The problems encountered in the use of cold storage mainly revolve around six aspects: refrigeration system failures, insulation and sealing failures, electrical control issues, improper storage of goods, safety risks, and poor operational management. These issues are often interrelated, for example, equipment failures can cause fluctuations in warehouse temperature, leading to cargo loss and increased energy consumption.

Refrigeration System: The “Heart” Problem of Cold Storage

The refrigeration system is the most critical component of a cold storage, and the problems are also the most concentrated.

Poor or no cooling effect: This is the most common problem. Possible reasons may include:

Refrigerant leakage: Insufficient refrigerant in the system leads to a decrease in cooling capacity.

Compressor failure: The efficiency of the compressor decreases, usually caused by component wear due to prolonged use.

Excessive frosting on the evaporator: A thick frost layer can seriously hinder heat exchange and affect the cooling effect.

Poor heat dissipation of condenser: Dust and dirt accumulate on the surface of the condenser, leading to a decrease in heat dissipation efficiency and even causing high-pressure protection shutdown.

Expansion valve malfunction: Damaged temperature sensing bulb, ice blockage or dirty blockage may cause abnormal refrigerant flow, or even complete closure.

Large fluctuations in storage temperature: Unstable temperature may accelerate the deterioration of goods. The main reasons are:

Excessive temperature difference between inside and outside: frequent opening and closing of the storage door or inadequate sealing of the storage door can cause loss of cold air and invasion of hot air.

Improper defrosting control: Excessive or prolonged defrosting can cause temperature rise.

Improper setting of equipment parameters: Improper setting of parameters such as temperature controller and pressure controller may lead to frequent start and stop of the compressor.

Sensor malfunction: The temperature and humidity sensor is malfunctioning, providing incorrect data, resulting in a system misjudgment.

Other system malfunctions:

The phenomenon of “running cold”: the insulation layer of the refrigeration pipeline or storage body is damaged, resulting in ineffective loss of cooling capacity.

There is air in the system: Air mixed into the refrigeration system can cause abnormal increases in exhaust pressure and temperature, reducing refrigeration efficiency.

Pipeline blockage: Components such as filters and expansion valves in the system are blocked by dirt, affecting the circulation of refrigerant.

Insulation and sealing: The “cotton coat” in the cold storage is damaged

Failure of insulation material: The gaps, seams, or insulation layer of the warehouse board or pipeline are damaged, resulting in loss of cooling capacity, prolonged high load operation of the refrigeration unit, and increased energy consumption.

Poor sealing of the warehouse door: The aging, damage, or improper installation of the sealing strip of the warehouse door can lead to cold air leakage and external hot air intrusion, directly affecting the temperature stability and energy consumption of the warehouse.

Floor issue: For low-temperature cold storage, if the anti freezing system under the floor fails, it may cause the floor to bulge and crack, affecting structural safety and operations inside the warehouse.

Electrical and Control Systems: The ‘Brain’ of Cold Storage Failed

Power failure: The dedicated circuit breaker tripped, the power supply line aged or had poor contact, causing the cold storage to suddenly shut down.

Thermostat malfunction: The display screen is not displaying, the buttons are malfunctioning, or the temperature probe is damaged, resulting in the inability to accurately control the temperature of the warehouse.

Communication interruption: In ultra-low temperature environments (such as -30 ℃), IoT modules used for monitoring may experience communication packet loss, leading to remote monitoring failure.

Lighting system malfunction: The lighting fixtures in the warehouse are not explosion-proof, have poor moisture resistance, or have short circuits, which may cause electrical fires.

Storage of goods: improper management is the ‘culprit’

Unreasonable stacking:

Impact on airflow circulation: If goods are stacked too tightly or directly against walls, it will hinder the circulation of cold air, causing local “hotspots” and accelerating the deterioration of goods.

Exceeding storage capacity: Excessive purchase volume and exceeding the design load of the cold storage, resulting in prolonged inability to lower the storage temperature.

Improper temperature and humidity control:

Temperature fluctuations: Even small temperature fluctuations can have a serious impact on sensitive goods such as fresh produce and medicine. Research has shown that for every 1 ℃ increase in error during temperature zone switching, the loss rate may increase by 17%.

Excessive humidity: Excessive humidity can easily cause condensation and mold on the surface of goods; If the humidity is too low, it may cause the goods to dry up (lose water).

Problems with the goods themselves: There are potential issues with the goods before they are stored, such as insufficient pre cooling or beginning to deteriorate, which can quickly deteriorate after storage and potentially affect surrounding goods.

Goods loss: Due to the above reasons, fruits, vegetables, meat, medicines, etc. may experience mold growth, frostbite, dry wear and other losses, leading to storage disputes and economic losses.

