Cold Room Maintenance & Repair
FCE provides preventive maintenance and 24/7 emergency repair of your refrigeration installations in Morocco. Quick response, certified technicians, all brands.
What to do when your cold room fails
A cold room that stops running gains several degrees per hour, depending on its volume, how full it is and the outside temperature. In food processing and pharmaceuticals alike, goods fall out of specification long before the room reaches ambient temperature. The first three actions often decide what you can save.
- 1
Do not open the door
Every opening lets in warm, humid air and speeds up the temperature rise. A closed room holds cold far longer than most people expect.
- 2
Record the temperature and the time
Also note the controller's fault code if it shows one. These three pieces of information allow a phone pre-diagnosis and save the technician valuable time.
- 3
Call immediately
The earlier the call, the more likely a temporary solution remains possible — a backup unit or a transfer of goods — before the cold chain is broken.
If the failure affects a negative cold room holding frozen goods, the useful window is even shorter: refreezing a thawed product is prohibited for food use.
From the first call to restart
- 1
Call and pre-diagnosis
A technician answers directly. From the recorded temperature, the fault code and how the system is behaving, they identify the likely causes and prepare the parts that may be needed.
- 2
Travel
Departure from our Casablanca base, with common wear parts on board.
- 3
On-site diagnosis
Inspection of the refrigeration circuit, operating pressures, controls, electrical supply and the enclosure's seal. You get a clear assessment: what is at fault, what can be repaired immediately, and what requires a part.
- 4
Repair or temporary solution
Restart where the part is available. Otherwise, a temporary arrangement to protect your goods until the part arrives.
- 5
Report
An intervention report setting out the cause, the work carried out and the points to watch.
The most common failures
Identifying the symptom often saves decisive time. Here is what we encounter most often in the field.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Severity | Do immediately |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temperature no longer drops | Low refrigerant charge, fouled condenser, failing compressor | Critical | Keep the door shut, call |
| Excessive frost on the evaporator | Defrost failure, faulty door seal, excess humidity | High | Check the door closes, call |
| Noisy or knocking compressor | Abnormal pressures, loose mounting, mechanical wear | High | Do not shut the system down, call |
| Unit runs continuously | Loss of insulation, excessive thermal load, controls out of adjustment | Medium | Record the temperature, book a visit |
| Door does not close properly | Crushed seal, misaligned hinges, worn door closer | Medium | A frequent cause of overconsumption, treat promptly |
| Alarm with no visible cause | Faulty probe, controller deprogrammed | Medium | Note the fault code, call |
| Condensation or water on the floor | Blocked condensate drain, poorly set defrost | Low | Slip hazard, schedule a visit |
Preventive and corrective maintenance
Preventive Maintenance
- Control and cleaning of condensers and evaporators
- Verification of refrigerant charge rate
- Control of compressor oils and filters
- Verification of high and low pressures
- Defrost and thermostat control
- Verification of insulated door seals
- Testing and calibration of temperature probes
- Detailed signed intervention report
Corrective Repair
- Replacement of failing compressor
- Certified refrigerant recharge
- Refrigeration leak repair
- Defrost heater replacement
- Door seal and hinge replacement
- Damaged insulated panel replacement
- Electrical and control system repair
- Refrigeration unit repair for all brands
How often to service your installation
Most of the failures we handle as emergencies were preventable. A fouled condenser, a worn door seal or a falling refrigerant charge do not cause an immediate shutdown: they gradually degrade efficiency, raise electricity consumption, and eventually trigger the failure — usually at the worst moment, under full load and in hot weather.
| Type of operation | Visits per year |
|---|---|
| Food processing, retail, intensive use | 4 |
| Catering, retail outlets, standard use | 2 |
| Negative cold rooms and critical installations | 4, with reinforced insulation and defrost checks |
| Pharmaceutical with traceability requirements | 4, with readings logged at every visit |
Checked at every visit
- Condenser and evaporator cleaning
- Refrigerant charge check and leak detection
- Operating pressures and compressor verification
- Defrost cycle and condensate drainage check
- Door seals, hinges and door closer condition
- Probes, controls and alarm trigger verification
- Electrical tightening and protection devices
- Temperature readings logged in the service record
As Morocco is a signatory to the Montreal Protocol and its Kigali Amendment, leak testing and refrigerant charge control are an environmental requirement as well as a performance one.
Our maintenance contracts
Choose the contract suited to your needs and protect your investment.
Essential Contract
- General inspection
- Written report
- Emergency hotline
- Preferential rate
On quote
Get a quotePremium Contract
- All Essential +
- Full cleaning
- Common parts included
- Priority intervention
On quote
Get a quoteComprehensive Contract
- All Premium +
- Labor included
- Spare parts
- Guaranteed 24h intervention
On quote
Get a quoteWhat determines the cost of an intervention
Travel and response time
An emergency call-out at night, at the weekend or on a public holiday is not billed like a scheduled weekday visit. This is also why a maintenance contract generally costs less than a series of one-off repairs.
The diagnosis
It is quoted and communicated before any work begins. You know what you are committing to before the job starts.
Parts and refrigerant
A door seal and a compressor are not in the same order of magnitude. The refrigerant charge depends on the installation's volume and the type of fluid used.
The most expensive item never appears on an invoice: downtime. The value of goods lost in a single prolonged failure usually exceeds several years of preventive maintenance, by a wide margin.
Every intervention is quoted after diagnosis.
Service area
We operate throughout Morocco from our Casablanca base.
| City | Indicative response time |
|---|---|
| Casablanca, Mohammedia | Within 4 hours |
| Rabat, Kénitra, El Jadida | Same day |
| Marrakech, Tangier, Settat | Within 24 hours |
| Agadir, Fès, Meknès, Oujda | Within 24 to 48 hours |
For remote sites or outlying industrial zones, we agree the response time when you call.
Sectors and installations covered
We maintain and repair refrigeration installations in food processing, retail, pharmaceuticals, cold-chain logistics and catering.
- Positive cold rooms (0 °C to +8 °C)
- Negative cold rooms (−18 °C to −25 °C)
- Refrigerated warehouses
- Refrigeration units and multi-compressor packs
- Display cases and refrigerated cabinets
We also work on installations we did not fit, following a full initial diagnosis.
Frequently asked questions
Do you really operate at night and at weekends?
Yes. Our on-call service runs 24/7, including weekends and public holidays. Refrigeration failures do not happen during office hours, and a room down on a Friday evening carries the same risk as one on a Tuesday morning.
How quickly does a technician arrive?
Within 4 hours in Casablanca and Mohammedia, same day in Rabat and Kénitra, within 24 hours in Marrakech and Tangier. Contract customers get a guaranteed response time and priority handling.
Do you repair installations you did not fit?
Yes, all brands and types. We start with a full diagnosis, since we do not know the installation's history.
How much does a repair cost?
The cost depends on travel, the response time required, the diagnosis and any parts. The diagnosis is quoted and agreed with you before any work: every repair is quoted.
Do I need a contract to get an emergency call-out?
No, we also work outside contract. Contract customers do however get a guaranteed response time, priority handling and preferential rates on parts.
What should I do with my goods during the failure?
Keep the room closed and call us immediately. Depending on the estimated downtime, we will look at a temporary solution with you — a backup unit or transfer to another enclosure.
How often should a cold room be serviced?
Twice a year for standard use, four times in food processing, retail and on negative cold rooms. Regular servicing lowers electricity consumption and prevents the large majority of emergency failures.
Cold room broken down? Call now!
24/7 emergency intervention in Casablanca, Rabat, Marrakech, Tangier, Agadir and Fez.
