Refrigeration Calibration Testing in London

Does your fridge read what it says?

The number on a controller is only useful if it is right. Displays drift. Probes age, get knocked or end up in the wrong spot. A fridge can show 5°C on the front while the shelf at the back sits at 9°C.

Kept Cold checks that. Our engineers test each unit against a reference probe, record what we find and give you a calibration certificate you can file. We work with pharmacies, clinics, GP surgeries, dental practices and laboratories, and with restaurants, cafes, hotels and food retailers across London within the M25.

Vaccine, pharmacy and medical fridges

If you store vaccines or medicines, you work to a 2°C to 8°C range and you record the minimum and maximum readings every day. Those readings are only as good as the display or thermometer they come from. If the display is out by two degrees, your log can show a clean week while stock has sat outside its range.

A calibration test tells you whether the figure you write down each morning matches the real temperature inside the fridge. It gives you a dated, signed record that someone independent checked it.

What we check on a medical fridge

• The controller display against our reference probe.
• The internal temperature against your setpoint.
• Whether the internal temperature sits inside 2°C to 8°C, or whatever range you give us.
• Anything we see that puts the cold chain at risk, such as a worn door seal, a blocked vent, a fridge packed against the back wall or a unit sited next to a heat source.

Your fridge stays in use

You do not need to empty the fridge or move stock. The engineer places the reference probe, lets the reading settle and records the results while the fridge carries on working. Keep the door shut as normal and the test does not interrupt your clinic or dispensary.

Pharmacy groups, practices and multi site clinics

We test every site on one plan. Each site gets its own certificate, and we invoice head office.

Food businesses

Kitchens, cafes, hotels and shops log fridge temperatures every day. We check those logs rest on an accurate display, for fridges, freezers, display units and walk in cold rooms.

How a unit passes

A unit passes when all three of these are true:

1. The reference probe and the controller agree within 2.0°C.
2. The internal temperature is within 2.0°C of the setpoint.
3. The internal temperature is inside the range you need for what you store.

For a vaccine or pharmacy fridge the third check is the one that matters most. You tell us the range, usually 2°C to 8°C, and we record a pass or fail against it.

What you get

A calibration certificate for each site showing:

• results for each unit
• the overall result
• the tolerances used
• any actions taken and our recommendations
• the next due date, 12 months after the test
• signatures, and our company and Refcom details

We also record the reference probe's make, model, serial number and its own calibration date, so you can see exactly what we tested against.

Example calibration certificate

Examples use made up details.

If a unit fails

We tell you on the day and write it on the certificate. Our engineers are F-Gas and City and Guilds qualified refrigeration engineers, so we can diagnose the fault and quote for it on the day, whether it is a controller, a probe or the refrigeration system. See refrigeration repair.

What you do with stock from a failed unit is a decision for your own procedures and your pharmacist or clinical lead. We give you the readings to make it.

Why Kept Cold

• Commercial refrigeration is all we do.
• Senior engineers only, each with at least five years' experience.
• Refcom F-Gas certified company.
• Covering London within the M25, 24 hours a day, every day.