With the UK in the midst of a fantastic heatwave we’ve got a few pointers to keep your cold store at the right temperature.
It was the hottest day of the year in the UK last week and temperatures are expected to remain in the high twenties. It’s great weather for a barbeque but not so good for portable cold stores or blast units sitting out in the sun.
All our units are fitted with PVC strip curtains. These are across the door aperture to create an effective barrier against the warm air outside. This allows the user to regulate the temperature more effectively.
You can see temperature spikes every time a cold store or blast unit door is opened. This can be massively improved by using PVC strip curtains and ensuring they are covering the entire door aperture. Especially during loading and unloading product.
As well as keeping your unit cold, air curtains can greatly reduce energy loss by keeping the cold air in and the warm air out. This will effectively reduce operating costs as the unit won’t be working so hard.
The lack of rain and warm weather also brings more insects and dust. So as well as keeping the cold in, PVC strip curtains have the added benefit of keeping the dust and little critters out! This in turn can avoid product losses through contamination.
So, to keep your cold store cold make sure daily checks are carried out;
- Check all PVC strip curtains are fitted & covering the door width. If they have been removed please get in touch with us to order replacements,
- Keep the doors closed whenever possible using the shoot bolts to secure the doors,
- Check the temperature set-point is correctly set for its operation,
- Periodically check the running temperature is within 2°C of the set-point,
- Check there are no obstructions to the condenser,
- Minimise door openings and make sure doors are not left open for any longer than necessary. Ideally no more than a maximum of 15 minutes in an hour.
For more information on how to reduce heat gain for cold stores this handy guide from the Carbon Trust highlights a few options > https://www.carbontrust.com/media/147201/j7981_ctl137_reduce_heat_gain_aw.pdf
If you experience any issues with your unit during this warm weather please call the service department on 01785 221721.
