Some manufacturers would argue sarcastically that the newest thing to happen to refrigeration would be operators taking the time to use their units properly. Keeping refrigerator units humming isn't difficult; it just takes some extra attention. Here are some basics:
Don't overload walk-ins. Doing so taxes their cooling units and blocks good air circulation. A handy rule of thumb is to leave one to one-and-a-half cubic feet of walk-in space for every meal served daily.
Place raw and prepared foods in different sections of the walk-in to diminish the likelihood of cross-contamination.
Make allowances for the inevitable differences in temperature from one section of a walk-in to another. The more perishable items like fish, poultry and meat should be placed near the rear, where it is usually colder. Also, make sure labels are easy to read in order to minimize the amount of time doors are left open.
Shelves should not be lined—doing so interrupts the necessary air circulation—but anti-microbial coatings can cut down on the possibility of cross-contamination.