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Helpful Tips in Choosing your Coolroom and Freezer Service Provider

Cool rooms are essential resources. There’s probably one that’s storing chilled beverages and spoilable food in your local supermarket. Elsewhere, a specialized enclosure is refrigerating a critically important batch of biological samples in a hospital while a florist shop down the street uses its powerful commercial unit to cool fresh flowers. Expert coolroom and freezer service engineers care for these essential rooms, but how do you select the right provider?

Basic Provider Tips

Make a shortlist of potential candidates. The compiled list should include coolroom and freezer service providers that offer a full concept-to-completion program. That means the likely winning provider must have the tools and wherewithal to design, build, repair, and maintain the enclosure and all of its working parts.

Choose Smart

Every contractor with a computer has a web presence. Their website ads and newspaper promotions pop up everywhere, but the ads prove nothing except an ability to spin a yarn. Look deeper by checking for company endorsements. Has the service provider been in business for years? Or did they open their doors for business last month? Conduct a little research. Know the provider’s reputation within the local community.

The Right Tools for the Job

If your research yields positive results, then your trusted partner is on your shortlist. Next, seasoned knowledge and tools back up the design and planning stage. Choose your Cool Room installation and research team based on the quality of their tools and equipment. Better yet, opt for a contractor that has construction experience, someone that’s qualified to convert a designated part of your premises into a high-end coolroom.

Coolrpom Repair Tools

Comprehensive Refrigeration Partner

Refrigeration-savvy engineers are a must here, for they’re expected to install powerful refrigeration units, but there’s also energy conservation concerns to consider. Modular wall panels create this cooling envelope. They insulate by using unique composite materials. Make sure your service provider knows which insulating materials work best in any particular cooling scenario. Freezers, for example, obviously require more insulation.

Use these tips to make the selection process easier. Remember, a contractor that employs excellent tools and branded equipment does count for much but add a safety net to this provision by researching the company’s reputation. That one smart strategy is to prune some candidates lose from the pack. Finally, opt for a service provider that fits your project, your needs. A concept-to-completion engineer works best, especially when those skills extend to a repair and preventative maintenance program.

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Difference Between Coolrooms and Freezers

Casual consumers use technical terms generously, but engineers don’t have that luxury. Take coolrooms and freezers, for instance. They’re obviously both designed to safely store perishable items, but there are key differences between them. Let’s draw a clean separation line between the two chilly environments so that you’ll always know which room suits which application.

Types of Commercial Refrigeration

Contrasting Temperature Characteristics 

Coolrooms, as the label infers, are designed to keep commodities cold, not frozen. Therefore, the thermostat drops the internal environment down to just above the 2°C mark. Now, depending on the stored content, that near frozen setting can rise to 5°C, but it rarely goes higher. A freezer, on the other hand, plunges the temperature below the point where water becomes ice. This cooling point levels out at around -18°C. Powerful refrigeration units pair with digital thermostats to maintain this frosty temperature.

General Content Preservation 

Abstract numbers don’t carry much information. Yes, anything below 0°C becomes ice, but that’s about all the general public knows. Add some visuals to that numerical data by taking a stroll down a supermarket’s cooling aisles. The coolroom setting is fairly easy to find, with its rubber-sealed glass doors. Chilled bottles of beer and cans of soda live here. Meanwhile, on the other side, the freezer compartment holds chunks of ice-hard meat, products that can be stored in this manner for months at a time.

Structural Differences 

A freezer is a sealed unit that’s accessed a few times a day. It’s equipped with drip alarms, a strong door, and defrost pipes. These are the mechanical and electrical components that keep a thick rime of ice frozen inside the insulated chamber. Conversely, most coolrooms are work areas. For example, there’s probably a room behind that beverage cabinet, a place where someone is stocking new cheeses and imported beer. Similarly, restaurants and florists keep their products fresh inside these working coolrooms. Freezers don’t advocate this operational model. Instead, they literally slow biological processes so that meats and liquids enter a kind of suspended animation.

Coolrooms and freezers use different degrees of cooling power to accomplish similar objectives. Think of the cooling unit as a freshness supporter, an enclosure that slows chemistry and biology. Medical samples and beverages, flowers and meat, they’re all kept fresh inside cool rooms. Freezers, meanwhile, drop down into a subzero realm, so their stored contents employ an arctic environment, a climate that locks cellular structures and non-organic chemistry in time.

Now that you know the key differences between Cool Room & Freezers, Learn more on choosing the right Commercial Refrigeration Service in Melbourne. 

