A cold room is designed to maintain products at chilled temperatures, while a freezer room operates below freezing for frozen-product storage.

The correct operating temperature depends on the product and application. Africhill designs each system around the required temperature, product load, room size and operating conditions.

Cold rooms are commonly designed for chilled applications in the region of +1°C to +5°C, although the required temperature depends on the product being stored.

Africhill can design systems for different operating temperatures according to the application.

Freezer rooms are typically designed for frozen storage at approximately -15°C to -30°C, depending on the product and application.

The required operating temperature must be established before the refrigeration system is selected.

A freezer room is primarily designed to maintain products that are already frozen at their required storage temperature.

A blast freezer is designed to remove heat from incoming products much more rapidly. Blast-freezer capacity is calculated around the product type, product weight, incoming temperature, required final temperature and required freezing time.

A freezer room maintains frozen product. A blast freezer rapidly reduces product temperature.

Yes. Africhill manufactures insulated panels at its facility in Bredell, Kempton Park, Gauteng. The company states on its current website that it operates a ±4,500 m² manufacturing facility and produces insulated panels in-house. Architectual Design

This allows the insulated room and refrigeration system to be supplied as part of an integrated cold-storage solution.

Africhill uses insulated sandwich panels with an EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) core, with the density and panel specification selected according to the application.

Panel thickness and insulation requirements can vary depending on the required operating temperature and cold-storage application.

For an accurate quotation, provide as much of the following information as possible:

• Required internal dimensions — length × width × height
• Product to be stored
• Required room temperature
• Product temperature when entering the room
• Daily incoming product quantity
• Total product stored
• Required cool-down or pull-down time
• Door size or access requirements
• Installation city and country
• Available electrical supply

For a blast freezer, also provide the product weight per batch and required freezing time.

This improves substantially on the existing FAQ because it explains why Africhill asks for this information rather than treating room dimensions as sufficient. Your current FAQ already requests most of these inputs. Architectual Design

Yes. Africhill can manufacture cold rooms and freezer rooms to suit the required dimensions and application.

Rather than limiting customers to standard room sizes, the room can be configured around the available space, product capacity, operating temperature, access requirements and refrigeration duty.

Refrigeration capacity should not be selected from room dimensions alone.

Africhill considers factors including room volume, operating temperature, product type, incoming product temperature, daily product load, total storage volume, door openings, ambient conditions and required pull-down time.

Two rooms of the same physical size can therefore require substantially different refrigeration capacities.

There is no single cool-down time that applies to every cold room.

The time depends on factors such as the refrigeration capacity, room temperature, incoming product temperature, quantity of product entering the room and the required final temperature.

The system should therefore be designed around the required application and pull-down time rather than an assumed number of hours.

I prefer this over the current answer because the existing page already correctly says cooling time depends on product heat load, quantity, weight and required cool-down time. Architectual Design

The insulated components are manufactured before being transported to site.

The insulated room is assembled on site, followed by installation of the refrigeration equipment, electrical controls, doors, trimmings and associated components. The refrigeration system is then commissioned.

This modular construction reduces the amount of fabrication required at the customer’s premises.

Site requirements depend on the type and size of installation.

Important considerations include a suitable level floor or prepared foundation, adequate electrical supply, sufficient access for installation, ventilation around external refrigeration equipment and suitable protection from environmental conditions where required.

Africhill should confirm the specific site requirements for each project before installation begins.

I would remove the current blanket statement that every room requires a canopy protecting the entire unit unless that genuinely is an Africhill requirement for every installation. The current FAQ presently says this. Architectual Design

Not always.

A standard chilled cold room can, depending on the application and existing floor construction, be installed directly onto a suitable prepared floor.

Low-temperature freezer rooms generally require more attention to floor insulation and vapour control because of the significantly lower operating temperatures.

Africhill determines the appropriate floor construction according to the application.

Africhill can accommodate different freezer-floor constructions depending on the room size, temperature, loading and traffic requirements.

Options can include an insulated floor system with a finished metal floor surface or an insulated floor beneath a reinforced concrete wearing surface for heavier-duty applications.

Where the building design permits, the insulated floor construction can also be recessed to create a more level transition with the surrounding floor.

SEE FREEZER FLOOR CONSTRUCTION OPTIONS →

This is exactly where I would internally link to the two technical floor drawings we’ve created.

A correctly specified vapour barrier helps control moisture migration into the insulated floor construction.

