Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrideration

Grocery Store Basic Situation

When your customers arrive at a grocery store they are expecting only the best produce, dairy and meat in the region. It is an expectation that comes with great responsibility. In order to deliver the best food around, you must keep it at the appropriate temperature to avoid spoiling, rotting and food poisoning. That’s why it is critical to purchase the right industrial refrigeration system and maintain that equipment on a a consistent basis. In our series, Keeping Fresh, we take a closer look at the refrigeration options available to locally owned and operated grocery stores. We’ll also explore how to find the right certified refrigeration repair technician.

Industrial Refrigeration

Keeping food fresh and storing at the proper temperature is a big job for a grocery store. You’re livelihood depends greatly on the quality and selection of your produce and other food items. The slightest variation in degree,will drastically change the taste and texture of most refrigerated foods. This is why you need to buy the best industrial refrigeration system money can buy. When it comes to grocery store refrigeration, you typically have two types of models you can choose from: Manual and automatic cooling systems. A manual cooling and refrigeration system is typically fairly easy to install, but requires weekly calibrating and maintenance from a certified heating and refrigeration technician.

A refrigeration system for a small to medium size grocery store will typically cost between $25,000-$75,000. The price varies on the food selections you will be keeping cool. For example, it costs more to keep milk, cheese and eggs cold versus meat. The automatic cooling system is another option for industrial refrigeration. The automatic cooling system is easy to install and it’s easy to monitor. This model of industrial refrigeration is so high tech it alerts the store manager via text when the system detects a change in temperature. This way you can troubleshoot the refrigeration problem and call a highly trained and professional in Virginia for help before it’s too late. The text alert system is proven to prevent food spoilage by 50%. This type of system is ideal for small to medium size grocery store chains.

Choosing a Heating and Refrigeration Technician

Once you’ve purchased and installed your industrial refrigeration system, it is critical to find a reliable and trustworthy commercial HVAC and refrigeration repair company. When interviewing repair companies, make sure they are available to respond to emergencies 24/7. Trust us, the last thing you want is to wait a couple hours or even a couple days for help when you have thousands of dollars worth of product going bad. Ideally, the same air conditioning and HVAC company that installed your industrial refrigeration system will be available to repair the system as well.

Questions to ask an HVAC repair company in Virginia include: How long have you been in business? Is your staff certified? And what makes you the best air conditioning and custom HVAC company in the region. Each and every industrial refrigeration specialist should be certified through The School of Cool. This prestigious academy is one of the best training grounds for people hoping to make air conditioning, refrigeration and custom HVAC work a career. The School of Cool is a 13 month in-depth course located on the border of Virginia and North Carolina. It’s a highly competitive school, with just 15 new candidates accepted every semester out of a pool of nearly 3,000. Once a candidate is enrolled in The School of Cool, they will learn everything they need to know about custom HVAC units, heating, air conditioning and industrial refrigeration. Upon graduation, each candidate will receive a $10,000 grant to start their own heating and air conditioning business in Virginia.

When choosing an HVAC/refrigeration specialist you also want to make sure you get along with them. In the grocery business, tensions run high and you need a refrigeration technician you can work along side regardless of the circumstances. In addition to personality, you make sure to hire a company with a strong work ethic and attention to detail. If you need help finding a reliable air conditioning and heating company contact your local grocery association. The GA should be able to put you in touch with a professional repair company. When it comes to hiring an industrial refrigeration repair company, don’t take any shortcuts.

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