A walk-in freezer is commonly used in grocery stores and restaurants. They are big freezers that can hold much more food than an average-sized freezer. There are different sizes and types of walk-in freezers. Here are some differences between some of the most common walk-in freezers.
There are two basic types of walk-in freezers. Built-in ones and drop-in freezers
Built-in Freezers
As you can guess from the name, these walk-in freezers are built into the wall and usually installed while the building is being built, but you can still install one later on if you decide you want one. However, if you choose one of these, you need to realize that the installation fees will cost more, and they usually need to be custom-built because only some have the same space.
Drop-in Freezers
These are the freezers that are usually already made, and you can choose from standard sizes. The smallest size they have available is 5’ by 5’, and they have bigger ones. You can get up to warehouse size. They even have options with more than one floor if that is what you need. The installation fees will cost you a lot less money because you won’t need to do as much construction to install it. But, you will still need to hire an electrician to ensure you get all the right wiring and parts for the freezer to run correctly.
Walk-in freezers have a lot of different parts that allow them to keep all of the food cold. Here are a few of the basic parts of a walk-in freezer.
Insulation Type
Walk-in freezers have a lot of insulation on all four walls, the ceiling, and the floor. Insulation is what keeps the cold air inside the freezer. Various types of insulation are ranked by their R-value, which defines how well they can keep the cool air in and heat out. Materials with higher R-values insulate better than ones with lower R-values.
Polyurethane is sprayed between the two metal linings on the outside and the inside. It has a value of R8 and is the best insulation material. It does well at keeping the food cool and is fire resistant, and has a high melting point of 700 degrees.
A cheaper option for insulation is laminated panels. However, people who choose this option say the panels start to peel off, and they end up spending more money on the loss of the cool air and also having to buy more material, so you will probably want to go with a nicer option in the beginning.
Flooring
Some people pay for the best insulation in the walls but then settle with a concrete floor or something not made for walk-in freezers. Then they end up losing up to 15% in cooling and paying more to have better cooling rather than paying a little more for good insulation.
Also, if you plan on using heavy equipment like forklifts inside the walk-in freezer, you will also need to get sturdy flooring to hold the weight while still keeping the freezer cold on the inside.
Lastly, you will also need to think about who you will hire to install the freezer, or if anything happens, fix the walk-in freezer.
Walk-in freezers are a good option for anyone who needs to keep a lot of food cold, and many different options to choose from. I hope this article helped you know what to watch for in features when choosing your walk-in freezer.
