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How to Clean & Maintain a Delfield Refrigeration Unit

How to Clean a Delfield Refrigeration Unit

Delfield offers some of the most convenient and useful refrigeration units in the industry, including the 6000XL and the DEL-F Series. Each one plays an important role in any commercial kitchen, so making sure your unit is well-maintained and clean will help keep things running smoothly. To ensure your Delfield refrigerator stays in tip-top shape, here are some cleaning and maintenance tips you should follow.

Supplies You’ll Need:

  • Mild soap
  • Soft cleaning cloths or plastic scouring pads
  • Cleaning solution/stainless steel cleaners

Regular Cleaning Tips


Cleaning the Interior

You can clean the inside of the refrigerator by using soap and warm water. Make sure you empty the refrigerator first before doing so, storing the perishable items in a separate unit. If the soap isn’t cutting it, you can use a mixture of ammonia and water to clean the interior, or a non-abrasive liquid cleaner. 

Cleaning the Gaskets

When cleaning the interior of your Delfield refrigerator, it’s also important to clean the gaskets. If not regularly cleaned, the gaskets can form mold and mildew, as well as run the risk of losing elasticity. You can prevent this by cleaning the gaskets with soap and water. Gaskets are easy to remove and replace, as they are designed to fit snugly in the door of the refrigerator. Never use sharp tools to clean the gasket, as it could tear the gasket completely.    

Cleaning the Stainless Steel Exterior

When cleaning stainless steel, it is important that you do not use steel pads, wire brushes, scrapers or an acid-based cleaner. These items will damage the surface, and wear down the protective coating on the stainless steel. 

To clean the stainless steel exterior, you can use soap and water or a stainless steel-specific cleaner with a soft cloth. For extreme grease spots or stains, you can use a non-abrasive cleaner and a plastic scrub pad. And remember to clean along the grain of the stainless steel to keep the finish intact.

Cleaning the Condenser Coil

The condenser coil should be cleaned regularly to ensure that your refrigerator runs at peak performance. If it’s not cleaned out on a regular basis, it can overheat and ultimately cause compressor failure. Additionally, neglecting your condenser coil can result in a void warranty, so cleaning and maintaining it not only saves you from costly repairs, but keeps your warranty intact. 

To clean the condenser coil, use a vacuum or stiff brush to remove dirt, dust, debris and grease from the condenser fins. If the condenser coil is extremely dirty, you can use an OEM-recommended condenser cleaner. You can also use compressed air to clean out the condenser coil, but do not use a high pressure water wash

On average, the condenser coil should be cleaned as frequently as 30 to 90 days, depending on your model and how much it accumulates dirt and debris. Keep an eye on it to determine how often it should be cleaned. 

Cleaning Drawers & Tracks

The drawers can be easily taken apart without tools for a thorough cleaning. Both the drawer and the tracks can be cleaned with soap and water, but the tracks are also dishwasher-safe. Drawers and tracks should be cleaned once a week to ensure easy usage.   

Common Maintenance Tasks

Drain Maintenance

The drain on your Delfield refrigerator is important, as it removes condensation from the evaporator coil. It does run the risk of coming loose or being disconnected. A clear indicator that it’s loose is if you notice an excessive amount of accumulated water on the inside of the unit. In this instance, check to see if the drain tube is connected from the evaporator housing to the condensate evaporator drain pan. If you notice that water has collected underneath the refrigerator, check that the condensate evaporator drain tube is still located inside the drain pan. 

Other issues that you should be observant of is the level of your refrigerator and possible drain line obstructions.

Doors & Door Hinge Maintenance

The door hinges on your Delfield refrigerator may become loose over time and can begin to sag. If this begins to happen, tighten the screws that mount the hinge bracket to the cabinet frame. If the problem persists, contact a an authorized service technician.

Need additional maintenance or troubleshooting tips for your Delfield refrigerator? We guides and a full library of Delfield manuals and diagrams with all the info and instructions you need.

Please contact a factory authorized service agent who can help with this specific unit and all your commercial kitchen equipment needs.