Are you looking for ways to enhance your business? Purchasing the right commercial freezers in Eugene, OR could be the perfect solution. Specifically, blast chillers or freezers offer several benefits that can increase your efficiency and boost your bottom line.
If you’re considering investing in a blast chiller or freezer, review the following perks to decide if it is the right investment for you. For additional information, contact your local commercial freezer experts:
Rapid cooling: Blast chillers or freezers decrease temperatures rapidly. This minimizes the loss from evaporation. It also decreases the size of ice crystals. When large ice crystals form, they can damage food when it is defrosted. The excess moisture causes poor texture and flavor.
Seasonal purchases: Would you like to invest in seasonal items when you can get them at the best price? This is often difficult impossible due to lack of storage options. Blast chillers or freezers can allow a business to purchase items to freeze for long periods of time. They store and thaw well while retaining their freshness.
Loss reduction: One of the most concerning expenses for commercial kitchens is inventory loss. Blast chillers and freezers allow owners to increase storage efficiency and reduce this loss. The final result is a better bottom line.
Baked goods: Have you ever tried to freeze a pie? When it is thawed, it probably lost its flaky texture and its crust fell flat. Blast chillers or freezers cool baked goods rapidly so they retain their shape.
Baked pasta: When pasta is not immediately paired with sauce, it can suffer. Storing it for future use can be tricky. The right commercial freezers in Eugene, OR can make freezing pasta a cinch. Blast chillers or freezers cool pasta quickly to prepare it for future sauces and braises.
Smooth ice creams: Few things can compare to a perfectly smooth ice cream or sorbet. In fact, these products often must have the right consistency to properly create dessert recipes. Due to their ice crystal reduction, blast chillers and freezers allow you to make extra smooth and creamy sorbets and ice creams.
Chilled drinks: Do you ever store drinks at room temperature? Since the customer is expecting a chilled beverage, it’s good to have an option to quickly cool your inventory. Blast chillers and freezers are perfect for quickly cooling down your back stock and providing the refreshing beverage your customer wants.
Fresh seafood: Do you serve mussels, oysters or clams? With blast chillers and freezers, shellfish can be frozen and then thawed to serve. Your customers will never know the difference. Using this “cryo-shucking” method, the seafood tastes as fresh as it did the day it was caught.
Boost Your Business
Would you like to learn more about commercial freezers in Eugene, OR and how they can boost your business? Contact American Refrigeration Inc. today. Our freezer experts have been serving the area with honesty and integrity since 1995. With decades of experience, we offer unparalleled service and products. Reach out to us today with any questions!
In 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began a phase-out of the use of R-22 refrigerant (also known as Freon) in residential and commercial HVAC applications, as studies demonstrated its use was harmful to the earth’s ozone layer. That phase-out winds down in 2019—as of 2020, Freon will no longer be made or imported in the United States.
This means that if you’re the owner of a commercial building that has an older commercial HVAC system in Eugene, OR, time is running out for you to decide what you’ll do regarding your current systems that run primarily based on Freon. You’re going to need to either get new equipment altogether, or convert your equipment to an alternative refrigerant.
Considering how quickly the sand is falling out of the hourglass, it’s important to be proactive. Questions to consider include:
When should I convert my R-22 system to an alternative refrigerant? The answer to this question heavily depends on the size and age of the system you’re currently running. Calculate how much it would cost to continue to leak test, repair and run your R-22 system versus how much it would cost to convert. The less available R-22 becomes, the more expensive it will be, and prices are expected to skyrocket after production of R-22 ceases altogether in 2019. These are big factors to consider.
When should I replace or retrofit my system? Again, this largely depends on the size and age of your system. An older HVAC system that might need to be replaced in several years anyway is a good candidate to be replaced now rather than trying to convert it a few years before you’d just need to replace it anyway. However, if it’s in good shape and you still intend to get years of use out of it, converting can make a lot of sense.
The new standard refrigerant
There are many different alternatives to R-22 already available, but the standard moving forward is expected to be R-410A, also known as Puron. This substance is a hydrofluorocarbon that does not damage the ozone, and actually provides greater efficiency than Freon. This is the refrigerant manufacturers have been most commonly using since the EPA reports came out in 2010.
Puron is more efficient than Freon because it absorbs and releases heat better, which means the compressor runs cooler and prevents overheating. It also uses synthetic oil for lubrication, which is much more soluble than the types of mineral oil used in Freon applications. These are the primary reasons why manufacturers have embraced it as the new standard in the world of refrigerants. As such, you’ll likely have much better success converting a Freon-based system to a Puron-based system, just due to how prevalent it is becoming in the industry.
For more information about the R-22/Freon phase-out and what you can do to prepare your facility over the next year or two, contact the team at American Refrigeration Inc. to discuss your commercial HVAC in Eugene, OR.
R-22, also known as Freon, has historically been one of the most common refrigerants used in air conditioning units and other cooling applications. However, its use has been steadily getting phased out since 2010 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) due to some of the negative effects it has been shown to have on the earth’s ozone layer.
Since that time, there has been a massive reduction in how much R-22 is being produced in the United States, leading to a significant increase in the cost of R-22 for homeowners. By 2020, R-22 will no longer be produced or imported in the United States at all, which means homeowners who have older AC units that rely on that coolant will likely need to upgrade to a new unit.
Therefore, if you are still using R-22 as your primary refrigerant for your commercial HVAC in Eugene, OR, it’s time to start preparing for the full phase-out, which is less than two years away.
How do I know if my HVAC system uses R-22?
If you have an older air conditioner or heat pump, there’s a chance it’s reliant on the use of R-22. You can check your unit to make sure of this before you start worrying about paying for a replacement.
