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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U.S. Department of Energy to Strengthen Efficiency Standards

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced three new steps to strengthen its ability to enforce energy efficiency standards. DOE has formed a new enforcement team within the Office of the General Counsel; established a program to randomly review manufacturers’ compliance with DOE certification requirements; and is publishing guidance that provides further details about DOE’s energy efficiency enforcement regulations.

In its new guidance, DOE confirms that under existing regulations, it can take enforcement action and assess civil penalties if a manufacturer fails to properly certify a covered product and retain records. Specifically, the agency clarifies that any failure to certify covered products according to DOE’s rules violates the Energy Policy Conservation Act of 1975 and DOE regulations. DOE will randomly select previously filed certification reports for review, request certification records as needed, and hold manufacturers accountable for failing to certify covered products according to DOE rules. Read the rest of this entry »

New Restaurant Equipment Depreciation Allowance

If you have already purchased restaurant equipment in 2009, or are planning on doing so before the year is up, make sure you get your accountant to take a special 50% depreciation allowance for all equipment that is purchased, installed and used by December 31st.

This tax provision was extended by President Obama’s stimulus bill from 2008, and it provides an excellent benefit for restaurants that need to purchase new equipment but are tight on cash in a struggling economy. Read the rest of this entry »

Storing Fresh and Frozen Foods

The following article comes from Dependable Refrigeration, LLC.

Storage of Fresh Food in the Refrigerator

The air in a fresh food refrigerator is always quite dry. What moisture there is in the refrigerator tends to collect and condense on the evaporator surfaces. Therefore, food containers should be covered and as air tight as possible to keep food moist.

The temperature inside the fresh food cabinet should be kept at 35 to 45 degrees F. Most fresh foods may be kept from three days to a week at the above temperatures. Unfrozen meat and fish should be stored at as close to 32 degrees F as possible. Fruits and vegetables should be cleaned and prepared for the table before being refrigerated.

For Storage of Frozen Food in the Freezer

The air in a food freezer, as in refrigerator, is very dry. Any moisture in the air of the freezer quickly condenses on the evaporator coil surfaces. It is very important, therefore, that all frozen foods be packaged in moisture proof containers. Read the rest of this entry »

H1N1 Can Affect Your Business or Restaurant

Why businesses should plan for a flu response.

Many businesses have already been impacted by the Spring 2009 H1N1 flu outbreak. Steps can be taken now to slow the spread of the flu. It is also possible that flu conditions may become more severe, so it is important to plan now for how to respond under those circumstances.

Why you should be concerned about the spread of the flu in the workplace.

The work place may act as a “point of spread”, where employees can easily spread flu to their fellow employees as well as others in the community. The flu can have a major impact on business operations, causing workers to stay home because they are sick or they have to take care of other sick family members.

For more information and how to plan for H1N1 and the seasonal flu from the CDC review their toolkit.

Source:http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/business/toolkit/pdf/Business_Toolkit.pdf

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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.

Sharpen Your Bill of Lading, Pay Less in Freight

It used to seem like motor carriers would “look the other way” when it came to the way shippers filled out their bill of ladings.  As long as the freight class that went along with the description was “close“ to what they were shipping, the carriers never bothered with it.  However, now there is too much of an extra revenue source for the carriers to ignore these poorly filled out descriptions and have incentivized dock workers to capitalize on shippers who do not fill this out the proper way.

The biggest mistake people make when filling out a bill of lading is they simply put a basic description of the product like “plastic figurines”.  The problem is that plastic figurines are a density item according to the NMFC and can be classified at any class from a 70 to a 400 (which is a difference of about 250% in price).

Without a classification number, the carriers have every right to bill out at a class 400 if “plastic figurines” is all they are given.  The proper way to describe this item on a bill of lading is to write a description which includes the NMFC issued number.  This is a perfect way to describe this item “Plastic Articles, NMFC #157320 Sub 8, Class 85.”

Elizabeth LaFleur, freight auditor for Logistics Management, Inc., says shippers will cut down on a lot of headaches if they followed this simple process.  LaFleur says, “When a carrier see’s a poor description, they red flag it and can classify it at a much higher class.  If the description on the bill of lading is vague, a lot of times there is nothing that can be done to fight it.  However, if the item number is on the bill of lading then there, is no problem.”

Not only can this be a hassle, the cost can be significant to a shipper.  The way it is nowadays in the freight world is if a shipper does not fill out their bill of lading accurately they get nailed not only with the difference in the freight class but also with a “Weight & Inspection” fee which can be as high as $30.00.

What a Bill of Lading Should NOT Look Like

Recently I visited a prospect that was getting overwhelmed with Weight & Inspections from carriers.  They pulled their bill of ladings for me and on them was the description for “tools”.  There was two problems with this description.  First, “tools” is too vague of a description and second, they were actually shipping drive shafts and other engine parts for race cars.

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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.