Walk in Fridge / Cold Room Dismantling

Maybe a bit of a long shot, but you never know. I'm in the market for a s/h cold room. There are always a few on e-Bay. But they always need dismantling. Anyone know how big a task this is? I appreciate different manufacturers will have different techniques, but I'm assuming the panels that form the room bolt togther somehow and a chap with a 1/4" socket set and a few screwdrivers should be able to pull one apart in a couple of hours?

Any tips or advice very welcome.

Ta

Reply to
sheepish
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I've never dismantled one, *but* the undefloor insulation in our conservatory is made of the (peeled) panels from them. There was a company nearby making new coldrooms and there was often a pile of old panels from rooms they had replaced in their skip... they were only too happy to have me take them instead since they were so bulky.

They consisted of a 4" slab of very dense foam with a thin painted steel skin both sides. As far as I could tell these panels were just screwed together with overlapping bits of the skin, and maybe a bit of trim.

If you were dismantling it I guess you'd have some ducting and wiring to sort out as well. And the doors

Transport might be an issue. The panels aren't heavy but they are very bulky. I had six on my roofrack and it wasn't straining at the weight, but it was a pile about 8'x4'x2' high...

Dunno what the roof is made of, I'd guess more of the same.

A couple of hours might be a bit light on time for a one man job. I'd plan to take a day - a day when the tool shops are open, just in case...

Reply to
PCPaul

Orlright, it's an anecdote, but I'm minded of a holiday a good few years ago on the Greek Island of Zakynthos, before it got too commercialised. Visited a fish taverna and the owner wanted us to go into the cold store to see the selection of fish. I remember seeing daylight through rusted holes in the back of the cold room. Fish was definitely off for us that evening.....

Reply to
The Wanderer

I dismantled one on the farm that I hoped to relocate. The structure was assembled from prefabricated panels that had 3" x 1" framework, infilled with 3" polystyrene slab, then both the outside and inside was sheeting clad. Some of the sheeting was fibre reinforced cement (which might have been asbestos but I don't think it was) and the rest of the sheeting was wood fibre reinforced cement. Roof was the same structure, but overlayed with several layers of roofing felt. I trided to reduce it to panels but they proved too fragile and the lot got scrapped.

I looked to dismantle one in a butchers shop that I was buying at the time, but that was definately asbestos sheeting with blown asbestos infill. I never completed the purchase.

AWEM

Reply to
Andrew Mawson

You may find a refrigerated container or maybe a refrigerated lorry back is a better option as they are intended to be moved arround.

AWEM

Reply to
Andrew Mawson

One point of information - it's a legal requirement now that anyone who dismantles a refrigerant system has the requisit City & Guilds certificate in refrigeration.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

Thanks Andrew. Any idea what constitutes a system? The rooms I'm looking at are insulated panels, but the refrigeration is a bolt on component containing a compressor and fans. That to me is the system and I have no intention of fiddling with that bit!

Reply to
sheepish

Thanks for the idea, but I have looked at those. Refrigerated trailers seem to start at 3 grand, where you can pick up a room for about 500 quid.

Reply to
sheepish

Sorry, it's a long time since I read it. The intention is to prevent unqualified people doing anything to refrigeration systems which might cause a leak and loss of refrigerant to the atmosphere. I would guess you're OK if the refrigeration system is fixed in such a way it will stay where it is and no pipework will be disturbed. However, the Act is very poorly worded, like pretty well all recent legislation, and bits of it don't say what was intended. Anyone can install aircon (the self-install market is now much bigger than professionally installed at the domestic sized end of the ranges, with systems using self-sealing couplers, and outlawing that was not viable). However, if you attempt to check for leaks in your system, you are committing an offence. Plonkers...

If it's large enough, you might find a maintenance company will come out and empty it for you for free, as they can reuse the refrigerant. That's what happened with some chillers at work, although they were almost brand new.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

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