Cold goods need to be stored at a low temperature. If it is too moist, there can be problems like unwanted ice and condensation. It can make the operation cost more money and make the quality of the product worse.
For this reason, dehumidifiers are used for the goal of reducing humidity and preventing condensation.
To know about a dehumidifier for cold storage room(s), read more.
Do Dehumidifiers Work in Cold Rooms?
It is most likely to be the dehumidifier with the particular defrosting function or the desiccant dehumidifier that works in cold storage rooms.
To know if the other dehumidifier is working in a cold storage room, you have to consider the temperature.
This is because the air condenses or the condensation cycle of water vapor in the air can be started when there is a significant difference between the temperature and relative humidity inside and outside the facility.
Therefore, it can take place at various temperatures depending on the humidity.
Moisture Problems In Active Cold Stores
- Wet floors, ice on the walls and conveyors
These are common problems in active cold storage applications. Condensation may lead to corrosion and mold growth, as well as product damage due to ice accumulation on stored products.
- A build-up of ice on the evaporator coils.
This causes poor airflow, dropping temperatures in the stored product area, and loss of product chilled below this temperature.
- Frost accumulation near the loading docks
This can block loading docks of doors, making it impossible for trucks to enter cold stores. It also results in decreased airflow and loss of product chiller temperature.
- There's a fog in the loading dock
Cold air permeates warm humid air on the outside of trucks, resulting in fogging. This causes wet products and dock floors.
This leaves a slippery surface that can cause accidents. It also results in corrosion of metal products and delamination of rubber products.
- Cardboard boxes absorb moisture, causing them to soften and droop.
This may lead to product damage when stacked. In addition, there is a risk of mold growth in the cartons and sanitized areas if damp cardboard is not discarded quickly.
This makes them unstable and hazardous to workers as well as un-markable, resulting in lost revenue.
- Defrosting costs money
In most cases, cold storage facilities have wet insulation. This means defrosting requires a lot of energy consumption, causing increased costs and less efficient operation.
- Shutdowns of cold storage facilities' power sources are all too frequent
This leads to loss of inventory that can easily reach several tons, not including any damages.
High humidity means increased operational costs. This is less time the cold storage applications are in operation and resulting in lost revenue.
- Reduced cooling efficiency due to water vapor loads and clogged evaporator coils
This results in more time the cold storage is out of operation, leading to loss of product.
There is an increased risk of mold growth on walls and floors due to condensation resulting from high humidity conditions.
Why Do Walk-in Freezers and Cold Rooms Have High Humidity?
Many people say their cold room is not warm enough. This is true for many medical cold rooms and also for those used to grow fruits and vegetables. The problem gets worse if the cold storage stops at 0°C or below 10°C.
The problem is that air can have more water vapor than it can at warmer room temperature and still be just fine. The colder the air is, the less capacity it has moisture control which means more of this moisture will get into your cold room and stay there.
Some cold rooms and freezers generate humidity because the moisture in ambient air contacts with cold surfaces and changes to water droplets. The dehumidifier for this kind of space is very important and useful equipment.
The dehumidifier used for a walk-in freezer or cold room can remove water from the air at a rate of 20 to 30 pints per day. A unit with higher capacity is recommended as it will produce a lower relative humidity inside the cold storage room and help maintain a clean environment.
How To Reduce the Humidity of Cold Storage?
One way to reduce the humidity in a cold room is to limit how much air comes from outside. You can install an air curtain in front of the doors but it's not very effective.
The second approach is to remove humidity from the room with a dehumidifier. This is the only method to quickly and effectively lower the humidity in a cold storage room
Dehumidifiers are electrical machines that convert the moisture in the air into water and remove it from a room. You must use desiccant dehumidifiers in temperatures below 10°C.
Related Article: Does a Dehumidifier Lower Humidity: How to Reduce & Benefits
Why Is My Medicine Cold Room Having High Humidity?
Humidity is measured as the proportion of moisture particles in the air. Air has an abundance in everything that can be emitted in any environment at any given time. Although you live in 'distressed' areas the humidity is between 30-40%.
Open your door in a cold room attracts fresh air from the store. The temperature in the cold room remains less than that of its immediate temperature. This phenomenon is called condensation.
If you are using a humidity control system, you can see the moisture peaks in seconds when you open it. Thus moisture grows steadily and may reach 95-100 % RH.
The Recommended Humidity for Medicine Cold Rooms?
For free storing of medicines, recommended humidity is below 65%. To reduce the humidity in a chilled room, the main idea is to control its flow outside.
There's an air curtain to the front of the windows of winter rooms but it's not efficient. Using a dehumidification machine at a temperature of more than 10°C you need a desiccant dehumidifiers filter.
This is the only way of controlling the moisture level of your room through expulsion and conversion to water.
Cold Chain
The mechanism behind Cold Chain is simple. This involves maintaining food products in low temperatures for better shelf life and or little deterioration in perishable objects.
The cold storage is utilized even during transit of the perishable items between points. In the entire cycle of the cold chain, cold stores are essential for the prevention of deteriorations of perishables.
Cold store facilities ensure the safety of products and prevent the deterioration of food goods. The cold chain mechanism can require storage for prolonged periods as well as long-distance transport.
The cold chain mechanisms are small and simple. Food products are first ready frozen before storage and then cooled in a cold storage facility.
The Challenges of Cold Chain Facilities
The warm chain of rooms in the vicinity of the more expansive rooms remains at greater temperatures. The reactions are made when condensation builds on the contents of the containers, walls ceilings, or floors.
Why Is Humidity Control Difficult in Cold Chain Facilities?
