What is a Walk-in Cooler?

One of the most interesting reactions we get or one of the questions we always hear being asked is what exactly a Walk-in cooler is? For us who work in the industry, that question almost knocks us out of our chairs! Unlike the latest smartphone, there really isn’t any information out there to educate people on what exactly a Walk-in cooler is. That’s why we here at Commercial Cooling want to take some time to answer this question.

A Walk-in cooler is basically a large scale refrigerator – similar to what you have at home – except you can walk into this one! Every restaurant and fast food chain has a Walk-in cooler and it’s where they store all their refrigerated foods. Unlike a residential refrigerator though, a Walk-in cooler has a lot stronger refrigeration system that allows them to keep their food stored at optimal temperatures in order to meet certain FDA standards and to ensure that it passes local safety and food handling codes.

Businesses from a wide variety of market segments use Walk-in coolers from Floral Boutiques to Breweries to Medical Research Facilities. Walk-in boxes come in all shapes and sizes and depending on the business’s needs, a Walk-in box can come with a lot of unique add-ons and accessories such as thermometers and temperature alarms that monitor temperature inside the box. If a business needs more than just a Walk-in Cooler, they can order a Walk-in Freezer or a Walk-in Combo Box which features to sections inside the box, one cooler and one freezer section.

Walk-ins are constructed using panels (Shown Below). Walk-in Box panels easily lock into place via cam lock and can be installed right over most flooring’s (though you can purchase a Walk-in Box floor separately).

A typical Walk-in Box can range anywhere from thousands of dollars to tens of thousands of dollars depending on many factors such as size, horsepower of Refrigeration unit, add-ons, panel thickness, location (indoor and outdoor) etc.

We want to hear from you, what are some questions you might have regarding Walk-in Boxes? Leave your question in the comments below, or ask on our social media pages using the #WalkinBoxTalk. Should you need a more thorough explanation, have additional questions, or want a quote on a Walk-in box, please contact us! We would love to hear from you!