Given that freezers and coolrooms are built to exacting engineering standards, they rarely break down. The sealed chambers maintain a uniform chill around the clock, a level of determined functionality that relies on a high-quality mechanical and electrical design. Unfortunately, even a brief interruption during a lengthy cooling cycle can compromise stored content, which, basically, is why temperature malfunctions cannot be tolerated. Let’s look at the common reasons for such glitches so that we can add them to a predictive maintenance program.
Basic Electrical Problems
If the temperature is on the rise, troubleshoot the electrical system. A quick look at the thermostat readout would tell us the power is there, for example, so the issue could lay elsewhere, perhaps in the refrigeration gear. Freezers and coolrooms are major energy users, so high-output electrical circuitry is needed in order to power energy-hungry compressors. Check for blown fuses and tripped circuit breakers. If a short circuit is suspected, the circuit breaker may not reset, which means it’s time to call in an expert repair service.
Refrigeration Unit Failure
A cooling unit is a complex assembly of mechanical and chemical subsystems, parts that are wrapped in controlling electrical and electronic circuitry. Icy build-up is an issue here, a problem that causes heat transfer imbalance. The evaporator coils stop working and a safety relay trips. Overpressure switches and thermal contacts protect the equipment, but someone has to clear out the ice and reset these switches before the system can be returned to its normal operating cycle.
Optimizing Freezers and Coolrooms to Work Problem-Free
Many of these issues are unavoidable, but some can be entirely prevented. Distribute the food and beverages, pharmaceutical products and chemicals evenly. An open layout encourages optimized airflow. Next, don’t overfill the chamber. An overfull freezer stresses the cooling unit and causes the compressor to run hot. This overload scenario also occurs when coolroom insulating panels are loose or missing. Finally, check the seal around the door and listen to the motor, for a constantly operating motor may indicate a coolant leak. These leaks reduce the power of the equipment. In essence, the cooling appliance can no longer obey the thermostat because of the leak.
Coolroom technology is now so compact, so modular and reliable, that it rarely fails. Still, in keeping these crucial storage areas safe, absolute functionality is a must, which is why a sound troubleshooting strategy and a timely maintenance plan must incorporate common malfunction causes and their solutions.
The fundamental goal of an energy awareness strategy is to use our finite resources responsibly. In reaching this worthy goal, we audit our most energy-intensive appliances and optimise prominent wattage gluttons, but what comes next? Next comes supplemental energy aids, a program that partners traditional power sources with a switch to renewable energy.
Reduce Power Grid Loads
We need the net output of our coolrooms to maintain a set frosty temperature. That’s an inviolable rule, one set in place to ensure our perishable commodities remain safely fresh and bacteria-free. Still, coolroom efficiency can be optimized in several ways, thus bringing the equipment within the renewable energy domain. Firstly, efficient fans and electric motors slice the power requirements of the equipment while maintaining chilled airflow and capacity. This strategy is accompanied by additional energy audits, supplemental insulation, and the incorporation of an innovative carbon footprint reduction plan.
Renewable Energy Options
An environmental protection plan extends backward like a long trail of green-themed dominoes. We see this principle in action in electric cars, with the vehicle soundly promoting a greenhouse gas reducing mechanism, but electrical power is still being sourced from some distant coal-powered generator. A truly energy-aware strategy acknowledges the power distribution entire chain, all the way back to the power station. Therefore, once the streamlined coolroom efficiency model is installed, including low-power electric motors, the next move is to conscientiously evaluate the power source. Opt, if at all possible, for hydroelectric energy or a naturally replenishable generator of easily renewable electrical power, for refrigeration is still one of our main energy gluttons.
Commercial Realism
Restaurants and commercial catering operations use somewhere in the region of five times as much electrical power as any other comparable business operation, which is why auditing procedures are an essential part of a profitable business. Now, while profit keeps a restaurant, hotel, or meat factory above the out-of-business waterline, we still have a responsibility to our environment. Fortunately, wind farms are currently popping up all over the landscape, and these supplemental power sources are even entirely overtaking traditional power grids in some countries. Meanwhile, until these facilities reach saturation point, we can talk to our utility companies and see exactly how much of our power is being generated by replenishable sources, by wind, solar, and water-powered generating plants.
In a twofold solution to the issue, innovative forms of technology save the day, but this approach can only really take flight when supported by a conscientious mind, one that seeks out renewable and ecologically friendly power.
C&M Coolrooms can create a custom solution for your specific needs. Talk to one of team members today.
