Walk in Cooler Expansion Information

Future expandability is available with all SRC walk in coolers due to our modular design and construction. Our panels can be easily unlocked and moved with no damage and minimal effort, unlike a wood framed walk in cooler. You can read more about why you should avoid wood framing here (as well as why SRC’s plastic insulation is highly efficient). Our insulation will be just as energy efficient ten years from now as it is today!

Please discuss it with your salesperson if you think expanding your walk in cooler is a realistic possibility in the future. We can make sure that our design will facilitate the future plan for your walk in cooler in the most economical way. To accommodate the future expansion, you may want to consider upgrading your refrigeration system initially. A small investment up front can save you from facing the expense of replacing the entire walk in cooler system when you eventually expand. To save additional money, you should avoid running electrical or refrigeration lines through walk in cooler panels. When you expand, these lines will need to be removed.

So, most importantly, inform SRC Refrigeration as well as your contractor about your future walk in cooler expansion plans!

Walk in Cooler Insulation Information

There have been many different types of insulation used for walk in coolers—some common types you may be familiar with are fiberglass, cellulose, and styrofoam. A walk in cooler must be an excellent insulator as well as structurally solid. Newly established federal energy standards narrow the field; therefore, modern construction utilizes rigid plastic insulation. This type of insulation eliminates the substantial heat loss that occurs through wood framing materials (be careful—some companies still use wood framing materials).

So, step one in selecting a highly efficient walk in cooler is avoiding wood frame construction. Step two is deciding between the two available choices of plastic insulation that both surpass federal standards.

Polyurethane is the highest R-value per inch insulation available for walk in coolers and freezers. The raw ingredients are mixed, injected, and cured at the time of panel manufacture. Urethane bonds with the metal and fasteners to provide a long-lasting panel. Polyurethane’s chief drawback is that water vapor can build up within the insulation over time; eventually this will degrade its insulating properties.

Extruded polystyrene is the other alternative for walk in coolers and freezers. It is produced in large batches by US based chemical manufacturers and extruded by specialized machinery into usable sized panels (in controlled conditions). The end product is a highly efficient walk in cooler with R-values rivaling that of polyurethane. Extruded polystyrene has an added advantage of repelling water vapor and does not absorb moisture over time.

Rather than favoring one type over the other, SRC Refrigeration offers both types of insulation for our customers. This allows SRC to maintain flexibility in manufacturing and also cut down on lead times. Whichever choice you make for your walk in cooler or freezer, SRC has a solution to offer your business.

Floral Walk in Coolers vs. Commercial Walk in Coolers

I recently came across someone who had asked a question on FlowerShopNetwork.com regarding the differences between floral walk in coolers and commercial walk in coolers. They were starting a floral business and specifically needed information about refrigeration.

A poster on the website, Jamie Jamison Adams, answered in detail. She writes,

Refrigeration of your floral products is a very important aspect of a successful flower shop. Being able to keep you products in prime condition for design and delivery will define your shop’s quality and workmanship.

Although I was sure of the answer to this question, I turned to the experts at SRC Refrigeration to make sure I had all the facts. Here is what I learned after my discussion with Craig Richert.

Since the purchase of this equipment is essential to your success, knowing the difference in refrigeration coolers is vital. First take a look at the difference in the environmental needs of various products. Flowers require an environment with high humidity and gentle air movement. Flowers exposed to low humidity and rapid air movements begin to dehydrate. The shelf life of flowers that have become dehydrated is cut drastically. Packaged items like food and beverages, on the other hand, have a longer shelf life in low humidity and are not affected by rapid air movement. Keep in mind rapid air movement causes a low humidity condition. Craig had a great analogy for this process. Think of a concrete driveway after a rain. On a day where there is little to no breeze, the concrete stays moist for a very long time. On a day where there is a strong breeze, the concrete dries out very quickly. Why is this important in the floral industry? When a flowers dries out the petals tips curl, turn brown and collapse creating an inferior or dead product.

With the understanding of the environmental condition needs of certain products, we can discuss the difference in floral coolers and commercial coolers for food and beverages. Floral coolers are built to have gentle air movement and to encourage high humidity. Commercial coolers have rapid air movement, which creates a low humidity environment. Now I know what you are thinking--but commercial coolers are less expensive. Yes and no! On the front end commercial coolers may cost less but in reality they cost more. Shelf life and flower quality are very important factors that will affect your bottom line. If you send an arrangement to a customer with an inferior product, your customer will no longer trust your work. If the shelf life of your flowers is three days instead of seven, your product costs will increase. So in the long run, it is better to buy a refrigeration unit that is appropriate for the product it will house.

I hope this information will help you with the equipment decisions for your shop. If you have any other refrigeration questions SRC Refrigeration has some fantastic information concerning floral refrigeration coolers.

Thank you, Jamie! We're glad we were able to help!

Keg Cooler Information

You declare, "I want the coldest beer in town!"... The best time to make this statement is prior to ordering your walk in cooler! Normal system sizing provides product temperatures of 38 degrees. In a standard walk in cooler system, trying to achieve lower temperatures will lead to extended run times, frozen evaporator coils, and eventual premature equipment failure.

To properly handle these lower temperature requirements, you should consider a keg cooler refrigeration system. When a system operates below 35 degrees, frost and ice will begin to build up on an evaporator coil. Frost restricts the airflow across the coil if it builds up. Your walk in cooler and product temperature will rise as ice formation increases.

