# Nor-Lake Walk-In Freezer Temp



## kameljoe21 (Feb 25, 2015)

its 4 foor wide 3 foot deep 5 foot high
is the size on the inside, sorry dont know where the edit button is


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## Protocol. (May 31, 2012)

a few questions.

7-10f is very warm. For a freezer Is there any specific reason to be setting this hot? Typically commercial refridgeration units are set for around -4 f. 

You stated your unit is sitting in an unheated building? if the exterior temp is near or Colder than your unit it Won't be able to defrost properly.

Defrost is all an adjustment to find out what's right for you. since you won't be using it often it may or may not be ok to change the defrost. all you're really looking for is to stop ice building up on the coils. there are factors we can't see that effect this number. It will take some adjustment and monitoring to ensure that ice is not building up quickly.


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## hardwareman (Oct 9, 2010)

really not sure why you want to mess with the settings, the energy you save will be minimal. If you want to change the temp going above 0 would not be recommended. As far as defrost goes you could probably get by with a once a day defrost assuming you do not open the doors more than what you stated, but I would not cut back the defrost time to 20 minutes, leave it at 30.


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## kameljoe21 (Feb 25, 2015)

i was just looking, to see if that temp setting would be ok, my home freezers are around 10 to 0 degrees, i know that in commerial settings they must be 0 and under
but for a home freezer, would that setting be ok? 
i wanted to have the run time less, i think it runs about an 15m and off for about an hour, i havent timed it yet, so, what would the lowest but highest setting would be ok


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## Bob Sanders (Nov 10, 2013)

For a freezer the minimum recommended temp is 0. Running anything above that is not smart. If you're running into energy issues then you should be looking at increasing R value and not playing with increased temperatures.

You may not be able to add insulation to the outside, but if you don't need the freezer that big then it would be pretty easy to add a layer of Styrofoam to the inside.


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## kameljoe21 (Feb 25, 2015)

thanks, i put my setting at 0 to -3 and defrost timer to 30m 
i went out today just before noon when the defrost timer is set to and open the fans up and looked at the coil and there is no frost on it, so i think one defrost per day will work 
the unit is pretty simple, and i think i might make a new box for it, the unit is one peice that sit in the top of the roof, should be a easy rebuild to make a better r value unit


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

If its only running for 15 minutes. Its not running long enough. Those compressors are designed for long run times(16 hours out of 24). So by setting it to a higher temp, you could be harming the compressor.

Sounds like this freezer is used for long term storage. So it should be set close to -10°F.


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## kameljoe21 (Feb 25, 2015)

yes it only take less than 15m for the freezer to reach it temp, i have taking temp reading while its on and running, at my current setting it of 0 to -3 it reads at a range of of 0 to -5 or more on the back wall with my infrared thermometer, thats what the fan blows, and yes i understand that commerical compressor will run all day to maintain the temp while the door opens and closes, but if you were to sit in during the night and listen to one, once they reach the temp, they shut off, the compressor not the fans in side, the only time the fans shut off is during the defrost period 
would you like to to post some pic, so you can see the unit


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

Pics never hurt.

Your Nor-Lake is a commercial unit. And commercial units run for long time even at night when they aren't being open and closed.

Nor-Lake is what all the Subways use, or use to. Don't do any Subways anymore.


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## kameljoe21 (Feb 25, 2015)

http://s853.photobucket.com/user/kameljoe21/slideshow/Nor%20Lake%20Freezer
i think this will work


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

Put a thermometer in the freezer. Laser IR thermometers aren't always real accurate. Even though the health board of many states use them. Also, in the freezer, give it a bit more breathing room directly under it.


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## kameljoe21 (Feb 25, 2015)

around the fans your saying? 

air goes in from the fans and out the back on to the walls 

as for the thermomerter im still looking for the one i have just havent found it, ill see what i have right now, i know i have a freezer one somewhere


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

The more room between fan and product, the better the air flow.


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## kameljoe21 (Feb 25, 2015)

i took a thermometer from one in my house and put it out in the freezer and will check the temp in a few hours 
so what would the cause of the compressor running for that short of time (15mins )and then run an hour or so later


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

The hardest thing for a compressor to do is to start. So long run times are less harmful to a compressor, then starting 16 or more times a day.


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## kameljoe21 (Feb 25, 2015)

I have been running the freezer at -10 degrees since I last posted. The amount added to my electric bill is around 25 dollars a month at $0.13kwh. I have not had any problems with it. The compressor runs about 15 mins for every 1 hour and 45m, seems to be all right. It is packed full of meat and food. I have the defrost set for 30mins once per day and have not had any freeze up at all, I do check it now and then to see if there is any ice build up. The drip line was damaged and i removed it and disconnected the heat going to it, I use a simple tub under the drip area and dump the ice 1 time during the warm months and every few months when it is colder outside. The only frost is see is around the door a few times a year due to mostly bad seals on the door. This is not a problem as the freezer is checked on weekly or about that. We retrieve items about once a week and fill it up once a month.


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## kameljoe21 (Feb 25, 2015)

I also have check the temperature during the times that the unit is not running and it holds steady at -10 degrees and kicks back on when it travels back to around -7 or -6 degrees. The reason why most commercial freezers run the bulk of the time is due to the heat load of the items being put in and the amount of times the doors are open. Thus the unit can not keep and maintain that desired temperature.


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## kameljoe21 (Feb 25, 2015)

I know this post is 2.5 years old but I thought an update was needed. 
I have calculated the cost of running the unit and the value of the food in the unit. 
cost for 2.5 years of running the unit 750 dollars. 
weight of food stored in the freezer as of today around 1250 pounds give or take cost to store is about 60 cents per pound per year. I buy all my meat for way less than retail prices. 

I have been looking for a newer unit that is more efficient in order to further reduce the cost. But the price of buying a new or used one will increase my ROI and right now I am fine where I am at.


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