The dog days of summer have officially arrived. For many of us, that means beating the heat by staying inside where there’s AC! However, unless you’ve scheduled commercial HVAC services in Eugene, OR, your unit might not be ready to keep your business nice and cool for the remainder of the summer. Keep reading to learn all there is to know about air conditioner maintenance.
The benefits of maintenance
Springtime and early summer are the ideal times to have your unit maintained, but it’s never too late to pick up the phone and schedule a tune-up. Here are a few of the reasons why you should call today:
Fewer breakdowns: Want to avoid paying a technician to fix your commercial AC each summer? Then have it tuned up every spring! A quick maintenance call can prevent breakdowns, which means you won’t have to waste money on repairs or suffer through the hot summer days without AC.
Prolonged lifespan: Air conditioners should last at least 10 to 15 years, as long as they’re maintained every season. Neglecting to schedule yearly tune-ups almost guarantees that you’ll have to replace your commercial unit sooner rather than later. Though a maintenance call isn’t free, it’s much less expensive than paying for a brand-new AC!
Warranty retention: Depending on the manufacturer of your system, you might have to schedule professional maintenance if you want to keep your unit under warranty. Most warranties stipulate that the unit must have a professional inspection or else the warranty is void.
What goes into maintenance?
Now that you know why it’s important, it may be helpful to understand what goes into an HVAC maintenance call. Here’s what our professionals do during a tune-up:
Inspection: Your HVAC technician will first take a look at your system and see how everything is running. If there are any evident problems, he or she will be able to fix them before they end up breaking down in the middle of the summer, when you need your AC the most.
Part replacement: Let’s hope that all of the components of your AC look good to go, but if they don’t, now is the time you’ll want them to be replaced. We may have to order special replacement parts, which don’t always arrive as quickly as everyone would like. But if you have the parts replaced in the spring, this shouldn’t matter as much, because you likely won’t need to be using your AC just yet.
Filter change: The air filter is responsible for keeping dust, debris and other particles from entering the system and contaminating the air. As you can imagine, the filter gets pretty dirty pretty quickly! Your HVAC technician will replace the filter to ensure you have nice, clean air. Though your HVAC pro will change your filter during the tune-up, you can also do this yourself every month to ensure a fully-functioning unit.
If you haven’t already scheduled HVAC services in Eugene, OR, now is the time to do so. Pick up the phone and give American Refrigeration Inc. a call today to have your commercial AC unit inspected and tuned up.
Commercial freezers are essential appliances for a variety of different businesses and industries. Restaurants, hospitals, hotels and a range of other establishments couldn’t function without a commercial freezer. Unfortunately, freezers tend to run into some issues that necessitate the help of commercial freezer services in Eugene, OR. Continue reading to learn more about these services.
What to look for in a commercial freezer contractor
If you thought every company in the commercial freezer industry is the same, think again! Some are much better and much more competent than others. Here are a few things you should look for in a quality contractor:
Fair prices: Your commercial freezer is an essential aspect of your business, but you don’t want to spend a fortune on it if it can be avoided. Shop around to find the contractor who will offer you the best prices. At American Refrigeration Inc., you can rest easy knowing that you’re getting the best bang for your buck when you work with us.
Fast response time: You can’t be waiting around for too long when your freezer is down. You’ve got perishable goods that will go bad if the freezer isn’t up and running soon. Make sure you call a company like ours that can send someone out right away to fix your freezer if it breaks.
Wide range of services: It’s kind of silly to have to call one company to install a freezer, another to repair it and a third to tune it up. Instead of figuring out which contractor to call, choose one that specializes in all aspects of the commercial freezer industry. At American Refrigeration Inc., we can handle all of your freezer needs.
Services we offer
As mentioned above, we don’t think it makes much sense to need to have the phone number for a few different commercial freezer contractors. That’s why we’re pleased to be your one-stop shop for all of your freezer needs! Be sure to give us a call if you need any of the services below:
Installation: Did your old freezer finally bite the dust? Are you in the market for a larger freezer to accommodate your growing business? Look no further than American Refrigeration Inc. We carry all of the top brands in all sizes to meet your needs.
Repairs: Over time, your freezer is bound to run into some issues like running too warm, or even not running at all. When that happens, make sure you call us first. We’ll be on the scene as soon as possible to fix whatever went wrong.
General maintenance: The best way to avoid those repairs in the first place is to schedule routine maintenance. Our professionals can thoroughly inspect, clean and tune up your freezer to ensure that it operates as intended.
Be sure to choose our team at American Refrigeration Inc. the next time you need commercial freezer services in Eugene, OR. We can handle all of your refrigeration concerns, regardless of the make, model or size of your appliances. Give us a call today to learn what we can do for you!
The craft brewing and distilling industries have really taken off over the last five to 10 years, and there are more entrepreneurs than ever starting up businesses in these fields. If you’re going to find success in what’s starting to become a crowded industry, one of the best things you can do to put yourself on the right path is to make sure you select high-quality distillery equipment in Eugene, OR for your new operation, as well as a maintenance partner that can work with you to keep it all in great condition.
Thanks to the explosion of interest in craft distilling in recent years, there is more high-quality equipment on the market than ever before, which has made the business significantly more accessible despite the growing level of competition. Given how many options you have available, it’s important to know how to prioritize items in your search and what you should know to help you find high-quality items at reasonable prices.
Here are a few tips from our team to help you choose your distillery equipment.
Focus on the still
This should be the first item on your list, and fortunately you’re going to have quite a few options to get you exactly what you need. You don’t necessarily have to find a massive still or a weird hodgepodge piece of equipment—there are now stills being made that are designed to be smaller and more efficient for craft distilleries that have a much lower output than some of the larger players in the industry.
