An evaporator fan serves the valuable purpose of keeping air moving in your cold room working efficiently. Without a working evaporator fan, you cannot properly cool your industrial cold room. As cold rooms have to stay at a constant temperature, these fans run 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Due to this constant use, evap fan repair is a common part of regular maintenance.
Evaporator Fan: Its Use
The evaporator fan is an important part of your business’s cold room. It works by moving the air in the cold room over evaporator coils which cools the air and keeps your cold room at the desired preset temperature. In a cold room, the temperature has to be consistent and predictable. The evaporator fan and compressor are essential parts of the cooling process; if one is damaged, it will affect the other.
Signs Your Evaporator Fan Needs of Repair
When your fan needs repair or replacing, the evaporator coils ice over, leading to noticeable performance issues. These can include.
Ice collecting in your cold room.
Temperature changes in the cold room.
The fan blades become damaged or blocked.
Other damage to mechanical parts or other parts of the cooling system.
The Need for Maintenance and Repairs
Repairs and maintenance are a common part of every industrial system and any associated components. A cold room is used to store highly sensitive materials; damage to the fan or cooling components can cause damage to anything stored in your cold room. Depending on what you are storing, this can damage materials that are either expensive to replace or impossible to replace. Issues with your fan can cause the fan to become damaged or ice to collect on condenser coils leading to expensive repairs.
In addition, when your cooling system is not working correctly, energy use increases as your cold room’s equipment has to work harder to keep the temperature at desired levels. Because of this, you need to be consistent with the maintenance, cleaning, and any needed repairs. Such issues should not be ignored and must be addressed as soon as possible.
Final Thoughts
Regular cold room repair is essential for keeping your business working at its best and keeping the materials you are storing safe from heat exposure. Regular cleaning, ice removal, removing blockages, and steam cleaning can keep your cold room working as you expect. In situations where your system needs fan repair or full system replacement, a professional can assist.
Need to invest in walk-in cooler installation for your business? Or is it time for a new walk-in freezer or a combo of the two? These are costly appliances, which means you need to be informed about the many things to consider before making a purchase.
Here are the basics you need to know regarding walk-in cooler and walk-in freezer installation, so you can make the best decision for your business.
Types of units
You first need to determine whether your business needs a walk-in refrigerator, a walk-in freezer or a unit that’s a combination of the two. Walk-in refrigerators keep foods cold but not freezing, typically around 41°F. Walk-in freezers keep frozen foods around 0°F. A combination unit includes a separate section for the foods that only need to be kept cold and a section for foods that need to be frozen.
Indoor vs outdoor units
Walk-in coolers can be installed either indoors or outdoors. Specially-made units are available for outdoor walk-in cooler installation, and the process involves pouring a concrete pad to support the unit. These units typically feature a rain roof and a door hood that keeps water from finding a way in. Some outdoor walk-in units also contain a heating unit that keeps food from getting too cold when temperatures outdoors hit the below-freezing mark.
Size and space of the unit
It can be tricky to calculate the size of the walk-in unit you need to hold food at your business. Start by checking the amount of open space available if you’re having the unit installed indoors. As a general rule, you can calculate the space you need by accounting for 1 cubic foot of space per 28 pounds of food you’ll be storing.
Keep in mind that the evaporator coil may take up some space inside the unit. There are several upgraded units that have these systems outside of the box to free up more space inside. Custom-made units are available, but you’ll need to have detailed drawings and be prepared to pay the expenses involved in custom work.
Size of the refrigeration system
You also need to determine the size and type of refrigeration system you need. This refers to how powerful the system is, as well as whether it’s for refrigeration, freezing or both. The overall size of the unit will determine the power requirements of your system—more cubic footage requires more power.
Energy and efficiency
In some cases, you’ll need to bolster your electrical system to account for a new walk-in cooler or refrigerator. Make sure you understand the specs regarding efficiency of the unit, and check with an HVAC pro to see if you’ll need the services of an electrician prior to installation.
