R-22 Phase out January 1st, 2010

January 1st is just around the corner. Now is the time to start preparing for the R-22 refrigeration phase out. Starting in 2010, manufacturers can only produce R-22 refrigerant to service existing equipment. All newly manufactured units will use an alternate refrigerant.

How to Replace Walk-in Refrigerator Door Gaskets

The following article is courtesy of Tundra Specialties.

The rubber door gasket on the inside edge of the doors of all your refrigeration equipment is very important. It prevents cold air from escaping, which means the unit will stay colder longer and use less energy. Old gaskets wear out and lose their seal. Even worse, older gaskets can pose a food safety risk because they begin to collect grime and food bits and become a breeding ground for bacteria.

Luckily, it’s easy to replace door gaskets!  There are several different styles of gaskets. To insure you get the proper gasket, gather the following information:

1. Dimension of gasket – Measure from outside corner to outside corner for both height and width.

2. Manufacturer – Get the manufacturer’s name and the model and serial number of the piece of equipment (the serial number may not be needed).

3. Style –  Check to see if the gasket is magnetic or non-magnetic(compression). Almost all newer refrigeration equipment will have a magnetic gasket. A magnetic gasket will be hard and square at the point where it contacts the inside frame of the unit. Magnetic gaskets will also snap shut when you hold the door less than an inch from the frame because the magnet attracts to the metal.

Magnetic door gaskets are the most common.

Compression gaskets usually need a door latch to hold them tight in place to get a good seal. These gaskets are soft and compress easily at the point where they contact the inside frame of the unit.

A compression style door gasket.

Door gaskets are also categorized by how they attach to the door.  There are 3 ways a door gasket mounts on a door: snap in (or dart), push in, and screw in.
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Think Custom. Think Cooler. NACS 2009

U.S. Cooler manufactures walk-ins with the customer in mind. We understand it is important to produce an affordable, quality, durable, and efficient product. U.S. Cooler specializes in custom sized walk-in coolers and freezers. All of our walk-ins are produced using the highest quality products and the most efficient insulation. Our custom walk-ins are competitively priced and have the shortest lead time in the industry.  U.S. Cooler has the technology and the capability to manufacture walk-ins to fit any size or configuration you are looking for. When you need custom, think U.S. Cooler. Come visit our booth, # 1863, at NACS in Las Vegas from October 21-23, 2009.

Walk-in Saves Lives

On Wednesday, August 19th, a tornado ripped through the village of Williamsville, IL leaving parts of the town a disaster with many home’s lost. One particular building that was in the direct path of the storm was a Casey’s General Store. When the storm rolled in, there were 9 employees and customers in the store. The entire front wall of the building was blown out leaving no shelter for the group in the store. Immediately they took cover in the walk-in cooler where they safely remained until the storm ended. After the storm, the only structure of the building still intact and left unharmed was the walk-in combination unit. Check with your local emergency center for the emergency plan that best fits your location.

Taken right after the tornado hit Casey's General Store in Williamsville, IL.

After the store clean-up.

Additional pictures of the damage. Read the rest of this entry »

U.S. Cooler is now leasing walk-ins

Buying a walk-in cooler or freezer is a large expense for any business and not all companies have the cash flow available to purchase a walk-in outright. U.S. Cooler has another option for our customers. Leasing.

By leasing your walk-in, you avoid having to come up with the complete purchase price necessary to buy it outright. Instead, with leasing, the cost is spread out comfortably over a fixed period of time, and only a small initial down payment is required. Leasing removes the need for equity financing. It also allows you to acquire and use an asset without having to make a substantial down payment. Thus, minimizing the affect on your cash flow and working capital.

U.S. Cooler has partnered with Advantage Leasing to provide our customers with a financing program for their walk-in equipment. For more information on the program visit the leasing program page on our website or contact Advantage Leasing for details.

Game Locker Coolers for Hunters & Processors

We are quickly approaching that time of year again…hunting season. Many hunters know that after their tags are filled, the game must be cooled and held at a certain temperature to maintain its freshness. Due to the size of the game, it is necessary to have a larger cold storage unit to hold the meat before and after processing.

