Perlick outdoor refrigerator service in Los Altos
Problem: A customer in Los Altos called because their Perlick outdoor refrigerator was overheating and showing an H1 error. The outdoor bar has two Perlick refrigerators under the counter. One is a keg cooler that feeds the beer tap, the other a two-drawer unit for cans and bottles.
Diagnostics: These units pull air in through a grille along the bottom front, and the condenser coil sits right behind it. Our technician took the grilles off. The coils were matted with grey dust and lint. That coil is where a refrigerator gets rid of its heat. Smother it and the heat stays in, so the cabinet can’t stay cold. Outdoors, dust piles up faster than it does in a kitchen.
Solution: We cleaned the condenser coils and ventilation areas on both units. We also cleaned the door gaskets and the surfaces they seal against, and cleared out the dirt and debris that had built up. Then we checked how each unit was cooling and moving air. The keg cooler’s display read OFF when we got there. After the cleaning it read 68°F, and about 40 minutes later 44°F. Over the last 25 minutes of that, the drawer unit went from 45°F to 42°F.
Result: Both units were cooling at our last check. If you have an outdoor fridge, shine a flashlight through the grille along the bottom every few months. If the coil behind it looks grey and fuzzy, it needs a cleaning before the fridge starts running warm. We repair Perlick outdoor refrigerators in Los Altos and across the Peninsula and South Bay.
