Ice buildup in commercial freezers has several common causes, with damage ranging from minimal to severe. When left unaddressed, it can result in inventory spoilage, increased energy bills, and appliance failure. If you aren't familiar with door gaskets, they act as an air-tight seal to reduce the risk of freezers producing frost. 

Here’s how to prevent ice buildup in commercial freezers and how gaskets play a critical role in avoiding these issues.

SHOP STOCK GASKETS ORDER CUSTOM GASKETS

7 Common Causes of Ice Buildup in Commercial Freezers & How to Prevent Them

Below, we’ll break down how to prevent ice buildup in commercial freezers and why addressing it in a timely manner with door gaskets can help.

 

1. No Air-Tight Door Seals

As mentioned above, gaskets provide an air-tight seal for your commercial freezer doors to maintain optimal internal temperatures. When they become worn down or damaged, moisture can enter the unit and form ice. 

 

Solution: Routine Unit & Gasket Maintenance

You can catch ice buildup before it becomes a serious problem with regular commercial freezer maintenance. Like your unit, its gaskets need routine care so they perform as they should. This involves monthly cleaning of dirt and food particles so they shut the appliance doors properly and avoid premature replacement. 

If you find your gaskets are warped, bent, or have holes, then you must buy replacement parts to ensure no moisture enters due to the freezer doors not sealing closed.

 

2. Warm Food or Products

Storing warm foods or products in a commercial freezer can also create moisture that forms into ice. The hot items produce steam in a cold environment, turning into water vapor and freezing on the walls and packaging. 

 

Solution: Wait for Warm Items to Cool Before Storing

To prevent your commercial freezer from producing frost, wait to store warm and hot inventory until it cools down to room temperature. It’s also best food safety practice if what you’re storing is edible.

Placing steaming hot items into a freezer can increase the unit’s overall temperature, potentially causing them and the surrounding frozen goods to thaw and grow bacteria.

 

3. Frequent or Prolonged Door Openings

Image of an opened glass door at a supermarket

As an owner of a commercial freezer, you likely have staff frequently opening and closing the unit. While high-traffic usage doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t access it as needed, it can create freezer icebuildup without a proper solution. 

If the doors are excessively opened and closed or left wide open for a long time, warm air can seep inside. This warm air causes moisture to enter the freezer, form into ice, and continue to accumulate.

 

Solution: Install Strip Curtains

Your business can still access your freezer as needed while reducing the risks of ice buildup with strip curtains. Often made of flexible PVC plastic, they’re designed for commercial and walk-in freezers. 

Strip curtains create an insulated barrier to prevent moisture from entering, maintain internal temperatures, and reduce energy loss. That way, when your staff accesses the freezer, heat leakage is minimized.

 

4. Improper Timing of Defrost Cycles

When your freezers' defrost controllers turn on too quickly, it can cause the fans to circulate moisture. This moisture then spreads onto the coils, freezer floor, ceiling, doors, and walls, forming into ice throughout the unit. This issue is especially more common in older appliances.

 

Solution: Use Newer Appliances or Defrost System Technology

Newer freezers have defrost system technology built in, so their controllers aren’t turned on too quickly. It tracks the coil temperature so that the heaters are only turned on or off at a pre-set point. If you cannot afford to replace your unit, installing a defrost tracking system is another solution to ice accumulation in freezers.

 

5. Wrong Temperature of Defrost Cycles

Closeup image of icicles inside a freezer

In addition to defrost controllers turning on too quickly, having them set at a temperature that’s too high can also cause ice buildup. It creates a warmer environment inside the freezer, producing fog and dripping water that forms into icicles. It can also result in freezer burn on your goods.

 

Solution: Schedule Defrost Cycles Periodically

As mentioned above, new commercial freezers have built-in defrost technology to avoid ice buildup, including pre-set temperatures that become too warm. However, you can also better regulate internal temperatures and prevent fogging by running defrost cycles periodically.

Depending on the type of unit you have, commercial freezer temperatures should stay between 0°F and -10°F as best practice.