Security risk: an undeniable ‘time bomb’

Fire:

Thermal insulation materials are flammable: polyurethane foam and other thermal insulation materials used in some cold storages burn fast and release a large amount of toxic smoke.

Hidden dangers in electrical circuits: unauthorized connections, aging circuits, short circuits, etc. are common causes of fires.

Violation of hot work regulations: During the renovation or maintenance of cold storage facilities, unlicensed welding, gas cutting, and other illegal hot work operations can easily ignite insulation materials.

Ammonia explosion: For cold storage in ammonia refrigeration systems, once ammonia leaks and reaches the explosive limit (15.4% -28% volume concentration in air), it can explode when exposed to open flames or electric sparks.

Ammonia gas leakage:

Toxic hazards: Ammonia has strong irritants, and short-term exposure to high concentrations of ammonia can cause suffocation or even death.

Equipment corrosion: Ammonia has strong corrosiveness to copper and copper alloys, and the presence of water in the system can exacerbate pipeline corrosion and increase the risk of leakage.

Personnel suffocation:

Fire smoke: The large amount of toxic smoke such as carbon monoxide produced by a fire can easily cause poisoning and suffocation of personnel in a confined space.

Refrigerant leakage: In a sealed cold storage, if a large amount of refrigerant (especially Freon) leaks, it will replace oxygen in the air, causing personnel to suffer from hypoxia and suffocation.

Other security risks: personnel trapped due to locked warehouse doors; The ground is frozen and slippery, causing falls and injuries; Collapse of shelves, etc.

Improper management and maintenance:

Low inspection efficiency: relying on manual regular inspections, which is time-consuming, costly, and has problems such as inaccurate data recording and delayed discovery of hidden dangers.

Lack of maintenance records: Lack of systematic and standardized maintenance plans and records, resulting in equipment problems that cannot be traced and prevented.

Inexperienced personnel operation: Operators who are not familiar with the equipment, have incorrect parameter settings, or mishandle alarms may cause bigger problems.

Other issues

Ice formation inside the warehouse: Poor drainage system, incomplete defrosting, or poorly sealed warehouse doors can all cause ice formation on the floor, walls, or below the evaporator, affecting operations and posing safety hazards.

Odor generation: Mixing different goods, failure to clean corrupt goods in a timely manner, or inadequate cleaning and disinfection can lead to odor generation in the warehouse, affecting the quality of other goods.

Excessive noise: Compressors, fans, and other equipment may produce abnormal noise during operation due to aging, looseness, or improper installation, affecting the surrounding environment.

Summary

The smooth operation of cold storage is a systematic project. Negligence in any link, whether it is hardware failure or management vulnerability, can trigger a chain reaction, causing economic losses and even security accidents.

Instead of passively responding to problems after they arise, it’s better to focus on proactive prevention:

Establishing a regular maintenance system is the core of ensuring equipment health and extending the lifespan of cold storage.

Introducing an intelligent monitoring system can achieve 24-hour online monitoring and early warning, effectively improving management efficiency and security.

Developing and practicing emergency plans can ensure that personnel can respond correctly in case of emergencies such as leaks and fires, minimizing losses to the greatest extent possible

In the rapidly evolving landscape of Philippine cold chain logistics, the successful export and installation of a large-scale, multi-temperature cold storage facility in Manila represents a significant milestone. This project, undertaken for OSAVE—a highly reputable and influential company in the Philippines—demonstrates the perfect synergy between OnlyKem’s world-class refrigeration expertise and OSAVE’s deep market knowledge. The facility is designed to meet the diverse and demanding requirements of modern food preservation, ensuring product integrity from the moment of arrival until dispatch to end-users across the metropolitan area and beyond.

This cold storage facility is located in Metro Manila, the economic and demographic center of the Philippines. Its location is strategic, serving the nation’s largest consumer market. Manila is the main port of entry for imported goods and has extensive distribution networks. That makes it the ideal place for a facility of this scale. The facility sits close to major transportation routes. This allows products to be received, stored, and redistributed efficiently. They reach supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, and food processing facilities across Luzon—and by extension, the entire archipelago.

Loading Bay (Ambient to 10°C): The loading bay serves as the critical interface between the cold storage environment and the external ambient conditions of tropical Manila. This temperature-controlled transitional space minimizes temperature shock during loading and unloading operations. Products can be staged here temporarily without risking condensation or temperature abuse, preserving the cold chain integrity right up to the moment they are loaded onto refrigerated trucks.