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The Vital Role of Coolrooms and Freezers in the Preservation of Freshness in Different Products

When in the restaurant or grocery business, coolrooms and freezers play a vital role in the preservation of the freshness of various products. While the temperature range of coolrooms is sufficient for protecting fresh produce and meats for a short period of time, other products require the colder temperatures that freezers provide foods. In the following information, you will discover the reasons to keep these refrigeration systems running correctly at all times.


The Proper Temperatures Prevent Bacteria


In the coolrooms, temperatures are above freezing at least two-degrees Celsius and no higher than five-degrees Celsius. Temperatures in this range will slow the bacteria growth on food items. Fresh produce, meat, dairy products and leftovers stay edible longer at these temperatures. Freezers, on the other hand, maintain foods at temperatures below zero-degrees Celsius to stop bacterial growth from ever starting in foods in the first place. For this reason, you can store frozen foods safely over the long term.

You Will Maintain the Quality of the Food with the Help of Refrigeration

Your business prospers when you install and maintain high-quality refrigeration systems since your customers will appreciate the freshness of the foods that they receive or purchase from your establishment. Since you store all the foods at the right temperature, they retain their freshness and flavour that your customers are in search of when they enter your establishment.

Coolrooms and Freezers Reduce Waste and Spoilage

As a result of using quality freezers and coolrooms, you will reduce waste and spoilage with your foods. If you are disposing of spoiled food too often, it is time to examine your refrigeration equipment to discover whether or not it is working correctly. Actually, you should stay up on top of this even before you lose an excessive amount of food.

Spend Less Money Restocking Food


Through proper refrigeration methods, you reduce waste and spoilage as we mentioned above, and this fact helps you spend less money restocking food. You receive a higher return on your investment in your stock, which in turn, leads to higher profits. With the additional funds from the profits, you can invest in other areas of your business.

Turn to Colda for your needs for coolrooms and freezers. We will analyse your situation, design, build and install these refrigeration units to your exact specifications and setup. On top of these services, we offer maintenance, modification and other types of services. Our company also can fabricate parts to repair your equipment when necessary.

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How Temperature Factors Affect Coolroom and Freezer Performance

Performance metrics weigh heavily on the minds of coolroom and freezer installers. It’s not that the refrigeration gear causes installation headaches, but it does create a relatively heavy carbon footprint. Certainly, contemporary cool rooms are built to satisfy exacting design standards, but they still consume more energy than most appliances. That’s why we’re going to explore output criteria today and discover how temperature factors affect coolroom and freezer performance.

Compensating for Temperature Fluctuations 

Wall-to-wall beverage coolers skirt convenience stores. Aisles full of slender glass-fronted units keep dairy products fresh inside busy supermarkets. Similarly, arctic temperatures freeze rows of strip steak and hooked cuts of lamb. Temperatures stay constant inside both sealed enclosures, but doors do open, especially in those supermarket cabinets. The chilled environment fluctuates when seals are momentarily breached, but the refrigeration unit compensates for the sudden breach by delivering more cold air.

Assessing Temperature Load 

A large cold room requires a great deal of energy to lower the ambient temperature. This temperature loading factor is commonly found in large butcher shops and slaughterhouse storage rooms. On the road, refrigerated trucks, also known as reefers, experience similar loading issues. Fortunately, the large temperature differential quickly drops off as the room reaches its frosty equilibrium point. Small amounts of electrical energy are then required to keep the stored content cool or frozen. Still, that initial volume of ambient energy does require a very active refrigeration unit if the interior temperature is to drop rapidly.

Analysing Temperature Relationships 

Thanks to the laws of thermal dynamics, a push-pull partnership exists in the refrigeration process, a relationship that’s expressed as temperature factors and performance formulas. Differential equations are used by engineers to work out where these losses propagate, but the casual observer can make his own energy leakage case by applying a little common sense to the matter. Capacity affects this performance metric, as does the rock-bottom thermal conditions desired by the client. In essence, a big freezer uses more energy than a compact coolroom. Similarly, user events are going to impact everything, so keep doors closed, check seals periodically, and consider an energy audit when the electricity bill causes your heart to skip a beat.

This technology is streamlined and compact. It’s further reinforced when advanced insulation panels, including PIR (Polyisocyanurate) and other top-of-the-line composites, are expertly installed. But the equipment does spawn an amplified set of temperature variables, factors that affect coolroom and freezer performance, so treat them with the respect they deserve.

