How to choose a cold room door?

Various industries require a temperature-controlled environment to store their products/materials. High-speed doors like Cold room doors and freezer doors are the answer to the problem of storage of perishable goods at the appropriate temperature. These doors must have intuitive designs to cater to the industries. A lot of innovation and engineering design is transforming the door automation industry. In this blog, we will talk about cold room doors and how to choose them.

What is a Cold Room?

A cold room is a storage facility that can be a walk-in cold storage room or warehouse. Commonly stored products in a cold room are vegetables, fruits, flowers, beverages, medicines, meat, other fresh food, and pharmaceuticals. Cold rooms are an integral part of various industries like food, drinks, pharmaceutical, medical, IT, horticulture, and agriculture. Cold rooms are also present in businesses such as hotels, restaurants, delis, supermarkets, warehouses, etc.

Figure 1: Picture of cold room door

Why are Cold room doors so important?

The chief purpose of cold rooms is thermal insulation of the doorway through which the products are loaded and unloaded. Cold room doors must withstand harsh temperature conditions. The average temperature of a cold room is from -2 to 5 ℃. Based on the materials stored in a cold room, the temperature varies. The storage of local vegetables and fruits in a cold room is at 0 ℃, while frozen foods at below zero degrees. The storage of subtropical fruits is at 5-15 ℃. Cold room doors play a major role in maintaining the temperature inside the cold room. The doors should be energy efficient and not have “thermal bridges”. The design of cold room doors gives safe access to personnel working in warehouses and research facilities. An insulating material is used in the doors to maintain the correct cooling system and prevent fluctuation of temperature in the facility. Industries such as food and medicines need these cold rooms to function efficiently so that their products are not damaged. Hence, these doors are essential as they have to meet high hygiene standards, safety requirements and are easily maintained.

How are Freezer Doors different than Cold Room Doors?

Freezer doors are similar to cold room doors, with a slight difference between them. Let us first understand the meaning of a freezer. A freezer is an insulated room where the temperature maintenance is below freezing. The materials and products are kept in a freezer for long periods. The products and materials stored in the freezer are in negative temperature, usually -25 to -40 ℃. The freezer door is an energy-saving automatic sliding door that lessens the loss of cold air. It is a refrigeration chamber that slows any chemical and biological processes in food, medicines, etc. It controls any deterioration of products that may affect their quality and cause economic loss to the owners.

Figure 2: Picture of Freezer Door

Cold room doors and freezer doors are high-speed doors. These doors prevent the formation of ice on the panels and ensure reduced heat loss. These high-speed doors are energy efficient and provide a long service life. They save energy by minimizing the amount of air that may escape the room each time the door opens or closes. NIHVA specializes in customized cold room doors and freezer doors at the best prices for all types of industrial applications.

How to choose the cold room door that best suits your needs?

Many technical characteristics have to be taken into account when selecting the correct type of cold room door. These technical characteristics are:

• Degree of Insulation – Doors must have the desired Insulation thickness to maintain the required temperature inside the cold room.
• Door Dimensions – Cold room doors need to perfectly seal and insulate the cold rooms and refrigeration chambers in industries.
• Material Quality – The accessories of the doors need to be genuine, durable, and robust. Heavy-duty hinges, handles, locks, etc., are some of the accessories that should meet the ISO quality standards.
• Operation – The door should operate at varying degrees of temperature without compromising performance. Automatic cold room doors can be remotely operated or at the touch of a button.
• Maintenance – Doors should be easy to maintain in terms of mechanical parts as well as hygiene.
• Footprint and Design – The door should seamlessly fit in the building without consuming valuable space. It should also be aesthetically designed to match building architecture.
• Compliance – High-speed cold room doors should be certified by ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 Quality management systems. The doors should be compliant with the good manufacturing practices (GMP), as set by the regulatory authorities.

1. Type, Size and Weight of Material

Figure 3: Key Features for the Best a Cold Room Door

Conclusion

Essentially, choosing the right type of cold room door depends on its usage in the facility. NIHVA uses the latest technology with high-quality materials to cater to the customer’s cold room requirements. Cold room doors need to be reliable and energy-efficient to store the products and materials at controlled temperatures. NIHVA provides the best innovative automatic door solutions for cold rooms and freezers. NIHVA’s team gives the best after-sales support to its customers