Prep tables, undercounters and back-bar refrigeration

Why prep tables run warm

A prep table has a difficult job: hold food pans at or below 41°F with the lid open in a hot kitchen through most of service. When one starts logging warm, the cause is often operational. Sometimes it is mechanical.

• Pans overfilled above the load line. Product above the chilled well gets no cooling. The most common cause of a warm-pan inspection finding.
• Lid left open through service. Unavoidable in some kitchens, which is why rail covers and night covers matter.
• Condenser coil clogged. Prep tables sit low and inhale flour, grease and dust. They need cleaning more often than anything else in the kitchen.
• Failed rail thermostat or damper. The well runs warm while the cabinet below stays cold.
• Undercounter airflow blocked. A unit pushed tight to a wall or boxed in by storage cannot reject heat.

Back-bar and undercounter

Back-bar coolers, glass frosters, keg boxes and undercounter units in bar service face constant door cycling and warm ambient conditions. Treat door gaskets and hinges here as consumables. Replacing them on a schedule costs less than the compressor wear that comes from running against a bad seal.

Service area

We cover Salt Lake, Davis, Utah, Summit and Weber counties. Same-day dispatch valley-wide, 2-hour target on refrigeration emergencies.

• Salt Lake City
• West Valley City
• Sandy
• Draper
• West Jordan
• South Jordan
• Murray
• Midvale
• Millcreek
• Taylorsville
• Lehi
• American Fork
• Park City
• Ogden
• Provo