This is how you avoid ice and frost build-up in refrigerators and freezers

Cold and Freezer Rooms Frosting Over, Ice Spots on the Floor Making Forklift Driving Dangerous, and Spoiled Goods – Does This Sound Familiar?

Many people don’t realize that this common problem can be solved.

Yes, the problem is actually so common that it’s taken for granted. It becomes routine to occasionally halt operations to defrost and to warn about ice spots instead of eliminating them for good.

• All of this is due to warm air entering the chilled spaces when doors are opened and closed. Even if it involves huge spaces, like in a logistics center or a food manufacturer, the principle is the same as in our homes with freezers frosting over, says Magnus Andrae, Sales Manager at Seibu Giken DST.

Attack the Problem from the Outside

The warm air coming in is also humid, which is where the problem starts. This is why the issues worsen during warm and humid summer days. The entrance to the cold or freezer room is a source of air intake, but there can also be conveyor belts where warm air can flow in and cause ice formation.

The incoming air makes it harder and more expensive to maintain a consistent and low temperature in the room. If the photo cells get frosty, the whole machinery must be stopped for defrosting and cleaning, halting production. Besides the risk of spoiling goods in the space, you also risk reduced profitability due to production stops.

• You have to open and close the freezer door. Therefore, it’s crucial to ensure that the air inevitably coming in is dry, says Magnus Andrae.

Saving Energy and Money

Magnus Andrae points to the core of the problem. Food must go in and out one way or another, whether on pallets with a forklift or via a conveyor belt.

• This is where we think differently from many others who install dehumidifiers in the freezer room where it might be -25°C. What we want to do is remove the moisture with sorption dehumidifiers directly adjacent to the same room. It should be dehumidified and fresh there, he says and continues:
• There’s so much to gain by thinking this way. When air full of steam enters a freezer room and turns to ice, the cooling machine has to work very hard. Removing the moisture from the incoming air saves energy – and money.

Much to Gain

There’s a lot to gain from tackling ice buildup and frosting.

• First, there’s the energy issue. Our dehumidifiers are energy efficient, but if the cooling machines in the room have to work harder than necessary, it requires extra energy. Then there’s everything around it, food that might have to be thrown away, and damage to the facility itself. Numerous doors have been broken due to icy conditions, concludes Magnus Andrae.

Facts/Seibu Giken DST

By consistently producing high-quality sorption dehumidifiers, Seibu Giken DST has established itself worldwide as a premium manufacturer.

With DST’s dehumidifiers in and outside cold and freezer rooms, you can:

• Avoid ice and frost buildup.
• Maintain a constant temperature.
• Improve hygiene.