There are different kinds of stills, so you should know what you want before you head in to make a purchase. Traditional copper stills generally lead to the best end product, but there are other options available. A still is going to be one of the more expensive items on your list, but this is not an area where you want to cheap out—a high-quality still will not only produce a better product, but it will last you for decades if properly maintained. Consider also the size of still that is right to fit not just your business operations right now, but where you see your business growing to within the near future.
Select your parts
Once you’ve chosen your still, it’s time to select some of the other necessary components of a distilling operation. You don’t have to go out and purchase a complete distillery system—you can instead buy the still and browse around for other parts and materials individually. There are online catalogs that can help you find good deals, but you can also look around at secondhand sources. Check with other distilleries that may have recently expanded their operations—they may have old equipment that’s still in good condition that they’re willing to part with for a lower price than you’d find in other places on the market.
After you’ve found all the equipment you need, make sure you take the proper steps to keep it in great shape! Contact American Refrigeration Inc. for more information about maintenance of distillery equipment in Eugene, OR.
There are a wide variety of businesses that make regular use of commercial refrigerators, even beyond restaurants and companies that are in the food service industry. If you’re in need of a new commercial refrigerator for your business, it’s important you spend some time considering the features you need before you make your purchase so you can be sure the investment you’re making in the equipment is a smart one.
Here are some of the features and issues you’ll want to consider when investing in commercial refrigeration products in Eugene, OR.
Door type
One item to take into consideration is the type of door you want on your refrigerator. Consider where there are doorways, entrances and other equipment in your kitchen area, as well as how much space you have in general to use the refrigerator.
You have several options among the door types that are commonly available on the market. Swing doors are the “traditional” kind of doors, which open up widely on hinges. Loading and unloading inventory is easy, but if you have a limited amount of space you could accidentally block off kitchen traffic. Half doors are sort of like swing doors, but the door is split into a couple different sections, which helps to conserve energy and make internal temperatures more consistent.
Pass-through refrigerators, also known as reach-in refrigerators, have doors in both the front and rear, which makes them very versatile with where you place them. They’re ideal to place between prep areas and server stations in cafeterias or restaurants.
Finally, the material used to make the door is also important to consider for the purpose of temperature regulation. Solid doors are easy to clean, insulate well and have energy efficient properties, while glass doors allow for visibility of their contents, which can mean less of a chance that employees will need to stand with the door open searching for their specific food item.
Compressor location
Where the compressor is located on the unit is also important to consider. The compressor pulls in ambient air to help regulate the internal temperature, and the warmer the air, the harder the compressor has to work. A bottom-mounted compressor is more likely to pull in cooler air, which is ideal for otherwise hot environments. It also puts the bottom shelves up higher so items are easier to reach—it just may require a bit more cleaning than a top-mounted compressor, which is less likely to clog but also more difficult to keep cool in hot environments.
Thermostats
Many new models of commercial refrigerators come standard with digital thermostats, which offer more accurate readings of temperature than older models. This makes it easier to adjust temperatures as needed, lowering your utility bills because of more efficient electrical usage.
Gaskets
It might be sensible for you to select a refrigerator with removable gaskets, which can help to keep cold air locked inside. Removable gaskets also are easier to clean than other types of gaskets.
For more information or for help with your commercial refrigeration products in Eugene, OR, reach out to American Refrigeration Inc. today.
We specialize in a wide variety of services here at American Refrigeration Inc. Though we’re probably best known for our work with heating and cooling systems, we’re also heavily involved in servicing refrigeration products in Eugene, OR! Continue reading to learn more about all of the refrigeration gear we service:
Cold storage rooms: Restaurant owners know the importance of a properly functioning cold storage room. Without one, safely storing food for a long period of time would be impossible. If you need a new cold storage room or if your current one seems to be on the fritz, choose American Refrigeration Inc. for the job!
HVAC equipment: Whether you’ve got an AC that needs a tune-up or your furnace needs repairs, we’re the team you need to call. On top of very competitive prices, we offer fast response time for all of our services, so you won’t be waiting around sweating while your AC is out.
Heat pumps: If you don’t have central heating and AC, you probably have a heat pump in your building. Heat pumps offer a variety of benefits over central air, but they’re not impervious to breakdowns. If your heat pump has a problem or needs maintenance, pick up the phone and call us right away.
Ice machines: If the patrons in your restaurant want cold beverages, then you’d better have a working ice machine in your commercial kitchen! When ice machines start to malfunction, we’re the team for the job to fix the current one or install a new one. Big or small, we can service them all!
Reach-in freezers: The reach-in freezer is essential in any kitchen to keep frozen foods frozen until it’s time to serve or prepare them. A malfunctioning freezer leads to spoiled food, which can lead to a variety of illnesses. Be sure that your freezer is working as it should, or else you may have to face some serious consequences from sick patrons.
Reach-in coolers: The reach-in cooler is also vital for any proper commercial kitchen. Though it won’t keep your frozen foods frozen, it still ensures everything is kept fresh and ready for meal prep. Again, be sure that your coolers are working if you want to keep your customers well-fed and out of the emergency room for foodborne illnesses!
Walk-in coolers: Any legitimate restaurant kitchen has a walk-in cooler in addition to a few reach-ins. Walk-in coolers allow you to store tons of food and ensure that it’s all safe to eat.
Winery chillers: Last, but certainly not least, we can service the chillers at restaurants or vineyards. Be sure to call right away if your chiller is having an issue, because you’d hate to see any of that wine go to waste!
Do you need us to install a new ice machine at your restaurant or fix the reach-in cooler at your grocery store? Regardless of your refrigeration products in Eugene, OR, we’re your go-to service option! Call us today to find out why we’re the most trusted HVAC company in town.