Commercial cold rooms and storage areas have additional challenges due to their location and use. The water is introduced either by infiltration when open doors, off-gassing the products or occupants, or by washdown activities and trapped inside the airtight unit.
Without ventilation or an external HVAC system, water does not escape the cold space. That makes it hard to regulate humidity without the help of commercial dehumidification and ventilation system.
The result is these buildings are riddled with mold-causing bacteria and fungi attracted only by indoor moisture levels. Add on water resistance in combination with natural humidity challenges these areas.
The solution to this problem is as simple as finding a way to remove as much moisture as possible from the environment. In addition, it is important to control the humidity level in the room at or below 65%.
Solving Cold Chain Facility Humidity Problems
Commercial dehumidifiers are designed for pulling moisture out of the indoor climate. By absorbing water vapor and dispelling it this reduces indoor humidity level.
The machines can also be connected to an existing HVAC system providing immediate and automatic water-vapor removal and complete climate control.
Unlike residential systems, commercial dehumidifiers are designed to be durable and are designed for the environment in which their serve.
Dehumidifiers That Can Operate in Cold Temperatures
If you were searching for a dehumidifier for cold rooms, there are things you had to look out for before you make your final purchase.
The dehumidifiers should be able to operate in low temperatures, below 55 degrees Fahrenheit. It is possible to adjust the temperature of the "cold room" using an adjustable gas valve that can regulate the refrigerator's gas flow to match the capacity needed for humidity control.
There are two options when it comes to choosing a dehumidifier for cold rooms. The first one is to use an air conditioner with the option of removing humidity through an evaporative process.
This would not be practical in most cases since the room must remain below 55 degrees Fahrenheit while at the same time it's cooling down to reduce humidity.
Problems With Humidity Solved in Small Cold Stores
Humidity control units will provide efficient cooling systems for the air conditioning within the retail unit as this product operates independently of ambient water temperature.
The need for defrosting in cold-stored at low temperatures is reduced as forming of frosts is reduced within evaporators. The solution involves no adjustment to the construction and dehumidification can easily be installed inside or outside the building.
The relative atmospheric humidity is now constant and the corresponding problems are avoided.
Dehumidification Prevents Frosting on Evaporator Coils
An active cold store is a refrigeration systems warehouse that is needed by dynamic storing applications. These warehouses regularly have goods movement every day.
It is possible to create different temperature zones within the same store - enabling storing different products with different temperatures.
Evaporative cooling on cold outside walls is beneficial for lowering the ambient temperature. First-generation evaporators are designed with enough capacity necessary to keep humidity levels down when it's extremely humid.
How Do I Select the Right Size Dehumidifier for My Cold Water?
You must calculate your room size from the current temperature and humidity. You can use an email address to acquire a maximum capacity for the dehumidifier.
The capacity of the dehumidifier is directly proportional to its size. A bigger unit can handle a larger area. It's not always about very low temperatures that are responsible for poor performance.
The location of the room is also vital when you are looking for a dehumidifier. If it's an interior located in a basement or crawlspace, there is very little chance you will ever have trouble with excess humidity during the winter months.
Related Article: How Do I Pick the Right Size Dehumidifier?
The Square Footage Capacity Decreases With the Temperature
Most dehumidifiers are tested at the laboratory first to see what their advertised water removal capacity should be.
In the United States, they are frequently tested under what's known as AHAM conditions that are set at 80°F. Overseas the norm is 86°F. Most homes rarely set them too high.
A noticeable temperature fall is enough to shorten the dehumidification unit and thus a small Master bath can barely fill a bucket in a single day with most units.
Why Most Dehumidifiers Can’t Be Used Below 65 Degrees Celsius?
Dehumidifying products work exactly in the same way as air conditioning systems in homes. Their fan takes air then tries to lower its temperature below its maximum pressure.
Typically this process happens when air is pumped through coils. Since this coil must be cold anyway there is a great danger that it may freeze at room temperature.
After that, the fan of the dehumidifier continues running but no water is collected. The unit remains a strain on the energy and eventually comes under failure because of malfunctioning.
Another reason why dehumidifiers for cold rooms are not recommended is that they can't handle humidity at lower temperatures. Also, some models don't have an auto-defrost feature.
Although most units of this kind include protection against freezing it's still not enough to make them efficient at lower temperatures.
Dehumidifier in a Cold Room & Storage FAQ
Does a Dehumidifier Work Better in a Hot Room or a Cold Room?
Dehumidifiers are designed to work in cooler conditions around 60°F or higher. However, there are still some models that would not be able to function in a cold room.
There are also other items that you have to consider when it comes to operating a dehumidifier at colder temperatures.
Can You Let an HVAC Dehumidifier Run In the Winter While the Heat Is Running?
HVAC dehumidifiers are fully capable of being used with your central heating system.
However, some models have specific programming to change the temperature on their internal board depending on what's going on outside the house.
If you let this unit run with the heating system, you should also change the programming to be suitable for this type of usage.
Is It Odd To Run a Dehumidifier and the AC Unit Set on Cool at the Same Time?
The dehumidifier uses the same coils as the air conditioner. There is no reason you can't run both systems at the same time if one of them supports this type of function.
Any Advice on Reducing Humidity Level in Walk-in Cooler?
Generally, walk-in coolers and freezers are difficult to dehumidify because of the humidity that happens within these units.
Also, since they're enclosed and usually indoors you can't use a regular dehumidifier for this type of application.
Why Does a Dehumidifier Ice Up?
The most common reason is due to being placed in an area where the temperatures are too low for it to work properly. Also, some units have trouble with high humidity that creates condensation on their coils.
Related Article: Dehumidifier Icing & Freezing Up: What, Why and How to Fix?
