A cool room, meaning a walk-in refrigerator or freezer, is often needed for restaurants and diners, but this feature can also be a good choice for convenience stores that sell pre-packaged food items and for offices that have mechanical items that need to stay cool, including oversized computer servers. Cool rooms can be built in virtually any area, even being installed outside the business. If you're thinking of having a cool room installation performed at your location, note a few mistakes to avoid and features you'll want to ensure you include, so you know your cool room will work as needed for your business.
Doors
Don't overlook the choices you have for the actual doors of a cool room, as these can affect its overall cost of operation. Self-closing doors, as the name implies, ensures that doors don't stay open unnecessarily, so you're not spending money on wasted cooling. Rebated doors close flush with the wall panels of the cool room, and these also add to the room's overall insulation so that less cool air escapes. Rebated doors are also more difficult to pry open, so they can reduce the risk of theft of the items you're storing in the cool room. This is an important consideration for any business, but especially if you're having the cool room installed outside your location, where the risk of theft might be increased.
Ramp
Don't overlook the "lip" that is common with many cool room entryways, as this lip helps to seal the door shut and keep in that cool air; however, this lip can also cause a tripping hazard, and especially if your arms are full of inventory and you can't actually see the entryway! If you often use a hand dolly when loading or unloading items, that lip over the doorway can also mean an increased risk of spilling those items. Consider investing in a small ramp at the doorway to reduce this risk and to make it easier to wheel hand carts in and out of the cool room.
Colour
Many cool rooms are a standard white, but this can mean more visible grime, grease, dirty fingerprints, and the like. This can be very unsightly, especially for customers who may be able to see the cool room from a dining area. Rather than choosing a basic white, opt for a darker colour for your cool room so that it hides all those unsightly marks and so that it blends more readily with your kitchen or other such areas.
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