Referring directly to the cold storage equipment utilised by commercial industries, commercial refrigerators are an essential piece of equipment for supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, food stores, convenience stores and grocery shops. Designed to remove heat for both convenience and safety standards, commercial refrigerators help store and facilitate food and beverages at an optimum temperature. Below, we take a closer look at the role commercial refrigerators play across a number of vital industries.
What Is Commercial Refrigeration?
Commercial fridges are considerably different from their traditional domestic counterparts, capable of delivering a far greater cooling storage system for cold foods at an industrial level. Commercial refrigerators are designed to remain accessible, for continuous opening and closing, yet still maintain their temperature. At Mitchell’s, our team are more than prepared to handle refrigerator-related services across several relevant industries and can assist in the repair or installation of the following commercial refrigeration services:
- Retail Fridges
- Catering Fridges
- Restaurant Fridges
- Supermarket Refrigerators
- Industrial Cold Rooms
- Product Display Fridges
- Walk-In Freezers
Commercial refrigerators are typically found in industries that require industrial-sized cold rooms or refrigerators to maintain the temperature of cold goods such as pubs, restaurants, cafes and hotels.
How Does Commercial Refrigeration Work?
Designed with high-power compressors that help to rapidly reduce the temperature, commercial refrigerators are fan-assisted, ensuring the optimal temperature is distributed evenly throughout the fridge interior. In essence, all commercial refrigerators work on the same principle, in line with the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which suggests that when two objects are brought together, the heat will travel from the hotter object to the colder one. This principle is directly used to help transfer the heat from stored food in a commercial fridge into a refrigerant liquid.
Later, the liquid itself will obey another physical law; as it expands and becomes gas, it will quickly cool, thus losing significant heat through the industrial refrigerator unit’s cooling system. This continually looped process of heating and cooling the refrigerant fulfils the essential role of keeping your food inside cold and well-preserved. Using a circuit system that works alongside an absorption system and vapour compressor to help cool or dry the air, refrigeration relies on compressors and condensers to run the circuit. Let’s take a closer look at the key components of a commercial refrigeration system:
Cooling
Commercial refrigerator systems are known to utilise a refrigerant solution to help transfer heat from the food inside the fridge to the refrigerant liquid. As suggested, in line with the Second Law of Thermodynamics, when cycling through the refrigeration system, refrigerant solutions are sent through a series of pressure changes to help improve speed and efficiency, whilst removing excess heat from the refrigerated space to ensure it remains cold.
Refrigerant
The key to any successful commercial refrigeration system is refrigerant is designed to absorb the temperature of the environment, providing a coolant that runs through the compressors, therefore, controlling the climate. Traditionally, Freon was used as a refrigerant on most commercial refrigerators, but in the decades since its introduction, it has since been discovered to have a negative impact on the ozone layer and our collective climate. Since this discovery, other refrigerants, such as tetrafluoroethane, are implemented instead to help reduce this environmental impact, improving the efficiency and eco-friendliness of modern commercial refrigeration systems.
Compressors
An essential component of a commercial refrigerator, compressors are responsible for allowing the refrigerant to run the circuit. Deriving power from the electric motor fixed into the system, the compressing process eases the strain on the refrigerant as it flows from the compressor through a condenser. When this occurs, it is inside the condenser where vapour is converted into a liquid form, emanating heat.
Condensers
The condenser is where your refrigerant process completes its cycle. Here, it will travel through the metering device or expansion valve, releasing the pressure. Once this has happened, the refrigerant will reach the evaporator, where the heat will cause the refrigerant to vaporise. Then, the refrigerant will go back into the compressor, before the process starts all over again.
Choosing Your Commercial Refrigerator
There are several factors one must consider when choosing the commercial refrigerator solution for your business or industry, whether this is a restaurant, supermarket or catering business, food storage and production will require some kind of commercial refrigerator. Below, we take a closer look at the key factors you need to consider when choosing the commercial refrigerator type for your place of business.
Space
When choosing the commercial refrigerator for your industry or business, the first thing you’ll need to consider is the space that you’re working with. Although commercial fridges are typically available in a wide range of shapes and sizes, this matters little if you haven’t factored in your own space, and how you can make the most of it. Maximising your storage potential is essential for your business, in order to get the most out of your budget and ensure you have the necessary space for your business to grow exponentially, so look closely at your space and your refrigeration solutions and align them as closely as possible.
Specification
Your business or industry, combined with your level of demand will play a major role in exactly what commercial refrigerator you will require. Commercial refrigerators are available in a number of specifications, depending on the necessary function, with display fridges for corner shops, high capacity fridges and freezers for restaurants, or even cold-rooms and walk-in fridges for hotels and hospitality industries available.
In similar terms, consider the features and functions of your commercial fridge, as this will play a vital role in your decision. Consider the refrigerator doors, are they easy to open and close? Are the temperature controls easy to understand? Can you adjust the shelving? How easy is it to clean? These are all essential questions you should ask yourself when choosing the specification of your commercial refrigerator.
Costs
Purchasing a brand-new commercial refrigerator won’t come cheap, and can vary greatly in price depending on the size and power of the system itself, but is often considered a cost-effective solution. This is due to the cost of replacement parts and repairs that will inevitably arise with pre-owned or used equipment that hasn’t been effectively maintained by the previous owner. A commercial refrigerator breakdown, and subsequent callout of technical support, can be a costly expenditure, particularly if the issues are ongoing. This makes the purchase of a new system a cost-effective solution.
Brand
Just as purchasing a used system from an untrustworthy seller can result in unexpected breakdowns and financial loss, so too can purchasing a commercial refrigeration system from an unrecognised brand. Off-brand products can be tempting, with their initial costs typically much less than their recognised branded counterparts, but this is often due to a decreased emphasis on quality and longevity, thus resulting in more frequent repairs and replacements, ultimately costing you just as much, if not more, in the long term.
Mitchell’s: Commercial Refrigeration Services in Gloucester
At Mitchell’s, we offer a wide range of business services including commercial refrigeration maintenance. Working across Gloucester, the South West and further afield, we’re on hand to keep your walk-in fridge or commercial refrigerator running smoothly. We can also assist with the installation of commercial refrigeration systems as part of a larger building or construction plan.
Mitchell excels at project management, and we’ll minimise the impact of our own installation works on your timeline. We can work with your project manager or assume this role ourselves. Just let us know how you’d like to proceed.
Our team is prepared to assist with refrigerator-related services across all relevant industries. We specialise in installing or repairing any of the following including retail fridges, restaurant fridges, cold rooms for industrial facilities and product display refrigerators. Get in touch today and find out more.