What causes condensation in cold rooms?
Condensation in cold rooms can be a persistent and problematic issue. Its caused when warm air from the external environment comes into contact with the cool surfaces of cold room doors, door frames and metal fixtures. Condensation should never be ignored in cold rooms, as it can cause a multitude of issues including: the growth of mould, costly damage to the structure of the cold room, and may it breach health and safety regulations. Identifying and resolving the root cause of condensation in your cold rooms is, therefore, very important.
The Causes of Condensation in Cold Rooms
Before you take steps to eradicate condensation from your cold room, it’s important to identify the cause, and there are several possible reasons for its appearance:
1) Poor Ventilation
A lack of ventilation within your walk-in fridge or walk-in freezer is the prime cause of condensation – not only in commercial cold rooms, but in a range of domestic and business locations. Poor ventilation allows the build-up of moisture in the air which, when it meets cold external surfaces, causes water droplets to form on the cold room panels and floor. Pooling of water close to the cold room may indicate a ventilation problem.
2) Warm Ambient Temperature
If the air temperature outside the cold room is warm, it can result in humidity inside the cold room. If the warm air comes into contact with panels or fixtures, it will rapidly condense.
Incorrectly sealed panels will let air out of the cold room, which can negatively affect temperature control – your refrigeration system will have to work harder, increasing energy usage and costs. For optimal performance, it’s important that cold room panels are properly insulated.
Opening cold room doors frequently can cause temporary fluctuations in the internal temperature that may lead to condensation appearing – this is normal. However, persistent condensation close to the cold room door can indicate a problem with the door seal that must be resolved. It could also indicate the cold room door is being left open for long periods, and / or is being opened frequently.
How To Solve Persistent Cold Room Condensation Problems
Depending on the cause of the problem, several solutions could resolve the issue:
1) Replace The Cold Room Door Seal
The most important step to resolving condensation problems in your cold room is to replace the door seal to ensure internal temperatures within your cold room are being maintained efficiently and effectively. Replacing the door seal ensures the cold room is airtight all the way around the frame, so that warm air from outside the cold room can’t seep in when the cold room door is closed. MTCSS has spares & parts available on our e-commerce shop, click here to see more!
2) Secondary Barrier
If the cold room door is being constantly used, opened frequently, or left open, during operation – then a secondary barrier could help prevent warm air ingress. PVC strip curtains and insulated strip curtains can help reduce cool air escaping the cold room when the door is in the open position. You can order them on the MTCSS shop!
3) Make Some Minor Adjustments
If the cold room door seal appears to be intact and in good condition, adjust the door handle strike so that a tighter fit is achieved when the door is closed. This is a simple yet potentially effective solution to the problem of persistent condensation in a cold store.
4) Increase Cold Room Ventilation
Poor air flow can be addressed by increasing ventilation in the vicinity of the cold room, or by installing an extractor fan to remove some of the excess humidity from the air. If left unresolved, water pools on the floor can pose a slip hazard to operatives.
Professional Cold Room Installation & Support From MTCSS
Fortunately, a cold room condensation problem is not always a difficult to resolve, although ignoring it could prove costly in the long-term. Professional design and installation of your cold room is essential to help prevent the issue from occurring – and to ensure your cold room is designed with your business in mind.
If you want to find out how MTCSS can help your business and its cold storage today – get in touch with our team! Call us on 01886 833381, email us at sales@mtcss.flywheelsites.com, or fill an enquiry form here!
