Where To Go Shopping For Coldroom Spares

Coldrooms and refrigeration have always been central to my business life and I continue with those business interests today - which is why I am posting a piece of coldroom news, hot off the press!

Quality coldrooms are built by specialists with extensive expertise and experience but, whilst those factors are key, so too is the quality of the components they use on the production line. Here in the UK there is a big need for such quality supplies and amongst the leaders in that field is Castel Engineering (Profiles) UK Limited, the company responsible for the UK marketing, sales and distribution of coldroom hardware manufactured by Castel Engineering BV.

If you are a builder or operator of coldrooms then you might want to take a look at the company's new website. You can browse through a wide range of information on coldroom spares and parts as well as panel accessories, door and wall frames.

The more specialized parts such as U-Channels, ceiling suspensions and bumper profiles are also covered in a separate section about coldroom construction.

If you are involved in catering or the medical sectors you will know the importance of having good
coldroom shelving and this is another dedicated section on the Castel UK website. There are three options of Optima shelving systems to choose from - coldroom rack shelving, mobile shelving and mobile hygienic trolleys - so you can be sure of getting exactly the right type of shelving system to suit your needs.

I have worked with many caterers over the years and know of the importance of hygiene (as evidenced here in this Food & Standards Agency management pack). Below is the 'hygienic tray on wheels' as I call it.

This is proving really popular in coldroom and catering areas. It also comes in different dimensions, so, once again, you can get somethig to suit your requirements.

So there you have it ... a place where you can get all your coldroom spares and specialist parts in one place, from one supplier.

Cold Room Installation For IBC Cold Storage

As mentioned in my last post I am no stranger to the cold room! Working in cold storage and refrigeration has taken me to many parts of the world and if you missed that last post then follow the link above to read about my 'cold room adventures' in more detail including some memorable photos taken over the years.

These days I spend most of my time talking to cold room customers about their requirements and calculating the optimum way in which they can build and operate a cold store. Sometimes, however, I am asked to get my hands dirty and supervise a cold room installation. Recently I did just that :)

If a cold room is a straight forward size and can be built from regular modular panels with a regular size door, shelving and basic refrigeration plant, then most people can buy what many now call a cold room kit - ie. a package of modular panels, regular door, basic shelving and monoblock refrigeration which they can collect from our premises in Dunstable and install themselves on site. If this applies to you, you might want to check out our special walk in cold room package offer currently available.

Sometimes a customer has a special requirement with certain elements of the cold room design having to be a bespoke supply. The recent cold room installation that I got involved with is a good example. The client is involved in the chemicals industry and needed special storage for IBCs (bulk containers) containing chemicals. The size of the containers meant that a standard cold room door would not be wide enough for the loading and removal of the chemicals when necessary. So I got involved and put together a package that I knew would readily fulfil all their requirements.

Cold room photographed after installation showing the special size door

One other special feature about the storage facility required was the aspect of safe storage temperatures that had to be accommodated. You can read more about the detail of this bespoke supply by visiting this cold room installation post on our company's main blog which covers all things relating to refrigeration and sandwich panels.

No Stranger To The Cold Room

As I look back on this year I realize just how much time I spend talking about cold rooms and refrigeration systems. I talk about them in the office, on the phone, in emails, on Skype and even when I'm travelling. To be honest I cannot think of many days this year when the subject of cold storage has not featured in my life!

This was brought home to me when I looked at photographs I've taken over the last 12 months. My cold room travels have taken me from good old Dunstable to Europe (Belgium, Italy, Spain, Bavaria), the Caribbean (Curacao), the Far East (Hong Kong) and even to New Zealand.

In Belgium the subject was cold room panels, doors and shelving. In Italy I met with olive oil producers keen to talk about temperature controlled storage for their olive oil. In Spain and Bavaria it was refrigeration systems discussions involving our good friends at Intarcon. In the Caribbean it was because of my involvement in 2 projects: construction of a test chamber for a pharmaceutical company and the supply of modular panels and other equipment for a new modular housing development on the island of Curacao. So the list goes on.

Today I'm going to share with you a few of the photos from those travels. Once you've seen them I hope you will agree that there's nothing at all dull or unexciting about being a cold room storage expert :)

Controlled environment project in the Caribbean

Downtown Hong Kong

Cute sleepy seal in New Zealand

Old olive tree in Italy

Walk In Cold Room - How To Get A Great Deal

Over the years I have seen all types of walk in cold room and by that I mean in type and size.

For example, there is the small walk in chiller which is used by many caterers, bakers and butchers. Florists also use this type of cold room to keep their flowers fresh. Control of temperature for storage is paramount for them - no flowers, no business! The same applies to laboratory cold storage needs. If a laboratory doesn't store its samples etc correctly, it cannot perform its job accurately.

Then there is the small walk in freezer popular with many fast food chains (pizza and burger outlets) as well as restaurants and, again, butchers and bakers.

I have personally been involved in the supply and installation of countless walk in cold rooms and not just in the UK but many countries. Usually the installation work is only required for large cold room and bespoke design projects .... and that suits me just fine.

The truth is that installations take up a lot of time, often not just before and during the installation but also afterwards. Also, many cold room operators have on-site staff sufficiently capable of carrying out the installation themselves, especially if it's a modular assembly cold room. Providing all appropriate health and safety rules are observed, it should be a fairly straight forward process to assemble and install a modular cold room.

This is why so many end-users and contractors opt for modular assembly when it comes to walk in chillers and freezers. It makes sense all round. For any end-users or contractors looking for a good, quality walk in cold room package here is the good news ..... I just bookmarked a special offer (see link) of a quality, modular assembly cold room that comes with refrigeration and shelving and instructions for self-assembly. How long the offer will last who knows but it certainly looks a great option.

Just imagine, you need a new cold room (whether chiller or freezer doesn't matter) and you find one with size and specification options that suit you AND that includes monoblock refrigeration and some shelving. It's easy to assemble and comes from a reputable UK supplier. Job done :)