Your fridge is always running, as such it isn’t the most environmental or economical piece of catering equipment in your kitchen. With this in mind Alliance have recently taken on FiltaSeal’s fridge seal replacements in an attempt to help kitchens make their fridges more eco-friendly and less costly.
You may be thinking why we would be looking at offering refrigerator seals, my fridge at home has never had any issues with the seal. And in this regard, you would probably be right. But with anything when you scale up its usage from domestic to commercial, a more high-grade and well wearing option is needed. The seal around a fridge is one such area that chefs sometimes overlook.
A fridge is opened continuously, everyday especially during prep and service periods meaning the seal can wear quicker than other areas. This may go unnoticed as the deterioration may not show in an obvious area causing it to go undetected. This becomes an issue as any break in the air tight barrier the seal forms means cold air can escape and hot air can get in, as a result your fridge (and its internal cooling system) starts working harder to keep the internal temperature not only cold but also stable.
In turn, the fridge starts using more energy to maintain its conditioning causing your bills to increase. Naturally a less well used appliance may not begin to show immediate expenditure following the breakdown of a seal but a piece of equipment such as a fridge will start to show instantly on your bottom line.
But now we have assessed the potential issue, how do you as a chef / kitchen manager recognise this problem when it arises?
A key symptom your fridge is beginning to work overtime is if the appliance is starting to run hot (the exterior of the machine next where the mechanics and cooling system is housed is hot to the touch). This implies the refrigerator is beginning to use more energy and effort than is normally necessary to maintain its pre-set temperature.
Naturally, there could be other issues on a mechanical level but where a fridge is concerned this can be a tell-tale sign that the seals have faded and are no longer keeping the cool air inside.
If after a closer inspection you notice your seal is compromised, you’ll probably wonder what is the best thing to do next? If you have discovered a broken seal call us and ask to speak to our Capital Equipment team, they can best advise what seal you are should be looking to order and help you with questions regarding fitting a new seal. The seals we are offering are from FiltaSeal, a company who specialise in fridge seals with a point of making your kitchen more environmentally friendly helping you achieve your green goals whilst also benefitting your economic expenditure too.
