Guide to commercial refrigerators

When investing in a commercial refrigerator or freezer, there are some things you need to be aware of. Industrial refrigerators come in different sizes, and they generally cover your day-to-day needs, but if you need to cool or freeze your goods over a longer period of time in large quantities, you should invest in a cold room or freezer that consists of insulated modules that can be delivered in standard sizes or customized on site.

What is the purpose?

If you are cooling chocolate, it requires a cabinet with a relatively high temperature and the ability to adjust the humidity.

If you need to cool or freeze bakery products, you should choose a cabinet for this format. Here, the cabinet will either be made with runners for 40 x 60 plates or for the Danish 46 x 61 cm plates. If you need to store food, you can advantageously choose a cabinet with shelves in the dimensions GN 2/1, i.e. what we commonly call double gastronorm. Here you can have two GN 1/1 trays standing next to each other. This way you save time by not having to repack the goods.

If you need to cool or freeze something that has been freshly cooked, it is necessary to use a blast chiller first before putting it in the fridge. To reduce bacterial growth, the temperature needs to be lowered from +65 degrees to +10 degrees in less than two hours, and only a blast chiller can do that.

Ventilated fridge or freezer

A model with a ventilated refrigerator or freezer provides a more uniform temperature than a model with a static refrigerator, and this is certainly an advantage for food products where there are strict temperature regulations. The door is opened many times during a working day, and therefore it is important that the cabinets function optimally during peak loads.

How much can you save on electricity consumption?

A refrigerator and freezer is switched on 24/7. Therefore, it is worth looking at the power consumption - especially in the freezer. You can save a lot of money by choosing a cabinet with a lower power consumption. The consumption stated in the product description is the maximum consumption and the majority of refrigerators have been tested and have had their daily consumption measured under realistic conditions. Often the cheapest cabinet will be the most expensive over time, and therefore you need to calculate the lifetime costs of the cabinet (we can also help you with this). This means that an expensive cabinet like GRAM will often be a better investment, as it will not take many years for it to pay for itself in saved electricity costs.

How much noise does a fridge/freezer make?

Normally, a commercial refrigerator/freezer emits between 40 and 55 decibels on the noise scale. They can fluctuate a lot and therefore we always recommend that you choose one at the low end of the scale. For example, a difference of 3 decibels will be perceived as a noticeable difference. In comparison, refrigerators for private use are around 38 to 40 decibels. If you open and close a cabinet a lot during one day, it can make a little noise to get back to temperature and the same when it raises the temperature when defrosting. It does this as needed. If you fill a new cabinet with goods before it has had time to cool down, it will also make noise. If it is not level because the floor/table is crooked, it can also give off some audible vibrations.

Reversible door

As standard, the door is right-hung and opens to the right. On most cabinets, the door can be reversed. It can be a good idea to reverse the door for reasons of space, or if you need two freestanding cabinets to stand next to each other. You can do it yourself, but it requires two people. That's why many of our customers choose to let us do it. It costs DKK 498 excl. VAT per cabinet.

Check the climate class

Unless otherwise stated, the cabinets have been tested for Danish conditions with an ambient temperature of 25°C and a humidity of 60. If the conditions where the cabinet will be installed are different, you should choose a cabinet with a climate class 4 (30 degrees) or SN (10-32 degrees), N (16-32 degrees) or ST (18-38 degrees). In this case, you should contact us in advance to get the right guidance.

Automatic defrosting

If you are choosing a freezer, you may want to choose a model with automatic defrosting or no frost , so you don't have to defrost it.

A model with stainless steel

A model made of stainless steel will last longer and may be worth the extra money you pay for it. Using steel care products can keep it looking nice and shiny.

Digital temperature display

If you are going to cool food for sale or processing, it is an advantage to choose a cabinet with a digital temperature display. This saves you time compared to registering during self-checks. An electronic control also makes it easier to set the right temperature (from the factory it will be 5 degrees on a refrigerator) as a deviation of -1 degree can be noticeable on the electricity bill.

Choose a model with temperature alarm

If you are cooling or freezing expensive ingredients or foods, it may be an advantage to choose a cabinet with an alarm. It will emit an acoustic sound if there is a temperature fluctuation, power failure or if the door is not closed. If you choose a cabinet with this function, you can also turn it off again.

With or without glass door

Some customers prefer a refrigerator with a glass door. This is also a nice solution because they can see what is in the cabinet without having to open the door. However, this solution is somewhat more expensive in terms of electricity consumption.

Consider the location before purchasing

Place the cabinet in the right place in the kitchen. Avoid placing refrigeration appliances near hobs, dishwashers or other heat-emitting appliances. This causes the refrigerator/freezer to work at high pressure to maintain the right temperature. You should also avoid placing it in direct sunlight and ensure that air can circulate freely in the cabinet.

Consider the accessory options available

If you have to take heavy items in and out of the cupboard several times during the day, you may want a model with a foot pedal . This allows you to open the door with your foot and have both hands free. This makes for an easier working day.

Consider a model with the option of wheels . It may be a good idea to have wheels installed for cleaning behind the cabinet, especially when you have to clean the condenser at the back once or twice a quarter.

You can choose a model with a lock if it is going to be in a public place. You can consider whether you should have a model with a self-closing door. This means that it is in a position below 90 degrees, so that it closes itself. This can be an advantage if you do not always have one hand free.

Delivery of refrigerators and freezers

Delivery is to the curb! You have to carry it in and unpack it yourself. Just remember to take into account the doorway and that it can physically fit in. If you want two men to carry a cabinet in, we can offer it for a price of between DKK 1,200 and DKK 1,995 excl. VAT. If it is a smaller single cabinet and there are no stairs, it can sometimes be done for DKK 495 excl. VAT. But in both cases, it requires that we measure the door and see pictures of the door and any stairs.

We can offer to have the driver call 30 - 60 minutes before he arrives with the goods if you are not always in the store or it is a new opening.

We can take your old cabinet with us.

If you want the driver to take your used cabinet back to the scrapyard, we can often offer this for an additional price of DKK 395 excl. VAT. It just requires that you empty the cabinet and place it out at street level so that the driver can quickly and easily load the cabinet.

Warranty and service on display refrigerators

Should something happen to the cabinet, you are covered by the statutory warranty of 1 year. On some cabinets for even longer. There are a large number of service vehicles that service the cabinets throughout the country. They have spare parts in the back of the vehicle and ensure that you can quickly get back to work with the cabinet.