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.

Most businesses can forgive temporary service interruptions. Production lines get a chance to rest and the equipment cools down. Everything is put on pause. Conversely, a system disruption that affects a temperature-controlled environment is bound to cause alarm.

Protecting Perishable Commodities

Freezer and coolroom scenarios are designed to maintain a chilly climate around the clock, but the system is only as good as the sum of its parts, which means that any weak link could be enough to cost a business everything. Once humbled, the equipment is just an insulated room, a sealed space where food will spoil and sensitive pharmaceutical compounds will chemically corrupt. In short, the mechanical parts that sustain a frosty environment must be built from high-quality materials so that the equipment remains reliably functional.

No Room for Substandard Parts

If food and produce, medical materials and pharmaceutical products are to be stored properly, the freezer and coolroom storage spaces we’ve described so far must comply with a rigorous set of health and safety guidelines. Similarly, every section of the storage area, every seal and insulating wall panel, has to be designed with a solid bias towards quality and constancy. And, on remembering the weakest link principle, that same design ethic necessarily extends to cover every structural component, all the way down to the humblest fastener and vent screw.

Active System Components

Even as top-notch insulating components and structural parts keep the chilled atmosphere constrained, the active machinery works to efficiently pull air in and quickly drop the temperature. The fan belts on a two-stage cooling unit are often seen as a chink in the cooling armour here, but engineers design their drive belts to work flawlessly in the cold by manufacturing the belts from engineering plastics, polymers that won’t crack or rupture when the temperature falls below freezing point. It’s the same with the bearing housings and the metals used in the refrigerant coils, with newer alloys eliminating corrosion and maximising cross-sectional area coverage to deliver fully optimised cooling power.

Storage rooms and cabinets that exhibit accurate climate controlling abilities are designed to do a handful of tasks, but this design always highlights one feature. The reliability factor is what’s being referred to now, a feature that has to work reliably when the temperature is low or airborne moisture content is high. Built from the best materials and tested to the point of destruction, these parts matter because they must maintain the freezer and coolroom storage temperatures at all times.

In leveraging every square centimetre of available space in a coolroom, business owners adopt a three-dimensional storage strategy. They do this to save energy and maximize freezer and coolroom capacity. First of all, if the stored items, food or other perishables, were to be placed on the floor, then thermal leakage would take place unless the floor was insulated. So we return to the notion of raising storage upward, of adding shelves and specially designed racks. The eddying currents of cool air do the rest, circulating around the enclosed chamber. Of course, these are no ordinary storage racks.

Maximize Floor Space

A temperature-regulated zone works best when specially designed furnishings are installed. The wire-thin materials efficiently hold meat and produce while ensuring no energy-blocking walls obstruct airflow. Freezer and coolroom capacity is further compacted by adding mechanical assemblies to this condensed but open shelving configuration. One idea is to place the racks on a series of rails and casters. The space between each unit can then be adjusted manually to optimise airflow. This, on top of high-density wire shelving, keeps productivity on the up while thermal losses sink below the point where they’d incur a red mark on an energy audit.

Height-Enhanced Cooling

Evaporators and vents are strategically installed to take advantage of the layout of a temperature-regulating room. Vertical space takes priority here, with the added height encouraging the placement of taller racks. Take care, too much height only creates a void, an area where stacked shelves can no longer be safely installed. Instead, we’re creating greater energy losses. The best strategy is to balance vertical height against product type and allowable rack stacking height. Reinforce this methodology by installing exterior support structures, if possible, beams that won’t obstruct airflow. The more open the storage area is, the better the cooling system works, but don’t stretch this guideline beyond its practical limits by taking that vertical clearance value too high.

Just as a loading supervisor carefully coordinates the stacking of frozen product in a refrigerated truck, freezer and coolroom capacity must be properly managed. It’s not advisable to overfill a commercial-grade freezer room, for example, because this is a work area, a place where staff members and forklift trucks must have access, but access corridors should be limited. Partner this layout strategy with hooks, wireframe shelves, and plastic-coated alloys to maximize capacity. Then, when the cooling unit activates, less energy will be required to take advantage of this condensed layout.

