Walk-In Coolers & Walk-In Freezers - Commercial Refrigeration

• Indoor Walk-In Coolers (click here)

• Indoor Walk-In Freezers (click here)

• Outdoor Walk-In Coolers (click here)

• Outdoor Walk-In Freezers (click here)

Walk-In Cooler or Walk-In Freezer? Like their names denote, walk in refrigeration accomplishes two basic tasks: cool or freeze your products. In general, walk in freezers will run a minimal temperature of -10°F and walk in coolers will keep your product right at about 38°F. Most large scale food service production facilities will need a walk in cooler, a walk in freezer, or a combination of both. These commercial refrigeration units are crucial in storing large capacities of product while maintaining a consistent and safe holding temperature. The decision of the type of walk in unit to purchase will come from what type of product you will hold. Facilities that stock many boxed fruits and vegetables, sauces and various other perishable foods and products will want to invest in a walk in cooler. A market, or grocery store which holds large amounts of meats and fish will want a walk in freezer to better fit their needs. Look over your menu and look over your product list. This is where you will ultimately decide what type of commercial walk-in refrigeration you will need.

What size walk-in cooler or walk-in freezer? There are endless variables that could affect the size of unit you will need. However here are a few pointers that will help you tune in the appropriate size.

Product frequency: Know how often you will need to store your products. Deliveries can come weekly or as frequent as every day. You need to make sure your size walk in will accommodate the traffic of products as they will need to be stocked in their appropriate walk-in unit as soon as possible to avoid potential spoiling or bacteria growth. The best way to do this is to become familiar with the size of products and boxes you are going to store. A close calculation of the volume in cubic feet your products will use up will give you an estimate of how much room you will need. All of our walk-in coolers will give you a cubic foot capacity in the item description. Always shoot for a little more room than expected. Remember that some walk in refrigeration system require that you leave the evaporator coils unblocked which can translate into losing an entire top shelf of useable storage space. Check with the product specifications or call us if you are unsure. Many walk-in boxes have panels that are designed for future expansion and allow you to snap on additional walls to increase length or width as needed. Consider this when choosing your refrigeration.

Walk-in and reach-in refrigeration: Don't forget about your reach-in refrigeration's storage capacity! At Jean's Restaurant Supply we take pride in each individual order and want our customers to be successful in their business. That's why we won't have pushy sales people try to sell you the largest walk-in cooler possible. We want you to get the exact size you need so that you don't pay for something you won't use. We emphasize not to over look your existing refrigeration. In our experience we find customers will substitute a large walk in for a smaller one which will share its product load with the reach-in refrigeration. Sometimes this is the ideal choice especially when physical distance between you and the walk in unit plays a part. Many restaurants will strategically place their reach-in freezers and coolers close to the cook line so that minimal travel distance is required during service. Commercial reach in refrigeration can reach extensive capacities so consider this offset when sizing your walk in.

Outdoor or indoor walk-in refrigeration? To save interior space many business owners will place there walk in cooler outdoors. If your site conditions can accommodate this and budget allows, then doing so can save you on valuable floor space within your building. Outdoor walk in coolers also allow for much larger sizes without interfering with your existing floor plan layout. Be careful though as walk-in coolers and walk-in freezers alike will require an outdoor kit offered by the walk-in's manufacturer. These outdoor packages cost more money as the require additional components. This can be anything from vapor barriers, roof membranes to condenser and compressor heaters which allow the unit to run properly in cold winter conditions. Each application is different and will require careful examination of the additional features needed. Most manufactures offer an outdoor kit' that will contain all the components necessary for an outdoor installation. Indoor walk-in coolers are great for convenience store set ups, grocery store refrigeration, meat and fish markets, butcher shops, hospitals and schools, etc. Generally, these types of businesses will implement an indoor walk in cooler for their use. Smart designers will know what size walk-in cooler they need during the design phase of their building to ensure that it has been accommodated for architecturally. All of our walk-in cooler and freezer manufacturers will provide you with full detailed drawings and schematics of the entire walk in unit. These drawing are crucial during your design phase. They eliminate any confusion as to the requirements for a complete install of the walk-in unit.

