Cold Storage Garage Doors Vancouver — Installation, Repair, and Thermal Performance

Cold storage is a different category from standard commercial overhead doors. The door is part of the thermal envelope. A failed seal, a degraded panel, or a door that does not close tightly is a refrigeration cost that runs continuously. For a large refrigerated warehouse a compromised door on a busy dock can cost thousands of dollars per month in additional refrigeration load.

Panel Specification for Cold Storage

Standard commercial steel sectional doors — even insulated ones — are not cold storage specification. A door with 2 inch polyurethane insulation at R-12 to R-16 is appropriate for a conditioned warehouse. For refrigerated storage at 2 to 4 degrees Celsius you need more. For blast freezer applications at -18 to -25 degrees you need significantly more. The Amarr 6634 SuperTherm with 4 inch foamed-in-place polyurethane is the standard we see on serious cold storage dock applications in Metro Vancouver — R-28 or better, thermal break construction, and panel geometry that minimizes the steel-to-steel thermal bridging that undermines the insulation value of thinner panels.

Condensation and Freeze Problems

Cold storage doors in Metro Vancouver face a specific challenge: the outside air is warm and humid for a significant portion of the year, and the inside is cold. When the door opens, warm humid air contacts the cold surfaces inside and condenses. When the door closes the condensation that got in and froze in the door track can cause the door to bind or jam. Ice in the bottom track is a common call on cold storage dock doors during the shoulder seasons. Solutions include track heaters, better dock sealing to reduce air exchange during truck loading, and adjusting door timing to minimize dwell time in the open position.

Emergency Cold Storage Door Service

A cold storage dock door that is stuck open or damaged is an emergency — the refrigeration load on the facility immediately increases, product integrity can be at risk, and security is compromised. We treat cold storage door failures as priority calls. Call (604) 206-5727, 24/7 across Metro Vancouver.