Factors to Consider When Picking the Ideal Walk-In Freezer Room

If your business heavily relies on having a large stock of frozen products, then you will probably make great use of walk-in freezers. They are convenient and oftentimes necessary pieces of equipment for commercial kitchens. However, just like with most big and important appliances, the process of buying a walk-in freezer can be rather overwhelming if you don’t know what you are looking for, as every little detail can greatly affect the outcome.

First and foremost, the size and the location of the walk in freezer room need to be determined upfront. You’ll come across many units whose manufacturers provide detailed, scaled drawings of the model to ensure that the room will fit wherever needed. Once you’ve decided on the size of the model, you need to decide on the size of the refrigeration unit itself. When considering the size of the unit, you need to take into account how often employees will be going in and out of it, and for how long the door will be left open. If the answer to these questions is “frequently”, then the best thing to do is go with a bigger model.

Next, you need to consider the R-factor of the unit, which indicates thermal resistance. The higher the R-value of the walk in freezer room is, the more insulation it will have. So, for instance, a R-32 model is better at keeping things cooler than an R-28 model. Furthermore, you need to consider whether your walk-in freezer requires a floor. However, there are rules and regulations regarding this. You can’t decide that you don’t want a floor on a grass surface, for example. Instead, you’ll need to have this issue approved by your local health regulations. Generally, you’ll want to have a thick floor surface of about 10-12cm.

Moreover, you need to consider whether the unit will be installed inside or outside. Walk-in freezers are made from different sections of panels that are interlocked together. When it rains, there’s a chance of water leaking through the seams, which is why you’ll need specialized rain caps made out of rubber.

Lastly, consider the installation. You can choose between a drop-in and remote refrigeration. Drop-in models have the entire unit installed within the walk-in box, while remote models have an evaporator inside the unit while the condenser is outside the box. The condenser of remote units produces a lot of hot air, making it uncomfortable for people if it’s stored in an enclosed area, plus, it decreases the energy efficiency of the entire unit.