We’re a refrigeration company, so we can’t tell you whether your policy covers spoiled food, and nothing on this page is legal or insurance advice. Policies vary a lot, so ask your agent or read the policy itself.
Protecting the product first
Keep the door closed. A full walk-in with the door shut holds temperature longer than people expect, and every opening gives some of that back. Move what you can into equipment that’s still working, starting with the expensive items and the most temperature-sensitive ones, like raw proteins and dairy. Leave space for air to move in the reach-ins you’re filling, or they’ll warm up too.
Once food has been above 41 F, what can be kept is a food safety question. Follow your food safety plan, and call your local health department if you’re unsure. Our post on the first hour after a walk-in fails covers the early steps in more detail.
Records that help
If there’s any chance you’ll file a claim, start documenting before anything goes in the dumpster. Adjusters usually want to see what was lost and why, so keep:
- The time you noticed the problem, and the temperature then
- Photos of the thermometer as the box warmed, with the time on them
- Photos of the product before you throw it out
- A written list of what was discarded, with quantities
- Invoices or receipts showing what you paid for it
- Your temperature logs from the days before the failure
- The service report naming what failed
- Receipts for anything extra you spent, like ice or a rented cooler
The logs from before the failure can carry a lot of weight. Records showing the walk-in at 37 right up until Tuesday afternoon help show the failure was sudden. If yours are thin, the guide on reading temperature logs has tips for keeping better ones.
Our techs leave a service report after every visit saying what they found and what was repaired or replaced.
If you want the failed part for your claim, ask and we’ll leave it with you.
Questions to bring to your agent
Ask whether the policy covers spoiled food or stock, and whether there’s a limit. Some policies treat a power outage differently from a mechanical breakdown, so find out where yours stands on that. Also ask about the deductible for this kind of loss, how soon a claim has to be reported, and what records they’ll want to see. If you’ve never read that part of your policy, a slow week is a good time to call your agent.
Cutting the odds of a repeat
Most refrigeration failures don’t come out of nowhere. A dirty condenser, a worn fan motor or a slow leak usually shows up as a temperature drift first. Regular maintenance catches a lot of that, and so does someone actually reading the logs. If something has failed right now, our emergency service page says what to have ready when you call.