First, look at the nameplate on the side of the outdoor unit. It may very well indicate the presence of R-22 with a note that says “Contains HCFC-22” or “Contains R-22.” You can also check the owner’s manual for the equipment if you have it, or contact the company that installed the equipment in your business for you.
If you have the manufacturer’s name and the model number of the equipment, you can also look up the information online to find all the specifications you need, including the type of refrigerant used by the system. If you schedule a tune-up of your HVAC system, you can have your service technician tell you the type of refrigerant the system takes.
What else do I need to know?
Fortunately, if you had your system installed after 2011, there’s nothing to worry about—you’re very likely not affected at all by the R-22 phase-out. Even if your system was installed before then and/or uses R-22 refrigerant, you still don’t need to be concerned unless your system requires some type of repair that would involve adding or removing refrigerant.
Still, the phase-out is important to keep in mind when you consider the costs of making repairs to your system. Knowing that the refrigerant your system uses is obsolete, you might decide it’s more worthwhile to purchase an entirely new system, especially if your system is already on the older side.
Going forward, the most popular choice for refrigerant is expected to be R-410A, a hydrofluorocarbon that does not damage the ozone, and is even more efficient than R-22.
For more information about the phase out and how it could affect you, contact the team at American Refrigeration Inc. about commercial HVAC in Eugene, OR.
All food service establishments must maintain certain standards of cleanliness. Part of this comes through regularly cleaning your commercial walk-in coolers in Eugene, OR.
Over time, it’s easy to build up collections of foods that are long past their expiration date, especially if your coolers aren’t particularly organized. The longer these foods hang around in your refrigerator, the more they can become a safety hazard, in that they harbor bacteria. This is especially true if any old food spills out into the refrigerator and does not get wiped up right away.
Here are a few steps to take to help you clean and organize your fridge to ensure you maintain the best standards of cleanliness possible in your restaurant or other commercial operation:
Always unplug the unit first: You should never start cleaning with the unit still on. Eliminate the possibility of electrocution by unplugging the refrigerator before you get to work.
Empty every shelf and drawer: Take everything out and put it in coolers with ice or other cold containers where the food will be safe during your cooling process. The best time to do this is right before you receive a new shipment of food, so your fridge is as clear as it’s going to get. Throw away anything that’s expired or has otherwise gone bad—even if it’s not clearly past its expiration date, you should get rid of it if you have any reason to suspect they’re compromised. Your motto should be “when in doubt, throw it out.”
Wipe down the entire interior: Using a mixture of warm water and soap, take a sponge and thoroughly clean the inside of your refrigerator. You can also use microfiber mitts or cloths to scrub down the hard-to-reach spaces without worrying about leaving behind any debris. Toothbrushes can also be of assistance in tight corners—the bristles are just flexible and strong enough to do the trick. Once you’ve finished scrubbing the entire interior of the refrigerator, rinse it out with clean water.
Disinfect: Once you’ve finished cleaning with soap and water, you should disinfect all the surfaces with a food-safe sanitizer. This will kill off any remaining bacteria or mold and will offer some additional protection for some time after you place your food items back inside the refrigerator. You don’t need to use as much sanitizer as you probably think you do—a little spread throughout the equipment should go a long way.
Clean other parts while you’re at it: Once you’ve finished the inside of the fridge, clean some of the other parts, including the condenser and coils, as well as the top, sides and underneath sections of the refrigerator or freezer.
Restock: Restock your items, but make sure you keep them organized so you don’t have to worry about items getting lost and going bad once again.
For more information about how you can better clean out your commercial refrigeration in Eugene, OR, contact the experts at American Refrigeration Inc. today.
Every now and then your commercial freezer is likely to have an issue that requires some repairs—this is just a fact of life when dealing with such large, energy-consuming equipment. However, you can lessen the likelihood of needing significant repairs at any given time by staying on top of your ongoing maintenance, just like you do with a car.
With this in mind, here are some tips for better ongoing maintenance of your commercial freezers in Eugene, OR:
Clean your freezer: Always keep your freezer clean. A simple mixture of water and soap will do just fine—the use of harsh chemicals could result in your doing some damage to the metal surfaces or some of the other fixtures inside the freezer. If any spills occur, make sure you clean them up quickly to prevent them from freezing and causing damage (or just being unsanitary).
Clean the parts: Cleaning the plastic and metal surfaces isn’t enough—you should make it part of your maintenance routine to clean some of the individual parts of the equipment as well. Blades and evaporator fan coils, for example, should be cleaned once a quarter. This also gives you a good opportunity to inspect them for damage so you can replace them as needed.
Check the condensing unit: Add regular checks of the condensing unit to your routine, and never allow any garbage or other debris to collect across the walk-in area.
Check the doors: Door seals and hinges are extremely important in cooling and freezing units, because they prevent warm air from getting in and cold air from getting out. The hinges should all be properly lubricated to ensure they open and close smoothly without any issues. The seals should close properly to create an airtight seal. Never keep the door propped open for any prolonged period of time, and always make sure the door closes tightly. Seals and hinges should be replaced as soon as possible if they develop any noticeable wear and tear or if they are no longer working as they are supposed to.
Track the temperature: Keep a log of your freezer temperatures and note any fluctuations. These fluctuations could be a sign that there’s something malfunctioning in the freezer system. Many systems allow you to store a temperature history for up to 10 years, which can help technicians to search for patterns in this history and diagnose a potential problem.
Develop a relationship with your maintenance technician: Having a good relationship with your maintenance technician will make it easier for you to create a good scheduled maintenance program that keeps all of your equipment operating in optimal condition. Plus, your technician will get familiar with your system and know when something is not operating as it should be.
Looking for more tips about how to keep your commercial freezers in Eugene, OR in great condition for many years to come? Contact the team at American Refrigeration Inc. today and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you have.
