Brian’s Industrial Supply Blog

Posted on: 26 June 2017

An efficient and powerful cold room is a vital piece of equipment for many industrial businesses and processes, keeping volatile and perishable chemicals and substances safely chilled and ready for use. As such, keeping your industrial facility's cold room(s) in proper working order is equally vital—after all, a cold room that isn't cold is just a small, expensive room.

However, if your cold room isn't chilling products as it should be, you shouldn't just tear it out and install a new one. In many cases, cooling problems inside your cold room are caused by relatively simple mechanical faults which can be swiftly and thoroughly repaired by cold room service specialists. Here are some of the most common symptoms of a malfunctioning cooling system in a cold room, along with ways the problem can be repaired:

Condensation on walls

If high temperatures in your cold room are accompanied by extensive condensation on the room's interior walls, you may well be dealing with failed cold room insulation. A common problem for aging cold rooms with many years of service behind them, this problem is caused by warm air hitting cold walls and can generally be fixed by having cold room services install new, modern insulation in your cold room walls.

This will entail keeping the cold room powered down for the duration of the insulation fitting, so be sure to have backup systems in place to keep any perishable substances properly chilled. Cold room service experts will also be able to advise you on other ways to cool the air in your room until it matches the temperature of your walls, such as reorganising shelving for better air flow.

Condensation on ceilings

The ceilings of cold rooms are insulated in much the same way as the walls are, and excessive temperatures alongside a dripping ceiling can indicate that cold air is escaping your room via failed ceiling insulation.

However, installing new insulation in your ceiling may not be enough to fix the problem—since warm air rises while cold air falls, any rooms or attic spaces above your cold room also play an important part in keeping it well insulated. If installing new ceiling insulation does not fix your cooling problems, have cold room experts inspect any spaces above your cold room to ensure that leaks aren't depriving the room beneath of vital insulation.

Rapid fluctuation of temperatures

Many malfunctioning cold rooms are still capable of limited cooling, but cannot hold air temperatures at a consistently cool level. Internal temperatures that fluctuate up and down in this way are often caused by malfunctioning or failed thermostats, the devices that activate and deactivate the cooling coils of your cold room as and when they are required.

This problem is thankfully fairly easy to fix, and having your failed thermostat(s) replaced will solve most cases of fluctuating temperatures. However, you should also rule out other, rarer potential causes of temperature fluctuation, such as refrigerant leaks and failed door gaskets. Having the thermostats replaced professionally will allow you to have these vital components inspected at the same time, and cold room professionals will also be able to advise you on the best replacement thermostats for your particular model of cold room.