This is particularly important in low-temperature freezer applications, where temperature differences between the freezer and surrounding environment can create condensation and moisture-related problems if the floor system is incorrectly designed.

Africhill uses insulated cold and freezer room doors designed to maintain the thermal envelope of the room.

Depending on the application, the door system can incorporate sealing arrangements, lift-off hinges, cold-room latches with emergency internal release and additional low-temperature features where required.

The cold/freezer room door hardware can incorporate an emergency internal release, allowing the door to be opened from inside.

This is an important consideration for personnel-access cold rooms and freezer rooms.

The condensing unit is the external part of the refrigeration system responsible for rejecting heat removed from the refrigerated space.

It operates together with the evaporator or blower coil located inside the cold room or freezer room.

The evaporator — also commonly called a blower coil — is installed inside the refrigerated space.

Cold refrigerant passes through the evaporator coil while fans circulate room air across the coil, allowing heat to be removed from the refrigerated space.

The condensing unit is normally positioned outside the refrigerated room and connected to the internal evaporator using refrigeration piping and electrical wiring.

Its exact position depends on the installation layout, ventilation requirements, equipment selection and available space.

This is more precise than simply saying “outside,” which is what the current FAQ does. Architectual Design

The required electrical supply depends on the refrigeration equipment selected for the project.

Systems may use single-phase or three-phase electricity, depending on their capacity and configuration. Africhill specifies the required electrical supply and amperage for the selected system.

I would remove the existing FAQ’s public rule that systems larger than 2 HP generally require 380 V three-phase power unless your refrigeration department confirms that you want this presented as a general Africhill rule. Architectual Design

Yes. Africhill can supply refrigeration equipment for commercial and industrial cold-storage applications, including condensing units, evaporator/blower coils, controls and associated refrigeration equipment, depending on the project requirements.

VIEW REFRIGERATION EQUIPMENT →

Yes. Monoblock refrigeration systems provide a compact refrigeration solution in which major refrigeration components are integrated into a packaged unit.

They can be suitable for selected cold-room applications where the room size, temperature requirements and operating conditions match the unit’s capacity.

VIEW MONOBLOCK REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS →

This is particularly useful now that you’re building the new Refrigeration page and have created the equipment hero image.

Yes. Africhill can supply modular cold-room systems in flat-pack form for suitable applications.

The pre-manufactured components can be transported to the project location and assembled on site, making this particularly useful for projects where Africhill installation is not required or where the project is located outside South Africa.

VIEW DIY COLD ROOMS →

Yes. Africhill supplies cold-storage solutions to projects in South Africa and other African markets.

Depending on the project, systems can be supplied in modular or flat-pack form for efficient transport and installation at the destination.

Your current website already positions Africhill as serving Africa and beyond. Architectual Design

Africhill designs refrigeration systems with the ambient conditions at the installation location taken into consideration.

This is particularly important for projects in high-temperature environments because ambient temperature affects refrigeration-system performance and equipment selection.

I prefer this wording over the current “will continue operating on hot days” statement because it describes the engineering principle without making an unnecessarily broad performance promise. The current FAQ uses that stronger wording. Architectual Design

Africhill cold rooms, freezer rooms and refrigeration systems can be designed for applications including bakeries, dairy, farming and agriculture, fisheries and seafood, food processing, fruit and vegetables, hospitality and catering, meat and butcheries, mining and remote sites, mortuaries, pharmaceutical and medical applications, poultry, retail and supermarkets, and temporary cold storage.

VIEW INDUSTRIES →

Yes. Africhill supplies both smaller commercial rooms and larger custom-designed industrial cold-storage facilities.

Larger projects are engineered around the required room dimensions, product load, operating temperature, workflow, door access and refrigeration capacity.

VIEW AFRICHILL PROJECTS →

Preventative maintenance is important for refrigeration-system reliability and efficiency.

The appropriate service frequency depends on equipment type, operating hours, environment and application. Condenser cleanliness, evaporator condition, refrigerant system, electrical components, controls, door seals and drainage should form part of routine inspection and maintenance.

Every door opening allows warm, humid air to enter the refrigerated space and adds heat and moisture load to the refrigeration system.

High door traffic therefore needs to be considered during system design, particularly in busy food-processing, distribution and retail operations.

Send Africhill the room dimensions, product being stored, required temperature, incoming product temperature, daily product quantity, total storage volume, required pull-down time and project location.

If drawings, photographs or building plans are available, these can also assist the Africhill team in understanding the proposed installation.

REQUEST A QUOTE →