Game Lockers (also known as meat lockers, game coolers, deer boxes, or deer coolers) are a perfect solution to preserving and storing meat after the hunt. Game Lockers come in two sizes: 6’ x 6’ x 8’ and 6’ x 8’ x 8’. These meat coolers are sold as a package including refrigeration and overhead rail system with hooks. Both models have available space for shelving to help organize your inventory in the cooler. They are now available to purchase online from our dealer sites.

Now is the time to start looking into Game Lockers for this upcoming hunting season. Visit this page for more detailed information regarding Game Lockers.

Operating Cost for Walk-in Coolers and Freezers

Before purchasing your walk-in, you may be wondering how much it will cost to operate your walk-in.

To give you a rough estimate of how much it cost to operate a walk-in cooler or freezer, using the national average of 11.89 cents per kilowatt, look at the chart below.

*These numbers were figured using the $.0999 kilowatt hour cost. According to the Energy Information Administration this is the average cost in the United States for commercial electricity.

This chart was created using several assumptions that can affect your actual operating cost.

1. The type of insulation in the walk-in.
2. Efficiency of the refrigeration system.
3. Inside and outside temperature of walk-in.
4. Where the walk-in is located.
5. The temperature and the weight of the product entering the walk-in.
6. How often the door is opened.
7. The age of the walk-in.
8. Cost of electricity.

This is just to name a few.  If you would like to be more accurate using your electric rate, follow the instructions below. Read the rest of this entry »

EC Motor Start-up

Interesting information about EC motors that could lead to an incorrect diagnosis.

As of January 1, 2009, all walk-in manufacturing companies must sell their refrigeration units with Electronically Commutated (EC) motors. EC motors lower energy costs and significantly improve the walk-in cooler or freezer performance. These energy efficient motors are offered as a complete unit or as a drop-in replacement. Whichever your use is, if you are not familiar with the EC motor it may seem odd when you initially start it up.
When starting an EC motor, the motor must know where the rotor is located in order to start and continue to run. When power is first applied to the motor, the controller will apply a gradually increasing amount of current to all three windings in the motor over a period of 2 seconds. This will cause the rotor to move to a known location. This move will range from no movement at all if the rotor has stopped in the location needed for the next start or may be a much larger movement if it was a longer distance  from where it needed to be. With a fan blade attached, it may even overshoot and move backwards to get to the right location. After that 2 second “positioning” period the controller will start applying power to different phases in a slow rotating pattern that increases in speed over the next 2 seconds until the rotor is moving fast enough for the controller to be able to detect its location. This second phase of the start cycle usually happens so quickly that you cannot really see what is happening. Within 3 to 5 seconds of applying power, the motor should appear to be running normally, but during those first 2 seconds the movements may seem as though the unit is having troubles starting or is broken.

U.S. Cooler Flickr Photostream

Visit U.S. Cooler’s new Flickr photostream. Flickr is a photo and video sharing site owned by Yahoo. You can view pictures of our completed walk-ins and promotional photos. These pictures represent the wide range of custom design possibilities available for your walk-in cooler, freezer or combination unit.

USDA Grant Money for Rural Energy Improvements

Government money is available to help your small business become more energy efficient.

The USDA is now offering a grant and loan program to improve energy efficiency in rural areas. The REAP/RES/EEI (Rural Energy for America Program Grants/ Renewable Energy Systems/ Energy Efficiency Improvement Program) Grants Program will provide funds to architectural producers and rural small businesses to purchase and install renewable energy systems and make energy efficient improvements.

The program is designed to assist farmers, ranchers and rural small businesses that are able to demonstrate financial need. Small businesses that are located in rural areas can also apply. Most rural projects that reduce energy use and result in savings for the agricultural producer or small business are eligible as energy efficient projects. These include projects such as retrofitting lighting or insulation, or purchasing or replacing equipment with more efficient units. One of the main requirements of the grant program is that the new equipment must be more energy efficient than the current equipment. An ‘energy audit’ will be performed comparing the energy usage of the old equipment to the new anticipated energy efficient equipment.

Walk-in coolers and freezers qualify for this grant program. Older walk-ins are not as efficient as new units built today. Some of the recent changes in the industry include the requirement to provide higher insulation r-values and refrigeration units with EC motors, which are much more energy efficient than older units. These upgrades will prove your new equipment to be more energy efficient, which will save you money on energy costs. Read the rest of this entry »