When restaurants and markets preserve food and drink, they employ coolrooms and freezers, sealed spaces that deliver carefully channelled quantities of refrigerated air. The meat and vegetables cool, the drinks chill, and the resulting environment maintains an ever-fresh climate. Now we turn to other commodities, to blossoming flowers and freshly cut foliage, to biological matter that’s still growing. Coolroom temperature management in this environment is no less exacting than the methodology applied to food, except it’s the management of a plant’s life cycle that concerns us in this instance.

Setting the Temperature

If the temperature strays from accepted margins, flowers will wilt and foliage will spoil. The growth cycle is triggered prematurely, and the blossoming flower opens its petals too soon. An optimally managed cooling environment maintains its temperature at around 33ºF to 35ºF (approximately 1ºC). Of course, this figure isn’t set in stone. It varies ever so slightly to accomodate the different types of flowers and foliage entering the cooler. Tropical flowers, for example, benefit from warmer climate control settings. If birds-of-paradise, tropical orchids, or other equatorial variants are to be placed in a coolroom, turn up the thermostat and keep it at the 50ºF to 55ºF (approximately 11ºC) mark.

Temperature Management Keeps Flowers Fresh

Floral growing companies and florists are well-versed in what it takes to keep plant life fresh. The stem is given a diagonal cut to enhance stem nourishment absorption rates. Light, insecticides, floral preservatives, and other care practices keep the plants smelling good and looking vitally alive, but it’s the coolroom temperature that places the foliage into a sleepy state and causes the flowers to hibernate, thus stopping the petals from blooming and withering before they’re sold. Still, errors are constantly dicovered in this practice due to poor management skills. The ducts are possibly blocked or obstructed in some manner, and the flowers end up warming, blossoming, and losing that essential ever-fresh scent that makes them so beautiful. In fixing this issue, place digital thermostats in key areas and check the airflow for convection obstructions.

Temperature management is an important part of this coolroom scenario, but there are caveats to be aware of here. Firstly, different flowers and different foliage variants come from all around the globe. Some are seasonal while others are tropical, meaning different temperature settings must be followed, so stick with the 1ºC thermostat setting when managing plants found in temperate regions, and dial the thermostat to 11(ºC) when caring for tropical variants.

While it may sound like a wild term, one that unwittingly connects financial earnings to cooling equipment, energy audits actually represent a purposeful methodology. The study analyses freezers and coolrooms, inspecting every system in the unit for energy loss sources.

Building Your Efficiency Roadmap

Every business venture survives on its wits, but financial acumen is a little harder to account for when large equipment enters the equation. An energy saving audit equals an opportunity to look at the big picture and see where wasted energy is escaping. Actual energy expenditure is calculated on an electrical scale and converted into mechanical and cooling assets, at which point you gain a clarified image of any disparity. In other words, you reduce kilowatt-per-hour consumption while keeping spoilable food and beverages as cool as ever.

Improved Cooling Envelope Integrity

Freezers and coolrooms are two different storage beasts. In the case of a freezer, you enter an actively frozen environment, a place where poorly insulated panelling can often be seen with the naked eye. Coolroom containment offers a more subtle through no less important containment solution. The food is kept fresh and ready for processing and cooking. Beverages are chilly but still fluid. An energy audit is a very accurate time-in-motion study, one that can differentiate between imperceptible thermal changes and trace those changes to their source. The result is a fully formed thermal envelope, even when that envelope is formed around the around-zero environment of a coolroom.

Laser-Like Resource Management

If a cooling unit is costing the commercial establishment bundles of cash, the temptation is to replace everything and eventually catch up when the savings start rolling in. The analysis procedure cuts the fat from the bones in this strategy by identifying exact loss points. Indeed, a professionally conducted audit can find flaws in the compressor assembly, detect insulation problems, door leakage issues, and much more. Thus, only the energy-costing parts require repair or replacement.

Commercial-grade cooling solutions are incredibly energy intensive. Contemporary Energy Star (www.greenrestaurants.org) guidelines reduce much of the losses associated with these essential food-preserving chambers, but the subject is still clouded by conflicting mechanical and electrical factors. Even the actions of the staff have an effect on the results of the audit, with some incautious staff members leaving freezers and coolrooms exposed to the open for extended periods. The study documents this staff-related issue and all mechanical loss points, creating a loss plan that can be resolved with maintenance, newly incorporated procedures, and some repair work.

