Community Discussion: Ideas to Outfit a Beer Cave

Beer caves can offer huge benefits to businesses. Decorating your beer cave to be inviting to consumers is of the utmost importance. We recently received this message from Jody Seck of Stop-A-Sec Inc.

We are adding a walk in beer cave to our convenience store. I need great interior lighting ideas for the inside of the cave that will have a black interior. The doors are LED. Ideas welcome.

What’s the most creative beer cave design you’ve seen? If you have any suggestions for Jody or any other stylistic ideas for walk-in beer caves, leave your comment below!

Craft Brewery Finds Chilling Solution

Challenge
Sun King Brewery, like many other craft brewers, is located in a downtown area. There isn’t much space for a condensing unit, and complicating the situation further was the fact that the arrangement of the building didn’t allow for the unit to be at the back of the building. It needed to be right in front, next to the walk-in space, and within close proximity of the main parking and front entrance. A discreet solution was critical.
Another important feature for Sun King’s refrigeration system was the reliability. Hundreds of barrels of beer are stored in this walk-in cooler. For a small enterprise, protecting that investment is a business critical issue.
Solution
U.S. Cooler, a manufacturer of walk-in coolers and freezers, met with Sun King Brewing about their walk-in cooler needs. Once they understood the demanding requirements of the applications in terms of efficiency, reliability, sound, and discreet look, they immediately recommended the Copeland Scroll™ Outdoor Condensing Unit XJ Series.

Shortly after installation, the refrigeration system was not working. A quick check of the XJ onboard CoreSense™ Diagnostics indicated that there were no compressor or unit issues.

The servicing contractor was able to quickly pinpoint the problem at the evaporator and get the system back up and running. Since start-up, the system has been running flawlessly with no interruption to refrigerating the product. The chart below shows the sound level of the XJ condensing unit compared to a typical outdoor condensing unit.

Read the rest of this entry »

Olewinski Named Regional Sales Manager

St. Charles, IL, April 9, 2012

Ed Olewinski was named Regional Sales Manger for U.S. Cooler’s Northern Territory including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Northern IL, North Dakota and the upper western Michigan peninsula.

Ed comes to U.S. Cooler with over 27 years of experience in the industry. U.S. Cooler is confident that his unique blend of experience from operations consulting, refrigeration and equipment sales to the foodservice industry will lend itself well toward serving their customer base.

To get a quote on a walk-in cooler, freezer or combo, call 800.521.2665 to speak with Ed today.

The Brew Cave Goes Viral

All it took was one article by tech site Gizmodo for the Brew Cave to become the ultimate wish-list item for thousands of beer lovers and home brewers. For the uninitiated, the Brew Cave is a walk-in kegerator that comfortably stores 30 cases of beer and 6 kegs. Since the first article, stories have popped up all over the internet including TIME, Uncrate and even an interview with our VP of Operations at Craft Cans. The Brew Cave represents an idea whose time has come.

You can now Like Brew Cave on Facebook or Follow Brew Cave on Twitter.

Brew Caves are available to purchase online by going to www.brewcave.com and entering your zip code for a list of distributors near you.

Compressor Amperage Ratings

This article is courtesy of Coldtronics Inc. manufacturers of HVACR alarm systems.

When diagnosing a problem on a compressor, measuring its amperage draw is part of determining if the compressor is performing properly. How does a service technician know the correct amperage draw? The best way to determine the correct amperage draw for a particular compressor is by referring to the rating chart for that compressor.

Compressor manufacturers will publish a rating chart for each compressor they manufacture. These charts can be published in either a table or graphic format. The compressor chart will list the correct amperage draw for the compressor under its various operating conditions. To use the chart the service technician must know the evaporating temperature, condensing temperature and voltage applied to the compressor. By using the chart, a service technician can determine the correct amperage draw for the compressor and use that information to accurately troubleshoot it and the rest of the system.

Obtaining these charts can be a little time consuming, but the extra time involved is worth knowing the correct amperage. With the use of the Internet this information is now a little easier to obtain. Most compressor manufacturers will stamp an amperage rating on their compressor. They will usually stamp the rated load amps (RLA) of the compressor. However, the service technician cannot use this value to determine the correct operating amperage. RLA is a mathematical calculation required to meet Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) approval only. Read the rest of this entry »

Rakers Named Regional Sales Manager

U.S. Cooler is pleased to announce Brian Rakers has joined the U.S. Cooler Sales staff. Brian is now the Regional Sales Manager for the Midwestern Territory including most of Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska. Brian will be based out of his home office in Kansas City, MO, and can be reached at 314-435-3511 or emailed at Brian[at]uscooler.com.

Sales Support and Customer Service will continue to be based out of our Quincy, IL, facility.

Brian has over 5 years of experience with U.S. cooler and has worked in sales over 3 years. His experience in the industry makes him a valued addition to this territory and our organization’s aim to enhance dealer support. U.S. Cooler is confident Brian will continue to be an asset to our company.