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Maintenance and Safety Checks for Coolrooms and Freezers

In the food industry, coolrooms and freezers are of the utmost importance to ensure that the food inside of them stays at the ideal temperature for safe consumption by consumers. The only way to guarantee that these refrigeration units will operate in an optimum manner is to hire professionals to perform periodic maintenance and safety checks on them. When you do this, you will catch minor issues before they turn into major ones that may close down a freezer or coolroom temporarily until an expert performs the necessary repairs. Below, you will discover a sampling of what these periodic checks cover for your refrigeration units.

1. Periodic Checks Ensure Temperature Accuracy

A professional will first check the accuracy of the temperature in your units to ensure that the thermostat is working in a proper manner. When there is an inaccuracy in this area, it may be time for a new thermostat.


2. Routine Checks Catch Issues with the Condenser


One of the most important parts of these units is the condenser, and it is a coil at the bottom of your coolroom or freezer. A visual exam will detect whether or not the coils require cleaning, repairing or replacing.

3. A Refill for the Refrigerant Levels When Necessary

Your units can use up all their refrigerant over time or if there is a problem with the line, it can leak from the unit. Professionals will check this level and refill it when necessary to ensure that your freezer or coolroom stays operational without locking up from too little refrigerant.

4. Inner Workings Receive Lubrication

The inner workings of the motor will receive lubrication to ensure that all the gears and other parts move without friction. This will help the units operate in an effective and quiet manner.

5. Professionals Examine Pipes for Leaks or Clogs

The drain system of your coolroom or freezer will siphon off the condensation to ensure it does not build up to cause issues. Professionals will examine the pipes of this system to ensure there are no leaks or clogs in them.

6. Rewiring to Replace Frayed Wires

If the wiring is frayed in any area of the freezer or coolroom, the professionals will rewire to repair the issue. You must never neglect the wiring when it starts to show wear since this can cause a fire or outage of your unit.

The above are just a sampling of the items that periodic maintenance and safety checks for coolrooms and freezers encompass. Turn to Colda for further information on this topic or for products and services.

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Advantages of Customised Assemblies of Coolrooms and Freezers

Coolrooms and freezers perform adequately when they adopt modest outlines, but, let’s face it, these factory stock products rarely function as well as their customised counterparts. Imagine the tailored interiors that grant key chilly benefits. Their interiors have been augmented with key extras and built to accommodate specific client requirements. Special sizes and custom-built assemblies top the individualised bill here, but what other advantages come with these customised assemblies?

Energy Efficient 

If the coolroom is built to accommodate a requested dimensional outlay, then no waste is possible. A refrigeration unit cools the stored commodities and doesn’t waste energy on cooling empty space. This Sizing strategy forms the heart of many installations. Of course, don’t forget to plan for the future, a time when expansion is the next logical step because of a healthy bottom line. A larger layout can always be segmented and partially sealed so that the energy efficiency strategy is maintained.

Tailoring Airflow 

Wire mesh shelves with an epoxy coating remove obstructive surfaces from the storage environment. The coating keeps the shelves wipe-friendly while protecting a robust underlying metal frame. Meanwhile, the spacing between the shelves provides unhampered circulation so that the frosty currents can reach every corner of the walk-in compartment. The idea here is to fully utilise the available space and balance it with obstruction-free surfaces. In adopting this custom-built profile, the client guarantees uniform product cooling, a configuration that properly eliminates potential warm spots.

Application-Specific Assemblies 

Utilitarian designs address case-by-case architectural demands. One fine example of this principle is a beverage storage enclosure. In this case, customers use multiple glass doorways to pick up bottles and cartons, but the employees are working back behind the racks, having accessed the coolroom by means of a concealed door. Freezers mimic that build, but a subzero environment forces the customisation principle to adapt, which is why freezers use thick entryways, spring-loaded clasps, and composite wall panels to really lock the arctic chill inside the cooling chamber.

The advantages associated with customised coolroom and freezer assemblies don’t stop at enclosure design. Wall thicknesses and composite panels are wonderful assets, but they work best when other key features are added to the design. Plastic curtains, for instance, stop energy losses when freezer doors are open. Heater elements and robust elastomers enhance the door seal. Finally, the decision to equip the furnished sections with easy-clean stainless steel shelves or epoxy-coated parts will enhance the hygiene-oriented assemblies and really determine the layout’s frost-binding storage credentials.

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Applications of Laboratory Freezers for Biological Products and Medicines

Advanced control systems occupy state-of-the-art laboratory freezers. Inside each one, microprocessors control the temperature so that the cabinet environment remains within a slender tolerance range. The scientific attributes of every unit include enhanced storage layouts, humidity management systems, and a number of functions that target sample protection. Don’t take our word for it, though, not when the applications for these science-oriented refrigeration units speak for themselves.