Clinical environments are extremely sensitive to temperature changes, but the reagents, blood samples, bodily fluids, and medicines held here are guaranteed to remain stable because they’re protected by a special storage unit. That means the samples are stored in a precisely controlled cooling chamber, a setting that has finitely adjustable climate controls. In fact, whether we’re discussing medicines or biological samples, coolroom temperature and maintenance administration will keep these sensitive materials stable thanks to the provision of a fractional climate management solution.

Microbial Debilitating Environments Prevail

A precise thermostat is key in this circumstance, as it forms the core of a linear temperature management mechanism. Once set, the cooling chamber reliably maintains the internal climate, stopping bacterial cultures in their tracks. Laboratory protocols vary from country to country, but standard thermal controls maintain a flatline -8°C to 1°C, a clinically evaluated chill factor that guarantees the arrest of certain biological and chemical processes.

Maintaining Scientific Accurate

The monitoring gear and cooling units employed in this scenario are very dependable and fairly certain to remain as functional as they are accurate. But certainty is a prerequisite in this clinical domain. Maintenance routines test the thermostats, inspect monitoring circuitry, and assess the cooling systems for possible “drift” events, where the thermostat deviates by perhaps as little as one decimal place. Remember, accuracy is everything in a laboratory, a room or small chamber where every chemical change could equal an inaccurate diagnostic result or a loss of compound efficacy, especially when that compound forms the basis of a medical treatment.

Digitally Regimented but Physically Sound

Clinical coolroom temperature and maintenance tasks demand a multi-tiered approach. The temperature is closely monitored. Humidity metrics are under tight control, and certain gas emissions complete a rigid experimental model, a part of a data set being documented by lab staff. Even the doors and glazing requirements of the sealed chamber take on greater importance, thus supporting the digital electronics monitoring the biological samples and medicines. Airflow is measured and added to the maintenance program because poor circulation will compromise the space and spoil the even distribution of the precision-controlled environment, which could equal unreliable results in a critically important medical evaluation.

Viewed as a vital medical storage aid, lab refrigerators and coolers apply a coolroom temperature and maintenance strategy to ensure drugs, biological samples, and other medical materials are reliably kept at a set temperature, thus protecting the fidelity and chemical stability of the stored substances.

An emphasis on quality can make the difference between healthy and hazardous when it comes to sealed climate controlled areas. It’s practically an ethical demand, the need to build the chamber so that the temperature is controlled, the food is properly cooled, and beverages stay cool without freezing. Words like reliability and consistency come to mind, and those terms lead on to other words, to mechanical certitude, material durability, and an overall design that incorporates superior parts. Of course, now that this self-contained chilly environment is working optimally, the worst thing to do would be to replace any of these premium components with a substandard part.

Substitute coolroom parts and accessories are shiny and wear-free when unpackaged, but do they share the same material characteristics as the operating walk-in freezer? Are they designed in accordance with demanding engineering standards? These two metrics play a major role in measuring quality. For instance, suppose the new part is brand new and fresh out of the package. It shines and reflects the kitchen lights in an attractive manner but feels light and flimsy. Install the part and it will, in all likelihood, wear fast and compromise the operating efficiency of the cooling gear. A substandard insulating panel will warp under low temperatures and cause the temperature to rise. Poorly treated metal will corrode. Electrical parts will stop or work poorly, again incurring energy losses and expensive repair charges. High quality coolroom parts and accessories avoid this painful circumstance by not becoming the weak link in the cooling chain. Remember, linear cooling is the goal and hygienic food storage is an essential part of this target. Introduce a low quality accessory, a shoddily manufactured component to the equipment and, well, you’re just asking for trouble.

It’s been all doom and gloom so far, so let’s finish on a high. An installation agent who has the wit and experience to only offer high quality parts brings many advantages. The part is always guaranteed to be at least as strong as the other components in the cooling system. A smart engineer also recognizes the fact that the best coolroom parts and accessories cast a revealing light on the integrity and values of his company that they act as representatives of the firm long after the engineer has finished the job. Capable of ensuring the operational age of the system meets its specified lifespan, parts that adhere to high quality manufacturing standards pair perfectly with diligent installation standards to form a productive coolroom, one that will perform up to and beyond expectations.

