It’s one of life’s most commonly observed mysteries: why is a walk-in freezer or cold room door difficult to open just after it has been closed?
Because cold stores are so important to many businesses – without them, expensive stock would be spoiled, and health and safety laws would be breached – it’s understandable if you’re concerned that there may be something wrong with your cold room door. After all, a door that is stubborn to open would pose major problems if it failed completely, by either remaining jammed shut so that there was no access to the cold store, or refusing to close so that the internal temperature can’t be maintained.
Fortunately, a cold room door that is difficult to open could be nothing unusual or, at worst, a sign or a minor problem that can easily be remedied.
Difficult To Open? What Could Be Wrong?
With the door to a cold room in near-constant use, wear and tear occurs, so one that is persistently difficult to open could need a minor repair. Most commonly, there are three reasons why a cold room door may stick:
- Ice: An accumulation of ice around the seal over time could mean the door resists opening. A little extra force will crack the ice, but the door may not achieve a snug fit when closed again, meaning cold air can escape from inside the cold store.
- Faulty seal: The seal is an essential part of the cold room as it prevents the ingress of warm air or the escape of cold air. Minor cracks can affect the efficiency of the seal and make it more difficult to open the door.
- Pressure relief valve: Cold rooms are fitted with a pressure relief valve (PRV) to stabilise the internal pressure of the unit and maintain a consistent temperature. A faulty PRV can cause an imbalance in pressure, making it more difficult to open the door. MTCSS has spares & parts available on our e-commerce shop, click here to see more!
Fortunately, these problems are easy to fix and inexpensive, but there are also compelling reasons why replacing your cold room door with a modern alternative could benefit your business in the long-term.
Why Upgrading Your Cold Room Door Could Offer Unmissable Benefits
While a sticking cold room door could be resolved by carrying out a simple and inexpensive repair, it could be economically beneficial to upgrade the door entirely if these issues keep recurring, or you notice other, more sinister, signs of an underlying fault.
A modern cold room door will increase the energy efficiency of your cold room, helping keep warm air out and protecting your precious stock. More effective thermal insulation means the cold room will maintain a low temperature more easily, reducing your business’ costs and impact on the environment.
Upgrading your cold room door also offers the chance to install the latest technology, such as self-closing entrematic doors that reduce the amount of time that stock is exposed to warm air. These doors also offer improved productivity, enabling your personnel to shift stock more quickly and reducing wasted time.
Whether your cold room door needs maintenance, or you wish to explore an upgraded model that better suits the needs of your business, please get in touch with our cold room specialists at MTCSS today – call us on 01886 833381, email us at sales@mtcss.flywheelsites.com, or fill in an enquiry form via the link below!