Looking for more information on walk-in cooler and walk-in freezer installation? Contact American Refrigeration Inc today. We’ll guide you through the process of selecting the right unit for the needs of your business, and we’ll take care of professional installation and any maintenance concerns that may arise during the unit’s lifespan.
All appliances, no matter how durable, have a certain lifespan. Eventually, even the best appliances must be replaced due to waning performance, wear and tear or repair issues that come up after years of use.
Before the end of an appliance’s lifespan, however, chances are that there will be certain maintenance tasks that must be taken care of—including part replacement. One of the most common repairs for commercial food storage equipment is walk-in cooler compressor replacement.
Keep reading to learn about how long walk-in cooler compressors last and how to tell when it’s time for replacement.
What is a walk-in cooler compressor?
Walk-in cooler compressors are essential to the effective operation of commercial refrigerators and freezers. The compressor’s role in the refrigeration process is to compress and control the flow of refrigerant throughout the cooling system. Compressors can be mounted at the top or bottom of a commercial refrigerator or freezer. The optimal placement for a compressor depends on where the refrigeration equipment is placed and how it will be used.
Lifespan of walk-in cooler compressors
When a cooler compressor fails, it can cause all kinds of problems that prevent commercial refrigeration equipment from working effectively. The exact lifespan of a walk-in cooler compressor may vary depending on how frequently it is maintained and how much stress it is under as a result of everyday use; however, most technicians estimate that walk-in cooler compressors will last about 10 years.
The precise lifespan of a walk-in cooler compressor will depend on the type of compressor, the manufacturer, the size of the walk-in cooler, the level of use and the frequency of maintenance. Unsurprisingly, walk-in cooler compressors last longer when they are cared for and maintained properly, so it’s a good idea to keep up with regular maintenance of walk-in coolers to make sure that compressors stay in the best condition possible for as long as possible.
However, no matter how diligent you are when it comes to walk-in cooler maintenance, compressors will eventually have to be replaced, and it’s a good idea to be aware of the signs that it’s time for walk-in cooler compressor replacement.
Keep an eye on your walk-in cooler to check for signs of damage or performance issues that might indicate that something is wrong with your compressor or one of your other system components. Excessive ice accumulation, water leaks, inconsistent temperatures and noisy operation can all indicate that something is wrong with a walk-in cooler compressor. If you notice any of these problems, contact a professional refrigeration technician who can inspect your walk-in cooler and check the compressor to determine whether repair or replacement is necessary.
Walk-in cooler compressor replacement
For professional help with walk-in cooler compressor replacement, the team at American Refrigeration Inc is here to help. We have been providing commercial businesses throughout the area with comprehensive refrigeration repairs for over 25 years, and we continue to deliver the highest-quality services available to our customers. Call us today to learn more about everything that we have to offer.
When you’re looking into walk-in cooler installation for your winery, brewery, restaurant, grocery store or other type of business, flooring is a surprisingly important consideration. Floors contribute a significant amount of insulation—or not—depending on where and how your cooler is installed.
Before you can decide whether your walk-in cooler needs dedicated flooring, you’ll need to determine what kind of flooring it currently has and whether its thermal needs are conducive to your goals.
Here’s how to decide if you need a floor.
Where is your cooler installed?
When you’re trying to decide whether your cooler needs an actual floor, it’s important to determine where it will be installed. For example, your geographic location makes a big difference in whether you’ll need thermal insulation between the ground, a cement slab and your cooler. In Oregon, especially in areas where it gets warm in the summer, you will probably need to add additional insulation.
Does your walk-in cooler have a floor?
The first thing to determine is whether the walk-in cooler you’ve chosen already comes with a floor installed. Many coolers present that option, but it might not be right for you. The most important thing to know is that if your walk-in cooler doesn’t come with a pre-installed floor, you’re probably going to need to install further weatherproofing—in the form of seals or “screeds”—to prevent air transfer from indoors to outdoors.