Drastic temperature reductions are used to prevent food from spoiling, but the cooling mechanism requires control in order to maintain the contents of the storage unit properly. Whether those contents are frozen or cooled, the freshly stored food must be maintained by the correct freezer and coolroom temperature management system.

Frosty Sub-zero Temperature Control

A frozen environment is one that’s locked at a negative value on the centigrade scale. The air is cooled by powerful compressors and sent through vents to freeze the cellular structure of the food, sealing in the flavour. The temperature typically drops to a frosty -10°C but can sink to -25°C on demand. Although this isn’t a scientific domain, a freezer that mandates split-degree temperature management, it’s still imperative that the food remains frozen if the biological state of the food, especially meat, is to be kept safely interred. Bacterial growth is therefore completely negated and quality preserved. And, since quality typically equates to freshness, the taste of the food is preserved, stored in this frigid state for months if necessary. This configuration benefits the long term storage of bulk items but isn’t suitable for moist fruit or dairy produce. Also, more energy is required for a commercial freezer, so keep this in mind when making space calculations for the unit.

Mastering Coolroom Temperature Management

The supervision of a freezer and coolroom temperature controlled environment is a complex issue, one that requires precise monitoring and superior thermostats. In the case of coolrooms, the ambient environment rises above freezing point, so liquids and creams can be stored without risk of damage. Consequently, meat and produce is kept cool but not so cool that the delicate cellular structure of the food crystallizes. Spoilage delay is relatively less effective when compared with freezing, but freshness is guaranteed in the short term due to microorganism retardation and a near complete cessation of enzyme action. Temperatures in commercial coolers bottom out above freezing point and peak at 5°C. Again, this range must be rigidly maintained by the compressor and the thermostat. Of course, as any energy audit inform us, subtle temperature variations also owe their presence to poor insulation and badly installed door seals, practices that are eliminated by professional storage solutions.

Time and safe food management top the refrigeration chart, but flavour and freshness come a very close second. Optimal management of temperature curves reinforce this ethic, keeping freezer and coolroom temperature governance firmly in the hands of coolroom installer experts.

Heating cables are a special form of electrical wiring that’s designed to radiate warmth. The product is flexible, so it’s quite easy to coil the cables around surfaces in order to keep them warm. Commonly used to defrost rooftops and gutters that are weighed down by snow, the purpose of the product takes on a sharper focus when used in freezers and coolrooms.

Room-Based Applications

We imagine one environment when picturing freezers. A thermostat and a cooling unit drop the temperature. Ice forms, and heating requirements never enter our thoughts. This is a place that’s meant to be cold, after all. Subzero air stops taste-degrading biological processes, as intended, by keeping the climate frosty, but freezers and coolrooms also run on equipment and structural components that can’t cope with ice. The solution to the issue is special flexible heating elements, heating cables that act as a low-grade but effective trace warming line. They’re fitted to freezer doors to stop the ice from warping or freezing the mechanism, and they’re also used to protect pipes, as they run parallel to water lines, preventing liquid water from turning to ice.

Prevents Floor Heave

If we were to pop inside an old cooler and see how it has survived the decades, we’d probably be shocked, for the floor has undergone a terrible transformation. It’s cracked and uneven, rising in some spots and dipping dangerously in others. Concrete flooring doesn’t react well to subzero temperatures, which is why some form of floor heating is essential if we’re to avoid this messy structural phenomenon. An expertly installed set of heating cables, passing through every square metre of the floor inside plastic tubes, stops the floor from freezing solid and the concrete from experiencing “heaving.” Remember, a frozen floor will crack and lift, which presents a new avenue for energy loss. Heating cables pass through metal conduits or plastic pipes under the floor to counter this freezing threat.

The cables come in two related variants, known in the trade as self-regulating and constant wattage. The two conductors in the self-regulating type sandwich a special conductive core within the cable, and this core varies its conductivity as the temperature changes. Meanwhile, the function of the constant-wattage form is fairly self-explanatory, in that it delivers the same heat at all times.

An installation engineer considers the length of the run, the type of heating cables, and many other factors when adding heating to freezers and coolrooms.

