Troy Hogoboom is service manager at Hawkins Commercial Appliance Service Company, based in Englewood, Colo.
Troy HogoboomHogoboom celebrated his 25th year in the commercial appliance repair industry in 2023. He has been with Hawkins since 2011. Prior to entering the commercial appliance repair industry, Hogoboom was in the property maintenance field while also attending trade school.
Q: Planned maintenance is something operators may be tempted to skimp on when cash gets tight. What advice would you give them?
A: Do the planned maintenance and take care of that stuff. If you don’t, that will haunt you down the road. Take care of the little stuff so that it prevents the big stuff from happening. That’s my suggestion to all of them.
Q: How can you tell when a refrigerator has reached the end of its service life?
A: It all depends on the customer. If the doors fall off and if it’s a trainwreck and they’re not taking care of it, then it’s time to start over. It gets to the point when it’s not worthwhile (to keep it). Your ROI (return on investment) isn’t worth it. Usually it’s the age, serial number and how badly things have been taken care of. If repairs cost you $5,000 when you can get a new one for $6,000, it doesn’t make sense to keep the existing unit.
Q: What are some basic maintenance things operators should do on their refrigeration equipment? And what maintenance tasks should they leave to the pros?
A: The first thing is to blow out the condensing coils. Keep them as clean as you can with vacuuming, putting a filter on there or blowing them out with air. With the chemical cleaning, leave that to us. They can also replace the gaskets on their own.
Q: Sustainability seems greatly important for many operators these days. What role does maintenance play in helping them achieve their goals?
A: Keeping the doors closed on refrigeration units and keeping the gaskets in good, working condition will decrease energy costs. Also, keep the condensing coils clean. You’ll have longer run times if the compressor is running harder with dirty coils and dirty equipment.
Q: In what ways has equipment evolved for the better in recent years?
A: A lot of manufacturers have increased warranty periods. The use of new refrigerants has lessened run times, making some units more efficient. And some units are more durable than before. Outside of that, you don’t see much other than the warranties making it better for the end users. It all depends on how the customer takes care of it. The equipment hasn’t changed a heck of a lot either other than the warranties.