Skirting Zero Celcius

The refrigeration unit isn’t being pushed hard, yet there’s still much to protect. Ideally, we’re talking about a cabinet that keeps biological samples as cold as possible without freezing them. General soft tissue storage takes place here, at a point where ice crystallization won’t damage cell walls. Alternatively, there are provisions for deep freezing soft tissues, but this measure involves a cryogenics facility, equipment that employs a special refrigerant. Otherwise, whole blood, urine, pharmacological supplies, and cultures are commonly stored in this low-temperature unit.

Entering the Arctic Climate

Reactant biological materials are subjected to environmental conditions that hover around the -20°C mark. From here, metabolic processes are suspended. A laboratory freezer addresses enzymatic storage issues by dropping the temperature rapidly until it maintains a linearly accurate temperature at or around this subzero level. Other storage materials that require this frosty setting include vaccines and chromatography apparatus. It’s worth noting, though, that there will be some crossover, a blurring of the thermal lines that depends on the stored material and current lab storage guidelines, as mandated by the scientific and medical community.

Plummeting Into Deep Freeze Territory

The precision-calibrated LCD display on a laboratory freezer descends below the -30°C mark when spoilable materials and temperature sensitive biosamples require a stable storage cabinet. Plasma storage freezers use this operational profile. Likewise, certain vaccines must be stored at this low temperature if the medicine’s efficacy rating is to be maintained. Beyond this point, the bottom drops out as freezers become cryogenically-capable. This ultra-low temperature range drops below 150°C, with liquid nitrogen and other near solid inert gasses acting as the refrigeration medium.

Upright lab freezers with stainless steel doors compete with chest units for space in research facilities and hospitals. They begin freezing at the 0°C so that blood and urine, medicines and cell cultures can enter a state of stasis. Below that point, proprietary refrigerants and liquefied gasses are used to fully freeze metabolic action within biologically delicate vaccines and biosamples. Again, computer-controlled thermostats govern this precise drop in thermal activity while also managing the humidity level.

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Services for Demolition and Disposal of Obsolete Refrigeration Equipment: What is it all about?

Refrigeration equipment replacement procedures are quite unlike any other mechanical renovation project. The new system installs without issue, so that’s not the problem. No, it’s the obsolete refrigeration equipment that hinders the cleanup stage, because these discarded parts can’t just be tossed on a scrap heap. Don’t worry, there are services for the demolition of obsolete refrigeration equipment, but why do we need this provision?

Environmental Hazards

Cooling systems are efficient appliances today, although there was a time when this wasn’t the case. Back before the mid-90s, all of our air conditioners and refrigeration units were built on relatively lax manufacturing standards. We’re referring, of course, to the ozone-depleting refrigerants employed within the tubes and coils of this older mechanical generation. Now, although they were phased out of the market quite a few years ago, CFC (Chlorofluorocarbon) fueled refrigeration devices do occasionally crop up. Fortunately, there are special demolition practices in place for these environmentally hazardous units.

Greenhouse Gas Remediation Strategies

Obsolete refrigeration equipment functions like a greenhouse gas engine. The freon, or CFCs, or greenhouse gasses enter the atmosphere as the apparatus deteriorates. That’s a bad enough image, but imagine how much worse things become when the redundant equipment is just cast aside, thrown on the dump. Obviously, a professional refrigeration engineer would never take this course. Instead, before closing the books on the job, the gas-filled equipment has to be neutralized. This is done carefully, of course, and by using an EPA approved refrigerant recovery program (www.epa.vic.gov.au). The goal is to safely discharge these chemical soups without releasing the ozone-damaging stuff into the atmosphere.

An Active Refrigeration Disposal Solution

The compression vessel is a head-scratching component, with its strange chemicals and potentially ozone-harmful gasses. Not to worry, though, there are vapour and liquid recovery methods that empty the compressor. Next, some metal and plastic parts can be salvaged and recycled. Ferrous parts and copper conduits are typically recycled, especially if the unit uses a large steel housing. Finally, before the permanent demolition takes place, insulating material has to be removed from the housing, as these foam-based materials may also contain ODS (Ozone-Depleting Substances) that are environmentally unsound.

Obsolete refrigeration equipment poses a risk to our environment. Arguably, even some of the appliances manufactured post-1995 could have been produced by a nation that hadn’t yet adopted the EPA-approved regulations concerning this topic. That’s why a sound demolition and disposal method must be part of a conscientious refrigeration services’ work repertoire, for it definitively deals with the job remnants after the new equipment has been installed.

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Ideal Freezer Temperature: Why is Monitoring Important?