Two critical variables govern the running of coolrooms. A highly efficient active cooling unit serves as the first half of the solution, but what about the passive half of the formula? All the cooling technology in the world will be next to useless without proper insulation, a physical layer that prevents heat from destroying the uniformly cool environment created by the cooling device.

What we’ve got so far is a vague notion of how coolrooms rely on a mechanism of some kind, a device that drops the temperature to near or below subzero values. The coolroom keeps the temperature at or slightly above 0°C. The walk-in freezer drops the climate far below this point, so low that the moisture in the air turns to ice and the enzymes in the food stop their chemical reactions, thus preserving the food from spoiling. This is basic coolroom science, with the actual coolrooms just using less cooling energy so that the food can still be handled and prepared for cooking, but uniformity is still a huge factor in both scenarios. Insulation stops heat from entering the room, a process some perceive as cold leaving the cooler. Therefore, the thermal isolating properties of the insulant, by simple logical deduction, can be perceived as a barrier, and, as such, are a crucial part of the cooling environment. In other words, the material maintains temperature by the blocking losses caused by external factors.

As with any other high-end passive material, when we improve the material design, its physical properties and/or dimensions, we enhance functionality. In the case of coolroom insulation, the material must cover every exposed square metre of open wall, but this isn’t enough. Thermal leakage is a surprisingly potent force, one that expresses its costs in spoilt food and high energy expenditure. Every corner and crevice must be evenly lined. Energy audits are then conducted on a regular basis to ensure uniformity is protected. The effect of such attentive monitoring and careful application of thermal insulation is invariably well-preserved food, typically to within a degree of that stated on the thermostat. Also, almost as importantly from a profit standpoint, electrical energy costs are significantly reduced.

An entire branch of industry is dedicated toward servicing coolroom insulation. New models come standard with modular polyurethane panels to maintain 100% energy efficiency. Meanwhile, older glass fibre and CFC-laden linings are replaced on a daily basis in a determined effort to push older models towards contemporary cooling standards.

An assessment of currently operating coolroom and freezer setups devolves into a confusing though enticing voyage of discovery unless you know what to expect. There are restaurant and hotel coolrooms, walk-in areas designed to match the scale of the work conducted within medium-sized food preparation facilities. Then comes beverage containment, the storage of delicately cared for bottles of wine. Next, just to illustrate the diversity of the field, there are mammoth installations, frozen warehouses that store slabs of beef at sub-zero temperatures. These sharply contrasting facilities meet national guidelines, of course, but think of the advantages to be found in going further, the benefits of customising the temperature-controlled environments so that they meet a client’s unique vision.

Made-to-Measure Excellence

The space inside the sealed chamber is built by traditional designers to meet dimensional measurements, the location of shelving, the absolute temperature spread as set by a thermostat, but customising services go further, taking you down the extra mile that ensures your stock is both accessible and safely stored. One example would be a more exacting temperature maintenance model, a thermostat that offers auditing features and a digital assurance of set thermal levels. Specialised shelving comes next, representing a feature that shows off the advanced skills of your installer. Imagine a vintage bottle of wine kept in just the right climate and snug on a specially shaped shelf. The even chill would then be set by strategically placed convection fans, a circulating current of cool air that guarantees each bottle is chilled.

Expanded Coolroom and Freezer Design Goals

The above example represents customer demand on a fractional scale, but the tailoring of refrigeration space is found on every level of the scale map. The modular design must be overlaid on top of the kitchen space or storeroom with exquisite care for detail so that it fits both spatial limitations and available electrical power, and this same external design versatility extends to the air ductwork and the plumbing, elements that control defrosting cycles and the air funnelled into the input port of the refrigeration unit.

The unique fingerprint of the right coolroom and freezer solution adopts the versatility of modern modular elements while adhering to standard engineering principles, features and functions that enhance the abilities of the walk-in area so that it matches and even excels beyond the blueprints submitted by the client. The final solution is thus tailored to fit both space and function, whether those stipulations veer toward a more practical configuration, an aesthetic design, or a combination of the two forms.

Get a Quote

Obligation Free Quote

C&M Coolrooms can create a custom solution for your specific needs. Talk to one of team members today.