A keg cooler system features freezer style evaporator coils instead. These coils feature wider fin spacing and heated defrost elements to counteract frost formation, so your keg cooler and product temperatures will be stable. You will be able to hold any temperature you specify up front with a properly sized system—so let us know!

If your keg cooler will include glass display doors, you may want to consider the heated glass option. Even if your store is air-conditioned, your glass display doors will be more susceptible to sweating without this option. Unfortunately, glass heat is not an option that can be added on at a later time—it must be included at the time of order.

A keg cooler is one of many different variations of beverage coolers SRC manufactures. We sell keg coolers to a number of businesses: restaurants, food service stores, convenience stores, liquor stores, and more!

How to Minimize Walk in Cooler Installation Costs

The more of the walk in cooler installation you can do, the more you will be able to minimize the overall installation expense!

Refrigeration is a highly technical trade: years of specialized education, apprenticeship, and ongoing training are necessary. A good technician will require support equipment and tools when he makes house calls; his hourly fees can get quite costly. You should try to focus expensive labor specifically on what they do best! By asking others to assist you with simple assembly tasks, you can minimize costs by hundreds of dollars. The same guidelines should apply to your electricians.

For anyone with basic carpentry skills, the assembly of our walk in coolers, freezers, and/or display doors is fairly easily and straightforward. The most important skills one could have would be the ability to work with a tape measure and carpenter’s level!

As a rule of thumb, you can budget anywhere from 25% to 40% of your overall walk in cooler equipment cost towards a “turn-key” installation. Amounts can vary due to site conditions, compressor location, and the labor costs in your region. Your walk in cooler installation may appear daunting, but the knowledge that you can save hundreds of dollars is a great motivator to get involved!

How Soon Can I Receive a Walk in Cooler from SRC?

Once you have arrived at a decision on the best walk in cooler for your business, we will begin! You can assist us in processing the order by returning signed approvals of all computer drawings and related sales paperwork in a timely manner. Normally you will receive your walk in cooler within a few weeks (depending on location and size of the project, of course), but if you need it sooner, let us know—we’re happy to do whatever we can to rush an order. We can ask many of our long-term vendors to expedite your order and release the equipment early if you are under time constraints. We can frequently gain weeks on a project.

In most cases, we manufacture our insulated walk in cooler panels quicker than our door supplier can ship. Therefore, we do our best to time production so that all of your shipments arrive around the same time. However, it may be beneficial for a rush order to ship your walk in cooler panels ahead of time. This way, you can assemble your walk in cooler and continue with site work until you receive the walk in cooler doors.

When all is said and done, you will be left with a walk in cooler or freezer that will serve you well in the long run—not something that you must make do with until your next purchase.

Advice to Customers Purchasing Walk in Coolers

SRC employees will always do our best to help customers in numerous different situations. Many customers have just signed a lease for a new building, while many other customers are planning for a future remodel. Some customers come to us with older, failing walk in coolers purchased from other companies. Whatever your situation, SRC can help! For walk in cooler remodels and new construction, our detailed computer drawings allow your contractors to continue working while waiting for your order to arrive.

Always remember, the walk in cooler you are purchasing will be the focal point of your business. With proper care, your walk in cooler or freezer will last for the next two decades. Purchase decisions based solely upon availability may solve an immediate "crisis", but seldom proves wise as a long-term solution.

We advise our customers to initially take the element of time out of the equation. Choose a walk in cooler that best fulfills your needs both presently and in the future. Remember that you will be depending on your walk in cooler or freezer for many years to come!

SRC Walk in Cooler for Ice Brigade (Food Network)!

SRC recently constructed a walk in cooler for Food Network's new show 'Ice Brigade' (airs in April 2011)! Ice Brigade will feature Ice Sculptures Limited, a company that makes ice sculptures. Steve and John visited the set in Grand Rapids, MI and installed the backdrop that will be used to do the show's interviews. They met the producers and the cast of the new show.

Check Out the New SRC Refrigeration Blog!

We have implemented a brand new blog within SRC Refrigeration's main website! There will be plenty of posts presenting information on walk in coolers, walk in freezers, reach in coolers, beverage coolers, display doors, and more! We also will be posting many pictures. Check it out!

SRC Refrigeration blog: your source for everything about walk in coolers!

SRC's Goals for Our Walk in Coolers

SRC Refrigeration strives to manufacture and sell walk in coolers and freezers with the highest quality components available. We want our walk in coolers to give your company years of benefits and reliability.

We have invested greatly in our manufacturing equipment and processes; this helps control the continual escalating material and labor costs.

Our greatest challenge as a manufacturer is to ensure our message gets to you, the customer: we provide the best value walk in coolers.

Our competitors, on the other hand, prefer to focus on price over value. The details they provide about their walk in coolers are ambiguous. We have yet to be surprised by our findings after purchasing our competitors’ products—walk in coolers marketed as “just the same as SRC” appear similar in pictures, but the actual major components differ significantly. SRC will provide detailed equipment specifications to help you compare; we will explain the various advantages and disadvantages of different components. This way, you can ensure you are making an informed decision on the walk in cooler you are purchasing. All companies should provide this detailed information up front—if they don’t, ask! In the end, we’re confident SRC will remain your preferred choice.

Our goal is two-fold:

#1) We will not be undersold!

#2) We will not sacrifice the quality of our walk in coolers to make a sale!

If you feel someone presents you with what appears to be a “better deal”, do yourself a favor and give us a call. You’ll discover SRC is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise high-pressure industry.