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.
Do you feel like you’re wasting too much money on the operating costs with your walk-in cooler or freezer in Eugene, OR? You always have the option to replace the system with a more energy-efficient unit, but you might not have the money to spend on such an upgrade at the moment, or it may not be practical for you to do so given the age of the system or other projects that take precedence.
The good news is that there are some simpler steps you can take to lower the operating costs of your walk-in without having to take on massive, expensive projects. Your focus should be cutting down on energy usage and waste, which will, in turn, have a positive impact on the amount of money you’re spending.
Here’s a quick overview of some of the strategies you can employ at your facility in Eugene, OR:
Inspect the door: Regularly check the condition of the door, focusing on the door gaskets and sweeps. If you see evident signs of wear, you’ll want to replace those parts as soon as possible, as damaged gaskets or sweeps could prevent the door from getting a proper seal. This significantly increases the likelihood of air leaks that could result in wasted energy, as cold air will be able to escape and warm air will be able to enter.
Look for signs of light: Once a month, walk into the unit and check around for any signs of light entering from around the door, electrical connections, refrigeration systems or panels. If you see light entering through any of those areas, get a service technician out to the property as soon as you can. Light penetrating the system is a sign that there’s a crack or leak that needs to be addressed. A failure to do so will result in cold air escaping and warm air getting in, both of which will result in an increased strain on the system as it struggles to maintain the desired temperature setting.
Add strip curtains: Strip curtains can help to lower heat gain into the walk-in when loading items in, or simply when walking into the unit. You’ll be surprised just how big of a difference these plastic curtains can make in terms of temperature retention.
Insulation: Consider adding more insulation to the unit. The better your air retention, the less you’ll have to worry about the unit overworking itself to get to your desired temperature.
Get a maintenance schedule going: It’s important to have a strong ongoing relationship with a team of maintenance professionals you can trust with your commercial refrigeration equipment. Work with those technicians to develop a maintenance schedule, and actually stick to it. Over time, your system is going to develop some issues and vulnerabilities. Staying on top of maintenance allows you to catch those issues while they’re small so you can repair them before they get expensive and keep your system operating as efficiently as possible.
One of the most common questions we receive from clients in Eugene, OR is how much they can expect to pay in their monthly energy bills to run a walk-in cooler or freezer. One reason people ask this is that they want to know if their system is running as efficiently as it should be, or if they’re paying too much for what it should take to run the system effectively.
The operational costs you can expect to incur for running a walk-in cooler or freezer will depend on a variety of factors, the biggest of which is the size of the unit.
For example, a 6’ x 6’ cooler will likely cost you around $66 per month, while a 10’ x 10’ unit will likely cost you around $140. A 6’ x 6’ freezer typically costs around $228, while a 10’ x 10’ will usually be close to $350. These numbers are based on a $.0999 kilowatt hour cost, the average cost of commercial electricity in the United States according to the Energy Information Administration.
But again, there are a number of factors that will go into determining how much you can expect to pay. Some of these factors include:
Insulation: Walk-in units that have higher quality insulation will not cost quite as much to run, because better air retention means a lower need to have to constantly run the unit. This cuts down on the amount of energy expended on cooling.
Inside and outside temperature: The lower you set the temperature, the more energy will be required to keep it at that temperature. In addition, if the walk-in is located in an area with a higher temperature, it’s likely the unit will need to run more frequently to stay cool on the inside.
Frequency of doors opening: The more often doors need to open, the more air will leak out, causing the unit to run more and expend more energy. It’s important to be as efficient as possible with trips in and out of the unit and to make sure the door is closed as often as possible to avoid wasted energy.
Cost of electricity: The cost of electricity varies from region to region. Keep in mind that the above estimates are national averages—your experience could vary widely depending on where your business is located.
The age of the unit: The older a walk-in cooler or freezer gets, the less efficient it will become. In addition, older units simply weren’t designed in the first place to the same standards of efficiency that newer units are able to achieve.
Products: The types of products stored in the unit can also make a difference. What are the weights and temperatures of those products? Heavier products or products that enter warm are going to take more energy to get cold.
These are just a few examples of the issues to consider when determining the costs of running a walk-in cooler or freezer in Eugene, OR. Contact American Refrigeration Inc. for more information or to schedule service.
The walk-in freezer is one of the most important pieces of infrastructure in any commercial kitchen. If you’ve started to experience any problems with yours, it’s important to be proactive about getting professional assistance to get it back up and running as quickly as possible so you can avoid losing inventory and having to deal with inefficient operations.
So how do you know if there’s something wrong with your walk-in freezer in Eugene, OR? Here are just a few examples of some of the most common walk-in freezer issues you should know about:
Temperature is not cold enough: Are you having problems getting your freezer to, well, freeze? There are several potential causes of this common problem. It could be that your freezer is overloaded with product, which would increase the burden on the cooling system. It could also be that you have frost buildup on the evaporator, which is causing the interior to warm up. Or, if you have issues with doors being left open for too long, or with air leaks around the edges, this could also be a cause of temperatures running too high. A professional will quickly be able to identify the problem.
No power: Your first step when you lose power to your walk-in freezer should always be to check the circuit breaker or fuse that controls it. If that’s not the issue, it could be a problem with wiring or a control board, either of which are issues that should be left to a professional to deal with.
Drain pan problems: Do you see ice in the drain pan? If so, this could indicate a clogged drain line or a defective heater, as ice buildup in the drain pan is a common result of both of those problems. Again, this is an issue you should have repaired by a professional, and quickly, before your inventory is lost.
Other ice buildup: Ice can build up in other areas than the drain pan. While you might think ice buildup is natural in a freezer, this actually means there’s too much moisture. The ice buildup can result in freezer burn on your product, or cause other issues inside the freezer that can damage the system. Ice buildups on the air vent or evaporator coils can be especially problematic, so if you see these issues forming inside your walk-in freezer, it’s important to have a professional appliance repair technician come out and resolve the issue.
Gasket or door issues: Have you been having issues with your gaskets or doors? Perhaps it’s become difficult for you to reliably close the door all the way, or you’ve seen signs of an air leak. This could be an issue with worn or damaged gaskets, or with a damaged seal around the door that needs to be replaced.
For more information about some of the most common problems that occur inside walk-in freezers in Eugene, OR, we encourage you to reach out to the team at American Refrigeration Inc. with your questions.