A few important facts need to be declared before we make a start. First of all, it’s not difficult to define an ideal freezer temperature. But, and this point is important, it’s essential that this subzero temperature stays right where it is, which is why a freezer requires constant monitoring. More than this, though, that monitored low-temperature value must be accurately measured by the system thermostat. Just why is freezer monitoring so important?

What is The Ideal Freezer Temperature? 

In theory, the answer should be approximately 0°C, the point at which water freezes. In practice, however, most commercial walk-in freezer are set at around -20°C. This is because the food contains various sugars and oils. These substances freeze at lower temperatures than plain water, so the lower the temperature, the better. As for why freezers use this arctic environment, there are several ways to answer this question. From a taste perspective, the food stays fresher for longer when it’s frozen. It tastes better, in other words. Still, there’s more to an ice-laden freezer than taste.

Spoilable Commodities and Safe Consumption Habits 

Down at the cellular level, a foodstuff that isn’t “on ice” is a potential health risk. The perishable material ages. Its cells begin to deteriorate. As a result of this deteriorative effect, bacterial growths prosper. The food isn’t safe to consume. A monitoring strategy makes sure the ice locks the cells in a microcrystalline lattice. Then, thanks to this frosty chamber, microorganism growth is happily stalled. It’s absolutely essential that the thermostat, the freezer unit, freezer insulation, and the monitoring policy all work in concert so that this safe storage program is maintained.

Reinforcing the Monitoring Policy 

A properly monitored freezer keeps food safe. Likewise, and just as importantly, a high-tolerance monitoring mechanism protects biological samples in hospitals and research laboratories. In here, the linear temperature range stays precisely where it’s set so that experimental data isn’t corrupted, bacterial cultures aren’t harmed, and medicines retain their potent pharmaceutical effects.

Every year, huge quantities of food go to waste because of faulty freezers, or perhaps its user error. Regardless of the cause, an exhaustively managed freezer monitoring program eliminates product wastage. It protects life, keeps spoilable foodstuff fresh, and preserves the arctic environment within this workhorse cooler. If a carefully observed freezer does exhibit unpredictable behaviour, consider an audit. Better yet, call in the experts to correct the issue before the perishable stuff is rendered useless, dangerously useless.

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Freezer and Coolroom Technology: Past to Present Innovations

Where did the past to present innovations begin in freezer and coolroom technology? We need to know that answer. Otherwise, how can our staff members learn to respect the larger models in this equipment line? In order to really know walk-in cooling tech, we need to reverse the artificial cooling timeline, to follow it all the way back to the first models.

Discovering the Vapour Compression Cycle 

A standard single-stage refrigerator began the revolution. With that revolution underway, there was no more need for burly men and blocks of ice. Instead, a mechanism circulated a refrigerant around a closed system. In here, the vaporised refrigerant changed states. Condensers and evaporators worked with pressure changes and an expansion valve to cool large volumes of air. A fan transferred that air, then a compressor reconstituted the vapour.

Building on the Basics 

Curiously, the refrigeration cycle hasn’t changed much in over a century. The refrigerant has obviously been replaced by a far more efficient, far more environmentally friendly substance. This leaves system designers hustling to collect new technologies. One innovative cost cutter is a variable speed drive, a motor that benefits compressors and condenser fans. The variable speed motor rotates faster when heavier cooling loads are experienced, then it slows when normal cooling duties resume. Other improvements in the moving parts domain include electronically-commuted drive systems and high-efficiency condensers.

The Future of Artificial Cooling 

The above improvements are innovations, but they’re incremental, not actual quantum leaps. This will change as newly researched cooling solutions are introduced. Modular designs are already regarded as the standard installation layout. This mode of quickly building a high-end coolroom will continue, as will the newly incorporated insulation panels, products that use bonded laminates to stop energy leakages. In the meantime, expect new solutions that don’t use refrigerants. In breaking away from the vapour cycle model, freezers will cut their energy expenditure ratings and become truly eco-friendly. Current studies suggest a future where magnetic fields interact with exotic metals to create a cooling effect. Peltier coolers represent another cooling avenue, with their innovative electronic innards using thermoelectric science, not messy fluid refrigerants.

The eventual path to the future suggests a more-of-the-same approach. Newer refrigerants are likely. Then, as refrigeration mediums advance, superior pump drives and condenser fans will take the place of energy gluttons, the drives that eat into a kitchen or restaurant’s annual budget. Finally, the biggest innovative leaps enter the scene, with their magnetic coils and electronic cooling techniques truly taming the artificial cooling conundrum.