commercial refrigeration Archives - Sacramento Refrigeration

A Critical Piece Of Restaurant Equipment

As restaurant equipment goes, the walk in fridge is probably the most critical piece of equipment needed. For storage of perishable items that create profit for restaurants the walk in fridge is unbeatable. When this piece of equipment goes down, either due to improper commercial refrigeration service or power outage, the potential for loss to the restaurant is significant. When considering filling your establishment with restaurant equipment the decision an owner makes on the walk in fridge could be the most important one.

Types of Walk In Fridge

When laying out your floor plan with the various types of equipment, the type and size of walk in fridge you choose will be very important. You can choose a custom-built walk in fridge, but this will cost more money and may lead to your budget being exceeded. A better option for your needs might be a stand-alone, prefabricated walk in fridge. Most prefabricated equipment is naturally going to be less costly as they are produced in volume by the walk in fridge manufacturer.

The Size of Your Walk In Fridge

The size of your walk in fridge unit is going to be a a very important choice too. Naturally there are a variety of sizes and configurations for a walk in fridge. In fact, there is probably more options for this piece of equipment than any other. Most experts agree that if your cold storage requirements exceed 80 cubic feet, or if you serve more than 250 meals per day, then you are going to need to add a walk in fridge to your list of required equipment. The type of food you serve in your eating establishment will also impact your choice of a walk in fridge.

If you’ve decided that a walk in fridge is necessary, then a good rule of thumb for picking out this piece of equipment is to plan 1 to 1.5 cubic feet of storage space for each meal you serve on any given day. Adding shelves to your walk in fridge will help you use the space economically, but make sure the shelves don’t go too high as this could create dangerous situations for your restaurant employees.

If you plan on adding a walk in fridge to your list of restaurant equipment, contact a commercial refrigeration expert who can help you decide on the right configuration for your needs.

Commercial Refrigeration Service

commercial refrigeration service Being a restauranteur or retail grocer, you probably understand how important commercial refrigeration is to your business. Commercial refrigeration equipment would include any free standing or built-in unit(s) that provide cold storage for your company’s perishable goods. Commercial refrigeration includes both refrigerators and freezers which are available in a wide variety of configurations including walk-ins, reach-ins, and commercial refrigeration display cases.

Why Is Commercial Refrigeration Service So Important?

Because perishable goods are an important part of the revenue and profits for your company, it is important to keep your commercial refrigeration operating properly through scheduled commercial refrigeration service. You know what happens when your commercial refrigeration breaks down suddenly. You are scrambling to find some way to get it running again before thousands of dollars of product goes bad and can’t be sold to customers. Of course you can rely on emergency commercial refrigeration service, but this is much more costly than scheduled maintenance and the availability of emergency commercial refrigeration service when you need it most is a big unknown.

The other reason you need to keep your refrigeration equipment in top operating condition through regular commercial refrigeration service is because of the energy costs related to operating it. For most restaurants and small grocers, the energy costs related to operating their commercial refrigeration equipment make up a large part of their overhead. When your equipment is operating inefficiently due to lack of proper commercial refrigeration service, then your energy costs can go up significantly.

The Peace Of Mind Provided By Commercial Refrigeration Service

Properly maintained commercial refrigeration equipment provides peace of mind to restaurant owners and retail grocers. Quite a bit of your working capital is invested in the perishable goods that regular commercial refrigeration service helps keep at the proper temperature. When you rely on emergency commercial refrigeration service, then you are playing a risky game of chance which could cost you thousands.

Being incredibly user friendly due to the variety of sizes and types, commercial refrigeration units offer safe food storage options when commercial refrigeration service is done on a regular basis. Your refrigeration equipment was a large investment for you when you started your company, so when you take care of it like you would a fancy car or custom built home with regular commercial refrigeration service it provides you with a reliable solution for your cold storage needs.

Whether your refrigeration equipment is new or old, a good commercial refrigeration service company can provide you the maintenance needed to keep it in top working order.

Our fantastic commercial refrigeration customers…

This is the time of year that you hear, “I am thankful for…” What an important attribute, to be thankful, grateful and appreciative. Why do we save these words for this special time of year? – We should truly let it be known throughout the year!

Keeping in the tradition of this thankful season, we, at Sacramento Refrigeration would like to say, “We are thankful, grateful and appreciative for YOU!”

Thank you valued customers. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to service and install your refrigeration equipment and thank you for the fond business relationships that we have established with you over these many years.

