International Door & Operator Industry

JUL-AUG 2012

Garage door industry magazine for garage door dealers, garage door manufacturers, garage door distributors, garage door installers, loading docks, garage door operators and openers, gates, and tools for the door industry.

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DEALERSCORNER Ohio Industrial Door Dealer Solves Food Processor's Freezer Energy Losses & Icing Air Curtains: When an eastern Ohio food processor sought to curb exorbitant energy losses and icing maintenance costs at its cold storage freezer doorway, industrial door equipment dealer Fairborn Equipment Co. of Ohio solved the green challenge with a customized air curtain installation. Fairborn, a distributor of loading dock, industrial door and specialty industrial plant products, reviewed several technology options to solve its food manufacturing client's doorway energy and maintenance challenges. The client had already installed a high-speed, insulated rollup door that reduced -5°F freezer air emigration and 60 to 95°F summertime ambient air infi ltration from the shipping door area, which is 50 feet away. Despite the high-speed door, humid ambient air still infi ltrated through the top of the 12 x 12-foot doorway during its hundreds of daily cycles. The greatest concern was a freezer temperature fl uctuation of 8 degrees, which is unacceptable to the client's internal product quality, refrigeration equipment wear-and-tear and energy conservation standards. The signifi cant energy losses are no surprise according to the refrigeration standards handbook of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), which states that air infi ltration in open doorways is the leading cause of increased refrigeration loads at cold storage facilities. Bob Hare, general manager of Fairborn's Columbus, Ohio offi ce, estimated his client's energy losses combined with maintenance costs amounted to thousands of dollars per month. 74 International Door & Operator Industry™ Vertical air curtain combined with existing high-speed roll-up door cuts thousands of dollars in monthly energy and maintenance costs. Besides energy losses, humidity infi ltration also required periodic ice removal from the ceiling-hung ammonia refrigeration system's piping, coils, valves and controls just inside the 20,000-square-foot freezer's doorway. The fi re door roller tracks also were continually iced. Additionally, the potential for forklift accidents loomed due to icy fl oors near the threshold, which also required ongoing maintenance. Options to Energy Loss Solutions As a trusted vendor, the client relied on the expertise of the design and engineering departments of Fairborn as well as its air curtain supplier, Berner International. Fairborn began as a dock seal and shelter manufacturer in the 1970's and later became a full- line loading dock and door solution dealer by adding brands such as Rytec, Jackson, Wisconsin, PowerAmp, Germantown, Wisconsin, DLM--div. of Systems Inc., Malvern, Arkansas, Wildeck, Waukesha, Wisconsin, and Berner. Continued on page 75

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