Bar Refrigeration Repair and Maintenance

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Bar refrigeration lives in the worst spot in the building: tucked under counters, packed in tight, with no room to breathe and a bartender opening doors every few seconds. Cool Aid repairs and maintains bar refrigeration for restaurants, bars and hotel bars across the Bay Area. This page is part of our restaurant refrigeration section.

What we work on behind the bar

• Back bar and bottle coolers. Glass or solid door units that hold bottled beer, wine and mixers.
• Keg coolers. Self-contained keg coolers under the bar, and walk-in keg rooms that feed draft lines.
• Underbar and undercounter refrigerators. Garnish, juice and dairy storage at the well.
• Bar ice machines and bins. See commercial ice machine repair.

Why bar units fail

No room to breathe

Most undercounter units pull air in and push it out through the front grille. Bags, boxes and bar mats stacked in front of it cut the airflow, the condenser gets hot, and the unit runs warm and wears out early. Keep the grille clear and clean the condenser on the manufacturer schedule: Turbo Air says at least every three months for its reach-ins (Turbo Air).

Doors and gaskets

Bar doors open more than almost any other door in the building. Torn gaskets, sprung hinges and glass doors that fog are the usual complaints. Fogging usually means a door heater or its control has failed. See glass door merchandiser repair.

Water and drains

Bars have floor sinks, ice bins, glass washers and drains packed together. California bars liquid waste drain lines from passing through an ice machine or ice storage bin, and requires ice machines and walk-ins to drain through an air gap into a floor sink (HSC 114171) (HSC 114193). When we install or move bar equipment we route drains accordingly.

Bar ice is food

Under the California Retail Food Code, ice is food (HSC 113781), and ice makers must be cleaned at the frequency the manufacturer specifies (HSC 114117). Scotsman, for example, says to sanitize the ice storage bin as often as local health codes require and every time the machine is cleaned (Scotsman). Our ice machine cleaning and sanitizing page covers the schedules for the major brands.

Keeping the bar running

• Keep a thermometer in each unit (HSC 114157), and log readings if the bar holds dairy or cut fruit.
• Wipe gaskets daily, and replace torn ones rather than taping them.
• Include bar units in your refrigeration maintenance plan. They are easy to forget and the most likely to have dirty condensers.

Also see reach-in cooler and freezer repair, restaurant walk-ins, hotel refrigeration and refrigeration by industry.

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Frequently asked questions

Written and reviewed by Jim McKinny, owner of Cool Aid Air Conditioning & Refrigeration — California C-20 and C-38 licensed, EPA Universal certified, second generation of a family business serving the Bay Area since 1966. Every job we complete is backed by our 1-year parts & labor warranty.