Don’t hesitate to call us for any of your refrigeration maintenance or refrigeration installation needs…

Commercial Refrigeration Needs Maintenance All Year

Often times when the weather turns cold we start to think that our commercial refrigeration system is in some sort of “frigid hibernation” and won’t need to be looked at again until the weather turns warm next summer.

Actually, quite the opposite is true. Commercial refrigeration systems are set up with cold weather compensation controls. When these controls are operating correctly it helps the system run accurately while the temperatures outside drop below the temperature of the case.

In order to make sure that your commercial refrigeration system is energy efficient; your refrigeration equipment should have a yearly winter checkup, and allow things to really be cool in the cold!

Don’t just assume that your commercial refrigeration is running efficiently or more smoothly just because the ambient air temperature outside the unit is cooler in summer. This type of thinking may get you burned because your food and other perishables will spoil almost as quickly if your commercial refrigeration fails in the winter as compared to summer.

Think about the high demand for food and other perishables that occurs around the holidays. You don’t want your commercial refrigeration unit to be down when holiday shopping is at its peak. Keep your commercial refrigeration maintenance going year round by contracting a qualified company to handle scheduled maintenance.

You might be surprised at how economical your commercial refrigeration maintenance turns out to be. Most skilled technicians can find and service any problems and potential problems very quickly.

In the long run the cost of scheduled commercial refrigeration service will be much cheaper when compared to emergency service. Not only will the maintenance costs be lower for scheduled commercial refrigeration service, but you won’t lose potentially thousands of dollars in spoiled perishable goods when your commercial refrigeration unit suddenly fails.

Call Sacramento Refrigeration to discuss your commercial refrigeration maintenance requirements.

Global Warming And Commercial Refrigeration

The Global Warming Solutions Act, or AB-32, was signed into law in September 2006 by Governor Schwarzenegger as the linch-pin of his strategy to provide the state with a comprehensive program of regulatory and market based mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the state of California. A broad base of California’s businesses were affected by the law on January 1, 2010 because of the impact the law has on specific commercial refrigeration gases that have been categorized as greenhouse gases.

The Stationary Equipment Refrigerant Management Program covers all non-residential, fixed commercial refrigeration equipment and requires the reduction of refrigerant emissions from commercial refrigeration with high global warming potential. In other words, AB-32 limits the use of chlorofluorocarbons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and hydrofluorocarbons. While these substances were already regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the US Clean Air Act, the Refrigerant Management Program as it relates to commercial refrigeration expands their control within the state of California.

Commercial Refrigeration Compliance

Beginning January 1^st, 2011 all organizations within the state of California that have commercial refrigeration systems that use more than 50 pounds of high global warming refrigerant substances must be in compliance with the restrictions imposed by AB-32 and the Refrigerant Management Program. For most small businesses that have commercial refrigeration or cooling systems this won’t be an issue, but for larger organizations like supermarkets, grocery stores, food processors, warehouses and other cold storage facilities, and manufacturers that use industrial process commercial refrigeration they will most likely be affected.

All facilities (large and small) will be required on January 1^st, 2011 to initiate a leak detection, monitoring, and record keeping program for their commercial refrigeration systems. This means a continuous monitoring system must be in place that alerts the organization of a leak. The leak detection system can be a direct system that detects the presence of leaky commercial refrigeration systems or an indirect system that interprets measurements like temperature or pressure within the commercial refrigeration system. Both options require that the owner of the system contacts a certified technician when needed to fix the leak as soon as it is detected. As of January 1, 2011 all technicians involved in servicing facility equipment must be US EPA certified and must follow required service practices when determining root cause and fixing the leak in the commercial refrigeration.

Commercial Refrigeration Cost Savings Potential

Overall, the opportunity for controlling the emission of greenhouse gases from commercial refrigeration systems can present a cost saving opportunity to organizations that use them. It has been estimated that facilities that reduce their leakage of commercial refrigerants from 30% per year down to 10% can save approximately $2,200 per 1000 pounds of refrigerant per year. Additionally, the impact to the environment from this program will be a drastic reduction in the contribution of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere by California organizations that utilize commercial refrigeration systems.

To learn more about AB-32 and it’s impact on your commercial refrigeration system click here.

Contact Sacramento Refrigeration to learn more about AB-32 and your commercial refrigeration system or for any other service or installation requirements.

Tag Archives: commercial refrigeration

The Walk In Fridge