[Commercial use] Thoroughly investigate the cause of frost forming in the freezer! How to prevent frost formation?

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes 10 seconds

Are you suffering from severe frost in your freezer?

Frost inside the refrigerator reduces cooling capacity. In addition, the reduction in cooling capacity causes negative effects such as longer freezing times and increased electricity costs.

Frost is a very troublesome enemy for those who use freezers for commercial purposes.

We will explain the causes of frost and then introduce measures to prevent frost from forming.

Read this article and achieve clean freezing without worrying about frost!

Causes of frost

Freezer mechanism and frost

First, I will explain how the freezer works and how frost forms.

The inside of a cooler is mainly made up of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve (or capillary tube), and an evaporator.
Refrigerant gases such as freon and ammonia circulate through these engines.

Let's take a look at a more detailed explanation.

The gaseous refrigerant is first compressed in a compressor. At this time, the refrigerant gas is compressed and becomes high temperature and pressure, but then it passes through a "condenser" and turns into a liquid.

The refrigerant then flows into the "expansion valve" and the pressure drops rapidly. Lower pressure lowers the boiling point, making it easier to evaporate.

Finally, the ``evaporator'' vaporizes this refrigerant. When a liquid changes into a gas, it requires heat, so the refrigerant that is vaporized in the evaporator absorbs a lot of heat from the surrounding air.

This "heat of vaporization" is used to cool the surrounding air.

The cooled air is blown into the refrigerator by a fan, and then acts on the food to remove heat from it.

The air that has removed the heat from the food reaches the "compressor" again and circulates inside the refrigerator using the steps described above.
This cycle is what makes a freezer work.

Also, the "frost" that is the subject of this article is very often found in the refrigerator near the cooling device and on the fan that blows air into the refrigerator.

When hot air comes into contact with a cold cooler, the temperature difference causes the water vapor in the air to become saturated, forming frost.
It's the same principle as condensation.

For this reason, when the temperature inside the refrigerator rises due to food being added, etc., there will be a temperature difference between the cooler or fan and the temperature inside the refrigerator, causing frost to form.

Cause of frost

Frost is caused by temperature differences, but I will list specifically what causes temperature differences.
First, let's look at the causes of frost caused by outside air entering.

-Opening the door frequently or for long periods of time
・There is a problem with the door gasket.
・The door is malfunctioning.
・Outside air is entering from the drain.
・There is a malfunction or malfunction in the air pressure adjustment valve, and outside air is intruding.

When the above phenomenon occurs, air that is hotter and more humid than the temperature inside the refrigerator enters the refrigerator and is cooled, causing frost.

Effects of frost

Decrease in cooling capacity

If frost forms near the cooler, cooling capacity will decrease.

As explained above, freezers use a mechanism that blows cooled air into the refrigerator, but frost builds up near the cooler, narrowing the path for the cold air.

When the road narrows, the wind power decreases.

In addition, if the surface of the evaporator is covered with frost, the cooling efficiency will deteriorate because the air will no longer come into direct contact with it to cool it down.

As a result, cooling capacity decreases when frost forms.

Increase in electricity bill

When defrost operation is performed due to frost formation, the electricity bill increases accordingly.

The temperature inside the refrigerator rises while the defrost operation is in progress, so the temperature inside the refrigerator must be lowered again after the defrost operation is complete.

The power required to lower the temperature is greater than that required to maintain the temperature.

Therefore, if the defrost operation is performed frequently, the temperature inside the refrigerator will fluctuate frequently, which increases electricity consumption.

Deterioration of the environment inside the warehouse

If frost forms inside the refrigerator, it will have a negative effect on the food inside the refrigerator.

Frost can damage the food packaging, and if the frost grows large it can reduce the space inside the refrigerator.
It is important to keep the inside of the cabinet clean and free of frost.

Time-consuming defrosting work

It would be nice if the machine could completely defrost the product, but defrosting may not be possible due to mechanical malfunction or an older model of the freezer.

In this case, you will have to remove the frost by hand, but it is very difficult to remove hardened frost, and if you try to remove it forcibly, it may damage the machine or cause injury.

In addition, in large tunnel freezers, etc., it may be necessary to manually sprinkle water to melt the frost rather than using a mechanical defrost operation.

Not only is it labor-intensive, but it also requires a lot of water to defrost, which means additional water bills.

Measures against frost

These are harmful frosts, but how can we prevent them from occurring?

Invent ways to preserve food

First of all, avoid packing too much food.

If you pack too much food, the air circulation inside the refrigerator will be poor. Also, if there is too much food, the temperature inside the refrigerator will rise, creating a temperature difference between the cooler and the inside of the refrigerator.

As explained above, temperature differences can cause frost formation, so it is necessary to organize the inside of the refrigerator and dispose of unnecessary food.

Also, it is of course prohibited to put hot food such as freshly cooked food into the refrigerator.

avoid exposure to outside air

The next thing to be careful about is to minimize contact with the outside air as much as possible.

When using the freezer, be aware of things like closing the door as soon as possible and opening the door less frequently to prevent frost formation.

Also, if the door gasket is damaged, outside air may get into the cabinet through the gap.
It is also important to check the machine thoroughly for any malfunctions or defects.

Consider the location of the freezer

Surprisingly, the location of the freezer tends to be a blind spot.

If you install it in a place with high outside temperature and humidity, such as outdoors or next to cooking equipment, it will create an environment where frost is likely to form.

Choose a location where the freezer will be installed that is dry and does not get too hot.

Lastly, we will introduce a special freezer that uses a principle that prevents frost from forming in the first place.

A must-see for anyone who uses a freezer for business purposes, such as processing companies, farmers, and restaurants.

Introduction to frost-resistant refrigerators

brine refrigerator

A brine refrigerator is a type of commercial refrigerator that freezes food by directly immersing it in a liquid such as ammonia or alcohol that has been cooled to a minus temperature range.

⇒⇒ [Is it different from a brine freezer?] Principle of a brine freezer
⇒⇒ A comprehensive summary of liquid freezers' prices and features!

Frost occurs when the heat is removed from the food and the air, which has become high in humidity and temperature, is cooled, but with brine refrigerators, food is cooled with liquid rather than air, so no frost occurs. .

Since no frost occurs, you can continue operating without defrosting.

It also has a variety of other advantages, such as the high thermal conductivity of liquids, which allows it to freeze quickly, and the fact that it freezes in packs, making it suitable for freezing soups, drinks, etc.

ARTLOCK Freezer

Artlock Freezer is a commercial rapid freezing that uses a principle that prevents frost from forming.

Adopts a new structure that makes it difficult for defrost to occur during working hours. Defrosting, which is normally required once every 2 to 3 hours, is no longer necessary, and continuous operation is now possible.

This has the effect of reducing labor costs and increasing production efficiency, resulting in significant cost reductions.

Conclusion

We have introduced details on the causes and damage caused by frost in the freezer, as well as countermeasures.

In order to avoid various negative effects, it is important to consider the principles of the refrigerator and be conscious of preventing frost from forming.

If you are having trouble with frost, please try the above steps as ideal freezing will be possible if you can suppress frost.