Kason Changes with the Times

Although some of the hardware for commercial refrigeration, foodservice, step van and industrial equipment that Kason Industries Inc. manufactures is traditional, much of it evolves over time. “Some products we’ve been making since the 1950s and ‘60s,” Executive Vice President Burl Finkelstein points out. “They haven’t changed a lot since then.”

A sample of Kason's walk-in hardware

But others have evolved with their various industries, and Kason must keep up with those trends. “The tricky part of our business is knowing our customer applications,” he reveals. For example, when the blowing agent used in insulating foam panels for walk-in refrigerators and freezers changed for environmental reasons, the fastener holding that foam had to evolve.

“As the foam blowing agent changed, how it adhered changed, and we had to go back to the panel fasteners that bond it and make sure the foam will bond to the fastener and work well with our fastener,” he continues. “As the market changed from mechanically latched doors to magnetic gaskets, we changed the hardware, made a lighter-weight hardware and went to pull handles.”

The current U.S. energy act mandates self-closing doors and minimal air infiltration for walk-in coolers and freezers. “So we have more focus on hinges that will close the doors more efficiently, and strip curtains and vinyl flex doors to block air infiltration when the door is open,” Finkelstein notes. “We’re keeping our fingers on the pulse of the market.” Read the rest of this entry »

New Refrigeration on Used Walk-ins – Is it EISA compliant?

The Department of Energy (DOE) has written their interpretation on compliant refrigeration vs. non-compliant refrigeration on walk-in coolers and freezers. Below, DOE explains that any component added to a previously installed walk-in cooler or freezer and manufactured after January 1, 2009, must meet EISA guidelines. This is a draft document and comments and suggestions must be submitted to the Department of Energy prior to February 20, 2012.

The Interpretation from the Department of Energy (DOE)

This is a draft document and does not represent a definitive view of the agency on the questions addressed.

This and other guidance documents are accessible on the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy web site at: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/guidance/default.aspx?pid=2&spid=1.

Guidance Type: Conservation Standards, Enforcement
Category: Commercial Equipment
Product: Walk-in Cooler and Walk-in Freezers
Guidance Version: DRAFT
Issued: January 20, 2012
Comment Period Closes: February 20, 2012

Q: What are the relevant dates for compliance with the prescriptive requirements for walk-in coolers and walk-in freezers? For example: If a newly manufactured component of a walk-in cooler or walk-in freezer is installed in a walk-in box manufactured prior to January 1, 2009, does it have to comply with the prescriptive requirements of 10 C.F.R. § 431.306?

A: The following is a draft U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) guidance document regarding commercial walk-in coolers and walk-in freezers. This draft guidance document represents the Department’s interpretation of its existing regulations and is exempt from the notice and comment requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act. See 5 U.S.C. § 553(b)(A). Therefore, the Department is accepting comments and suggestions from the public until February 20, 2012. Comments and suggestions should be provided in WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, PDF, or text file format by sending an email to WICFEISA2007Guidance-2012-0001{at}ee.doe.gov. Please also include the docket number EERE-2012-BT-STD0001.

At the end of the comment period, this draft guidance document may be adopted, revised or withdrawn. Read the rest of this entry »

Replacement Dart Gasket Installation Instructions

There are various mounting styles of gaskets used in manufacturing walk-in coolers and freezers. Some are secured with screws, stapled onto a flat surface, or cemented into a channel. U.S. Cooler chooses to use magnetic dart style gaskets that push into a groove.
The causes of gasket failure are numerous, from loss of vinyl elasticity over many years to an employee ripping the gasket by running into it with a cart. If your gasket is building up ice or condensation, that’s a sign that your seal is not tight and you need a replacement gasket.

Installing replacement gaskets correctly is important to ensure a tight seal with no air infiltration or icing along the door frame.

Soak the gasket in warm water for several minutes in increase pliability.

Dart Style Gasket Installation Instructions

1. Remove door from walk-in cooler/freezer (some hinges have lift-off capability when the door is open) and place on a pair of saw horses or table with gasket side up. Using a screw driver, remove the 7 screws from the inside edge of the old gasket if they were installed. (NOTE: some types of gaskets are not screwed in).
2.  After old gasket has been removed place new door gasket around door, laying it out across the top and down the sides of the door. With door gasket in position around the door starting at the top corner, firmly seat the spur of the door gasket into the groove of the extrusion along the edge of the door using a hammer. It’s important that the spur be positioned over the groove correctly as it needs to be seated on the first impact of the hammer. Continue along the top of the door seating the gasket and then down the sides until you get to the bottom of the door.
3. Trim the bottom of the door gasket so it just covers the metal strip of the door sweep. It should not extend onto the rubber part of the door sweep. If the gasket is trimmed, remove the rubber plug from the trimmed piece and insert it into the bottom of the gasket to keep the magnets in place. Use NSF approved silicone caulk to keep the rubber plug in place.
4. Using a screw driver, install 7 screws into the locations shown on this drawing.
5. Re-install door onto the hinge blocks on the walk-in frame and check door for proper operation.

You can buy name-brand walk-in parts such as gaskets, handles, and door closers from walkincoolerparts.com. Walk-in Cooler & Freezer Parts has the lowest prices on the net and will ship most orders the same or next business day.