm? Call us.
If the shelves are in order and the box still won't hold 41°F, the problem is in the refrigeration. A fan, a sensor or a dirty coil can all cause it.
See refrigeration repair for what we fix. If the walk-in is warm now, call (636) 327-8349. For an emergency, a technician is on site within four hours. And it stays fixed. 98% of our calls are completed in one trip.