 

6. Clogged Freezer Drains

Commercial freezers have a drainage system designed to remove moisture from defrost cycles that cause ice buildup. It drains melted frost from the evaporator coils, so it doesn’t refreeze inside the unit. When the drain line becomes clogged, water can back up inside the freezer and form ice on the floor, walls, and ceiling. 

Additionally, water can leak outside the unit onto the floor, creating slip-and-fall risks for your business. Bacteria can also grow inside the freezer because of the pools of water created, potentially spoiling your inventory.

 

Solution: Regular Drain Pipe System Maintenance & Equipment

Some commercial freezer drain lines have a removable tray or pan that should be manually emptied. Walk-in units may have drain pipes connected to your building’s plumbing or external sewer. In this case, wrapping heat tape or a drain line heater around the pipes can ensure the frost melts and flows out without freezing midway.

We also recommend periodically checking drain lines and/or sewer traps to ensure ice or debris isn’t blocking the drainage system.

 

7. Overcrowded Food or Products

If your business has a large amount of inventory within one freezer, it can easily become overcrowded. As a result, it can block the necessary airflow your unit needs to evenly cool your goods. 

Without proper airflow, it cannot circulate cold air and humidity effectively, potentially creating the following issues:

  • Blocked internal vents that create standing water areas

  • Excessively cold coils that can’t absorb enough heat from the cabinet and accumulate ice

  • Trapped moisture between tightly packed frozen goods that form ice on the packages, walls, and shelving

  • Overworked compressor because the thermostat cannot identify a consistent temperature, which accelerates frost formation from the constant cooling

 

Solution: Store Frozen Goods With At Least One Inch of Space

As best practice, place frozen goods with at least one inch of space between. This area allows airflow to properly circulate and maintain consistent freezing temperatures when your shelves aren’t overpacked.

 

How to Remove Ice Buildup in Commercial Freezers

Now that you know how to prevent icebuildup in a commercial freezer, you can remove it without damaging the unit when done properly. 

If the condition is minimal, you can safely remove ice buildup with the following steps:

  • Turn off and unplug the unit.

  • Place towels underneath the freezer to catch melted water.

  • Store pots of steaming hot water in the freezer and close the doors. Replace the hot water every 10 to 15 minutes as needed. 

  • Use a plastic scraper to remove melted, loose ice gently so it doesn’t puncture coolant lines from sharper tools.

  • Wipe the inside with a microfiber towel containing warm water and baking soda.

  • Use a different microfiber towel to wipe it dry completely.

  • Plug the freezer back in and allow it to cool for 30 to 60 minutes before storing frozen goods back in.

If your freezer ice buildup is severe, with several inches of thick ice, it requires additional steps listed above:

  • Turn off and unplug the freezer for up to 48 hours so it slowly thaws.

  • Place towels underneath the unit to catch the melted water.

  • Use a handheld steamer to melt the top ice layers. 

  • Gently remove the softer ice with a plastic scraper. Reuse the steam heater with layered scraping as needed. Do not remove large pieces of ice at once to avoid unit damage.

  • Use a wet/dry vacuum to push warm air into the cavity, then suck out large chunks and melted water. 

  • Clean the inside with a microfiber towel containing warm water and baking soda.

  • Dry the inside completely with a different microfiber towel.

  • Plug the unit back in and allow it to cool up to 60 minutes before restoring items inside.

 

Prevent Your Commercial Freezer From Over-Freezing: Shop OEM-Equivalent Door Gaskets Today

If your commercial freezer has ice buildup and you notice its gaskets need replacing, we have you covered. At Breakaway Enterprises, we’re a distributor and manufacturer of OEM-equivalent door gaskets for several popular brands. From Anthony to Hussman, all gaskets we sell apply to all OEM freezer doors. 

Don’t see the gasket you need in stock? We’ll make it for you. 

Our online custom gasket builder is easy to use. Simply enter your model number, door size, gasket style, and more. Then we’ll custom-build the OEM equivalent gasket to keep your unit running as it should. 

Browse our stock gasket inventory or contact us for help finding the gasket your model requires today!

SHOP STOCK GASKETS ORDER CUSTOM GASKETS

funny 'shut the fridge up' motto with the Breakaway Enterprises logo