Why Ambient Temperature Matters When Buying Fridges & Freezers?

When you search for commercial refrigeration, fridges, freezers and ice makers, often you may see in the descriptions the ambient temperature listed as 32°C, 38°C or 43°C. Ambient temperature means the temperature of the room where the fridge/freezer is kept. The external or ambient temperature of a room where a fridge or freezer is kept can have a large impact on the cooling performance of the unit. 

A key part of the cooling process of a refrigerator is to pass highly compressed and heated gas through a condenser coil (also called a radiator) which cools the refrigerant gas down before going onto the next stage of the refrigeration process. So if the ambient temperature is too high, the gas simply cannot cool enough and therefore cannot cool the fridge or freezer’s cabinet all the way down to the desired temperature.

For example, if the fridge is kept in an air-conditioned room, like a display chiller (beverage chiller) inside a mall or restaurant, the ambient temperature may never get above 25°C. If the fridge is kept inside a busy commercial kitchen, which also has cooking equipment and no air conditioning, the ambient temperature may never get below 35°C. When buying a commercial fridge, freezer or ice maker, be realistic about the ambient temperature of the room where it will be kept.

Tips for cooling systems: static cooling systems, which are typically found on cheaper fridges and freezers, are quite basic compared to ‘Fan Forced’ cooling systems which are designed to work in much higher temperature environments. So, you should opt for a fan-forced unit when:

l The room will be constantly over 30°C (better to be slightly conservative and not run at the maximum ambient all the time);

l A fridge or freezer which will be opened more than 6 times per 4 hours;