What type of refrigeration system should I get? There are two basic types of refrigeration: remote and self-contained. They both provide reliable refrigeration for your walk-in cooler but require different installation requirements and expend energy in different ways.

Remote Condenser: This is the desirable choice for walk-in coolers and freezers that need to be run without pushing any heat energy into the building. Since they are installed outdoors, remote systems expend all of their hot air outside your building which can greatly reduce your over all electric bill. In a restaurant with a full cook line, ice machine and an indoor walk in cooler the amount of heat generated into the building can be phenomenal. A remote system will guarantee less heat into your building and will keep your air conditioning from running harder than it needs to. Remote walk-in coolers are also much more quiet in operation. Most remote refrigeration systems will come pre charged from the factory and will require a technician and an electrician to properly set up.

Self Contained Refrigeration Systems: This type of walk-in cooler/freezer refrigeration is the easiest to set up. Many manufacturers ship their walk-ins with pre charged, self contained refrigeration which means all that is needed is a small electrical hook up to a junction box provided and your walk-in unit is ready to cool. These type of walk-ins can be installed without the costly use of field technicians and refrigeration specialists. Self-contained systems do expend noise and heat into your building. Remember it's not just a comfort factor, it is a extra cost on your energy bill! When the conditions allow for the refrigeration system to be located on the walk-in cooler/freezer and heat is not an issue, then a self contained unit will be your best investment. They are relatively simple to set up and do not require extensive coordination with your installers since no additional piping lines will be needed to run through your building.

How Do I Install a Walk-In? Installing a walk-in cooler or freezer can be a very easy process done by two people, or can be an elaborate project involving lots of man power, technicians and machinery such as cranes or lifting devices. Granted the latter is an extreme case, in any walk-in installation there are a few common rules to apply.

Make sure that your walk-in cooler is installed on level ground. We cannot stress how important this can be especially on floorless cooler units that rest on footings called screeds. Even with slopes naked to the human eye, unleveled ground will create big headaches when matching up panels. Sometimes"shims" are needed to compensate for the contours of the floor. We strongly discourage you from using shims during installation. Unleveled surfaces tend create cold air leaks on the floor through the screeds. Walk-In freezer units which come supplied with a floor will need to rest on level ground as well. Panel sizes come from the factory pre-cut and measured with all the pieces precisely shaped. The manufacturer however has assumed your site is prepared and the floor is level. On an uneven floor, it will seem as if though the panels are not matching up correctly and you may find gaps occurring.

You will also need to verify with your plumber where your floor drains are to be located. Although some units offered by our manufacturers claim "no drain needed" for certain boxes, the majority of your larger units or custom size units will require a floor drain. Remember that this is to allow condensate water to be channeled away from your walk in cooler or freezer. Try to coordinate this early during your design phase as to avoid paying costly fees for breaking concrete and running drain lines under your slab. These drain should be marked and piped in before the concrete is poured. If you are unsure in any circumstance, call us and we will guide you to make the right decision. We don't just sell these walk-coolers and freezers, we install them here locally in South Texas. Our knowledge comes from years of experience.

Do I need a drain for my walk-in? For most common applications the answer is yes. Condensate from the evaporator coils will build up and eventually need to be drained outside your building to your sanitary sewer line. Most city codes will not require you to tie this in to your grease trap as this drain line will not be carrying cooked grease. However the flow of drainage is preferably done using gravity. Unique installations will use a pump to channel condensate water to the drain. You will need to coordinate with your contractors the most effective placement for your drainage. In general, you should keep the drain as close to the walk-in cooler as possible. Drains are not required for all walk-in coolers. Many self contained "quick ship" and "fast track" walk in cooler boxes will not need a drain and run completely self efficient. Make sure to read the product descriptions to find out if a drain line is required.