Why Buy Used?

There are several benefits to buying a used walk in cooler. Not only do you save a significant amount of many as compared to a brand new model, you may also be able to get higher end features in a used model that you would have not been able to afford in a brand new unit. The downsides of buying used are that your selection may be somewhat limited, however, with more and more companies beginning to join in the used equipment market, they may not be as limited as they once were. Many companies are even taking equipment returned to them under warranty issues, refurbishing them, and reselling them at a significant markdown. There are also several companies that offer warranties on their used models which are comparable to those given with new equipment. Even if you are not looking for a cost savings, you may be able to upgrade to a larger model, or even one with more advanced features, if you decide to buy used instead of new.

What Should I Look For In A Used Walk In Cooler?

One of the main things to consider when buying used is the age of the unit. While older models are significantly cheaper, they may include mechanics that are no longer being used and, therefore, difficult to find replacement parts for. An older unit also has a shorter expected lifespan than one that has only been used for a shorter period of time. While you don't necessarily need one less than one or two years old, it may not be a wise choice to buy a twenty year old unit either. You should also take into account what type of warranty comes with the unit and compare that to the expected lifespan you expect to receive from the equipment.

You should also make sure that you are buying your used unit from a reputable dealer. Many larger name distributors take the time to ensure the used pieces they are selling are in proper working order and no major mechanical malfunctions should be expected in the near future. It is also helpful to buy from a dealer willing to disclose exactly how the merchandise was acquired, as well as what type of environment it was used in previously. While this may not seem relevant, it can give you a better idea of what sort of wear and tear the equipment has been subjected to in the past.

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What Do I Need A Commercial Walk In Cooler For?

One of the primarily driving factors behind the best model of cooler to suit your needs is precisely that, what you needs are. The intended use for the cooler will be used to answer a number of design and style choices during the selection process.

If you own a small restaurant and are looking for a cooler to store a few days worth of perishable items at a time, a small walk in cooler with shelves on either side will suffice. Larger restaurants, on the other hand, will not only need to store a larger quantity of items, they will potentially need to store them for longer periods of time. In this case, a significantly larger unit should be considered. As you can see, the most important questions are how much food do you have to store and how long do you typically need it stored for. This will help best determine the volume of space you need in your cooler. More importantly, you also need to take into account how much space you have available to house the cooler. Even if you would ideally need a large volume cooler, if you only have space for a smaller volume unit then your options may be limited to such.

For retail establishments, the size of the walk in cooler is determined primarily be available floor space. Since product selection is typically determined by the size of the cooler and not the other way around, open floor space typically governs what size the cooler will be.

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What Is A Walk In Cooler?

A walk in cooler is a large refrigerated unit, primarily found in retail and restaurant environments. They are designed to work just as your home refrigerator does, keeping the internal environment at a set temperature, designed to be optimal for the products stored within it. Some coolers have dual sections designed to cool foods on one side and keep them frozen on the other, similar to a home refrigerator/freezer unit. Others are simply designed for only one task or the other. They can vary in size from small walk in units, ideal for smaller restaurants, to extremely large units, as seen in grocery stores or food packing warehouses.

How Do Walk In Coolers Work?

With your home refrigerator/freezer unit, the temperature for the refrigerator is maintained by cold air being blown through the freezer unit and into the refrigerator. Therefore, there is no active refrigeration mechanism with the refrigerator itself. For walk in coolers, the cooling method is very different. Closer to an air conditioner in nature, a walk in cooler uses an external condenser unit to create cold air which is then blown into the cooler unit. The cold air, in turn reduces the overall temperature of the unit. The warmer air is then pulled back into the condenser to allow its temperature to be adjusted downwards.

Just as your home's A/C unit operates, the walk in cooler contains a thermostat that determines the ideal temperature the interior of the unit must be kept at. The thermostat will typically operate within a range both a few degrees higher than the set temperature, as well as a few degrees lower. Once either extreme is reached, the unit will cycle on or off accordingly to adjust the temperature back to the ideal readings. This is extremely important in locations such as grocery stores, where the doors to the unit are constantly being open and closed, affecting the internal temperature of the unit.

One of the key factors with a walk in coolers efficiency levels is the amount of insulation it has built into it. Because these units are so much larger than a typical home cooling unit, the amount of insulation has to be proportionately larger as well. Most walk in coolers contain several inches of some type of styrofoam insulation, designed to better maintain the temperature inside the cooler. The exterior of the units are typically made of aluminum, or some other type of metal, designed to further help keep the unit insulated.

What Are Walk In Coolers Used For?

If you have ever shopped at a convenience store, the long rows of glass doors protecting the sodas, beer, and other cold items, are simply the front facings of a large walk in cooler. There is an open space behind the rows of products that allow employees to stock the shelves from the rear, keeping newer products towards the back and older ones up front for quicker sale.

In restaurants, there are large walk in coolers used to store items requiring storage at lower temperatures. These include products such as milk, cheese, butter, meats, poultry, and other temperature sensitive food products. Unlike the coolers in a retail environment, the walk in coolers used n food establishments do not require glass access doors and resemble a large metal boxed room more than anything else.

In food processing plants, walk in coolers are used to keep items such as large cuts of meat, or even whole animal carcasses, frozen. They can also be used to store large quantities of products being held ready for shipment to local stores, such as cheeses or other dairy products. To some extent, the trucks and trailers used to transport these items from the plant to the store can be considered a type of walk in cooler as well, primarily since they are also required to be refrigerated in order to maintain low temperatures during transport.

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