If your walk-in cooler will only be accessed by walk-in traffic, it might be fine to install it on a concrete slab. However, if the floors are made of a different material, it’s not perfectly level or there are other structural concerns, your winery equipment installation is probably going to require a different type of flooring.
Is there a thermal break pre-installed?
Heat transfer is the biggest problem for walk-in coolers. When warm and hot air meet, they flow toward each other until they eventually balance out. The same goes for when the cold temperature of your walk-in cooler meets the hot temperature of the ground in the summertime. Do you really want to pay to refrigerate the earth? If not, you’ll need to install a thermal break, which disrupts heat transfer and keeps the cold air where it should be: in your cooler.
What kind of floor should you choose?
Once you’ve decided that your walk-in cooler needs flooring, it’s important to choose a type of floor. Obviously, the most important part is the insulation, which impedes heat transfer from the earth to the cooler. However, reinforced and aluminum floors are popular. They help keep the floors as cold as possible while withstanding thousands of pounds of pressure per square foot.
Not sure which type of cooler or floor you should choose? The team at American Refrigeration Inc. is here to help. Call us today to learn more about our refrigeration options, including flooring types, whether you need a floor and specific installation requirements. Our winery and other walk-in cooler installation processes can be customized to suit your needs.
When you’re trying to decide which commercial refrigerators to buy, choosing between indoor and outdoor walk-in coolers can be difficult. While both types of coolers are a good choice for restaurants, bars, distilleries and other businesses that rely on large-scale refrigeration, indoor and outdoor coolers have distinct quirks. Depending on your building and property size, there may be a clear winner—but if you’re still trying to determine what to buy, read on.
Should you choose an indoor or outdoor cooler?
Here are some of the factors you’ll need to take into account when making a commercial refrigerator purchase:
Major differences: Since indoor and outdoor coolers are made differently, they require different features. When you buy an outdoor model, you’ll need extra weatherproofing. For example, rain roofs, weather sealing strips, panel protection and other weather protection is necessary to insulate the cooler and keep it safe from the elements.
Type of product: What will you store in your walk-in cooler? Depending on the product, the refrigeration needs may change. For example, most coolers “assume” that you’ll be storing the product at 33 degrees Fahrenheit, but it will enter the cooler around 55 degrees. For freezers, it’s assumed that the holding temperature is -10 degrees Fahrenheit, but the products will enter around 20 degrees. Because the models and refrigeration type can vary, make sure that your cooler can handle the size and type of product you need to store. If they’re entering or holding at different temperatures, you may not get the right type of cooler.
Flooring: Do you need special flooring? That depends on whether you have an indoor or outdoor cooler—usually. Unless you already have a concrete floor with thermal breaks, both your indoor and outdoor coolers will need flooring. Furthermore, if you plan to carry heavy loads in and out of your cooler, it’s best to install a thermal break, as it will help prevent condensation from forming.
Airflow: You’ll need at least two inches around the cooling panels. When you design your space, make sure there’s plenty of room for airflow. Otherwise, condensation will build up, which is not conducive to good operation of commercial refrigerators.
Location: Your location will also have a major effect on your cooler—depending on if you’re in a warmer or cooler part of Oregon, you’ll need to size your cooler accordingly. Check the ambient temperature in your cooler specifications to ensure it will work for your needs.
Delivery: When you have your cooler delivered, it can be difficult to move everything to where it needs to go—make sure you know whether you need to have a forklift available or if your refrigeration company will help deliver and install the cooler.
Refrigeration type: Finally, determine which type of refrigeration is right for you. Pre-assembled and remote refrigeration versions have their advantages and drawbacks. Ask your vendor about what’s best for your particular setup.
When you need commercial refrigerators and walk-in coolers, American Refrigeration Inc. is here to help. Call us today to learn more about our offerings and find out which type of cooler is best for you.
