How Do You Fix A Cold Room?

Walk-in fridge and freezer damage can occur gradually or suddenly – but it should never be ignored. The potential risks from ignoring or putting off regular cold room maintenance can lead to cold room failure, loss of stock, and even business delays.

Ask yourself, ‘is it worth the risk?’ MTCSS experts wouldn’t take the risk – because fixing your cold room doesn’t have to be complicated!

But how would you fix your cold room if it was broken? And what are the signs your cold room needs fixing?…

Signs That You Need To Fix Your Cold Room

Understanding and recognising the warning signs that your cold room is faulty are important, especially if your business replies on consistent temperatures to keep your products optimal.

The most common signs that a cold room may be faulty include:

• Presence of condensation
• Ice formation
• Spoiled goods
• Unusual noises from cold room elements
• Visual damage
• Difficulty opening your cold room doors

Scheduling regular maintenance is the best way to limit the chances of your cold rooms needing full repairs or fixes, so we recommend you prioritise regular cold room maintenance – every 6 months at least.

However, you should also keep on top of your cold room with good cold room management. This includes daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning alongside your pre-planned cold room maintenance tasks. For more information on how to clean your cold rooms, read our article here.

How To Fix Your Cold Room

Now we know what signs will suggest you need to fix your cold room, let’s understand what to do when parts of your cold room are broken, and how to fix them.

It’s important to note that while on-site maintenance by your team can handle some cold room repairs, more complex fixes should be completed by skilled specialists – for example, refrigeration experts when changing/disposing of refrigerants.

Trusting the experts saves further potential breakages later down the line, keeps your on-site staff safe from hazardous chemicals, and ensures your cold room insurance and warranty are maintained (if applicable).

The most common cold room breakages include:

Cold Room Doors and Gaskets
The importance of having a functioning cold room door cannot be overstated. This is because they help to maintain constant temperatures in your chiller or freezer cold rooms by stopping cold air from escaping which, in turn, reduces costly energy bills and energy consumption.

For single & double-blade door options, if there is any visible damage to the:

• Cold room door itself
• Cold room door seals
• Vision panels

These cold room door parts can be fixed and replaced if not.

The rubber sweeper gaskets that seal cold rooms are essential for stopping the ingress of sound, light, drafts, moisture, and warm air into your cold rooms – helping to keep the cool air inside of your cold room at your desired temperature.

However, cold room door gaskets can often become visibly faulty with cracks and tears and should be replaced when needed.

Cold Room Heater Systems
Your cold room door frames should be heated, especially if you have a walk-in freezer, to prevent ice build-up and malfunctions in your cold room and to maintain easy opening of the door. Without a cold room heater system, your cold room doors would freeze shut – posing health and safety risks and your stock would be inaccessible.

Heater systems are commonly either 3 or 4-sided (with or without a threshold heater mat) and can also be used alongside blade/ leaf haters to stop your cold room doors from freezing shut.

One of the first noticeable signs of damage to your heater system can be sticking or hard-to-open door, which should be replaced if it stops working to prevent accidents.

Cold Room Door Handles and Door Furniture
Faulty cold room door handles and other cold room door furniture can cause issues with cold room access and can even result in staff being locked in your cold rooms – which could potentially have deadly results.

Noticing faults on your cold room handles and door furniture may only occur when in use – suggesting that the faults could be due to your internal cold room handle mechanisms as opposed to your cold room handle simply falling off.

If this occurs, the best solution would be to replace both your internal and external cold room handles to prevent any health and safety issues.

Adjusting Cold Room Door Operations
Cold room doors that were previously easy to open and close (they didn’t require significant effort to use) can become heavy or generally awkward.

When this occurs, it implies an issue with your cold room door operations and suggests you may need routine adjustment to restore it to its original and optimal position for usage.

This issue with cold room door alignment is common, especially if your cold room experiences high levels of traffic on a daily basis! Keeping an eye on it is good practice, and informing your staff to be vigilant – especially when it comes to cold room doors – is paramount for good cold room safety.

Cold Room Floor And Floor Overlay
Not all cold rooms need a cold room floor – however, cold room freezers do in order to avoid frost heave and achieve optimal insulation. Protecting your cold room flooring with overlay is perfect for cold rooms that have high foot traffic or use forklifts to transport goods in and out.

Visible damage to your cold room floors and overlay can be easy to spot and can range from requiring simple spot corrections to needing a full replacement throughout – depending on the type of floor you have and the level of damage.

Cold Room Panels
Hygienic planking, also referred to as insulated cold room panels, is designed to help maintain cold rooms by providing them with the optimal insulation levels to maintain the cold room’s desired temperature.

Structural damage to your cold room panels can limit the insulation performance, preventing your walk-in fridges and freezers from reaching their optimum, desired temperatures. Physical damage to your cold room panels can result in particles contaminating the contents of the cold room and your cold room temperature altering.

If you notice any damage to your cold room panels, they should be replaced or spot-repaired ASAP.

Cold Room Flooring and Wall Protection
Cold room wall and floor protection helps to safeguard your cold room against damage to the internal walls and floors – which can affect the temperature of your walk-in fridges and freezers.

Although some people may believe the role of cold room protection for your walls and flooring solution is to sustain damage, severe impacts can lead to damage to the structures underneath.

This means that any damages shouldn’t be ignored and should always be maintained/repaired as soon as possible to prevent further issues.

Maintaining Your Cold Rooms

A well-maintained cold room that is kept clean, orderly, and functional can last anywhere between 5-20 years, or even more – helping to keep your business running as normal and keeping your cold room costs down.

However, badly maintained cold rooms can quickly prove incredibly bothersome and bring about astronomical expenses for your business. With minimal but regular cold room maintenance, you can help to keep your cold room costs down and help to keep it in good order – I know which I would prefer!

For more help with fixing or maintaining your cold rooms, or if you would like to purchase any cold room parts to help repair any cold room damages explore our range of cold room parts or contact the team.

You can call us on 01886 833 381 or email us at spares@mtcss.co.uk – we’d be more than happy to help you with your cold room part requirements!