- Service
- Commercial refrigeration repair
- Scope
- Back-bar cooler: ice on the evaporator coil, thawed, product zones measured
- Timeline
- May 2026
- Location
- New York City
- Year completed
- 2026
- What was delivered
-
- Iced evaporator coil thawed
- Product zones measured at 37.0°F and 36.1°F with the bar at 71°F and 42% RH
The call
Back-bar coolers under a cocktail bar. On one of them, the controller read 39.
What we found
With the front grille off, the evaporator coil had clear ice built up over its lower part. A back-bar cooler runs its coil right behind the doors, so when it ices, air stops moving through the cabinet. Whatever sits nearest the coil can freeze while whatever sits furthest away warms up.
Bar coolers ice for a short list of reasons: defrost not running, doors left ajar on a busy night, or a gasket that has given up.
The work, in order
- Coil thawed.
- Product zones measured with our own instruments rather than the controller display.
The readings
Two thermo-hygrometers on the bar top, each with its probe in a cooler’s product zone. One read 37.0 degrees, the other 36.1, with the bar itself at 71 degrees and 42 percent relative humidity.
Equipment and readings
| Coolers | Stainless back-bar coolers under the bar, digital controller |
| Fault | Ice over the lower part of one unit’s evaporator coil; controller reading 39 |
| Readings | Product zones 37.0°F and 36.1°F; bar 71.2 to 71.6°F, 42% RH |
What this means if you manage the venue
If a bar cooler starts freezing what is in it, do not turn it up. Turning it up hides the symptom; looking at the coil finds the cause.
From the job log: Ice on a back-bar cooler's coil (scheduled for 15 Dec 2026, link follows).