Corridor (Variable Temperature Transition): The corridor acts as a temperature-managed artery connecting the various cold rooms. It is designed to maintain conditions that prevent thermal shock when moving products between zones. This space also facilitates efficient movement of personnel and goods, ensuring smooth workflow and minimizing the time that doors to individual cold rooms remain open.

OnlyKem takes compressor authenticity seriously. As part of our quality assurance process, each Bitzer compressor features a QR code that clients can scan to verify its authenticity directly through Bitzer’s verification system. This commitment to fighting product piracy ensures that OSAVE receives exactly what they paid for—genuine German engineering that delivers peak performance and longevity .

One of the practical advantages of PIR panels is their workability. They can be precisely cut and shaped on-site to accommodate specific dimensions and design requirements, accelerating construction timelines and ensuring perfect fits that eliminate thermal bridges .

The facility is equipped with a comprehensive range of high-performance doors. Each door is selected for its specific function.

Different Types of Sliding Doors
For the main cold storage rooms, various types of insulated sliding doors are installed. These doors are designed for rapid, smooth operation. This minimizes open time and reduces cold air loss. Options include manual and electric sliding doors. The choice depends on usage frequency for each room.

Sectional Overhead Doors (Loading Bay)
The loading bay features robust, well-insulated sectional overhead doors. They provide secure, tight seals when closed. This maintains the controlled temperature of the bay.

Fire-Rated Doors for Large-Scale Projects
Strategically placed fire-rated doors are installed throughout the complex. This is in compliance with Philippine building codes and international safety standards for large-scale industrial facilities. These doors are critical for passive fire protection. They automatically close to compartmentalize the facility in case of fire. This contains smoke and flames. It also protects escape routes. In addition, it safeguards valuable assets and personnel.

Cold Storage Room Project

Recently, OnlyKem stood out from numerous competitors and successfully won the project of a 2.8m×2.5m×2.5m,small commercial cold storage room for a dessert terminal in Latvia, relying on its professional customized solutions, stable quality and full-process services. We guard the freshness of desserts with precise temperature control and reliable performance.

Project Location: Latvia

Application Scenario: Dessert terminal (storage of delicate ingredients such as desserts, cream, and frosting)

Cold Storage Specifications: 2.8m×2.5m×2.5m

Core Requirements: Precise temperature control, low noise, energy saving, high space utilization, and stability and reliability

Faced with the high standards of the European market and fierce competition, the OnlyKem team responded quickly to customer needs and provided, atailor-made refrigeration solution,that balances storage efficiency and user experience, ultimately gaining high recognition from the customer, successfully signing the contract.

This project was measured on site and designed a cold storage room, that meets the customer’s needs based on the size of their location
This cold storage is a prefabricated cold storage, divided into different modules. After receiving the goods, customers can build them themselves and plug them in to put them into use.
Believe in professional refrigeration engineers, trust Onlykem, professionalism makes cold storage simpler.

Precise Temperature Control: Stable temperature control accuracy provides a suitable fresh-keeping environment for desserts and dairy products, locking in taste and flavor.

Exquisite Workmanship & Quality: Adopting high-quality insulation panels and well-known brand refrigeration components, it features good insulation, low energy consumption and long service life.

 

Customized Services: One-stop adaptation to the actual scenario of the terminal store, from size, temperature and layout to installation and commissioning.

 

Global Delivery Capability: Mature experience in overseas projects, standardized processes and efficient delivery, covering design, production, transportation and installation guidance.

The landing of this Latvian project is another important milestone for OnlyKem in deepening the European commercial cold chain market. In the future, we will continue to provide more trustworthy cold chain solutions for the global catering, retail, food processing and other industries withprofessional solutions + reliable products + thoughtful services.

Fresh Life With You Always

Cold storage essence: It is a building or equipment that can be artificially cooled.

Function: Create a suitable low temperature and high humidity environment for storing items through cooling facilities.

Purpose: It is a place for processing and storing perishable goods such as agricultural and livestock products, food, and medicine, which can escape the influence of climate, effectively extend their shelf life, and regulate market supply.

A complete cold storage, regardless of size, is a highly integrated system. It is not just the visible ‘cold room’, but is composed of multiple core systems working together.

We can break down the components of the cold storage into the following four core systems:

This is the “body” and “shell” of the cold storage, mainly used for insulation and isolation from external humid and hot air.

Cold Storage body:

Function: The walls, ceilings, and floors that make up the cold storage prevent the loss of cooling capacity.

Material: Both sides are usually made of color steel plate or stainless steel plate, and the middle layer is made of insulation material.

Core insulation material:

Polyurethane: currently the mainstream choice, with the best insulation performance, but slightly higher price.

Polystyrene: Its insulation performance is slightly inferior, but it is cheap and suitable for room temperature warehouses with low requirements.

Extruded board: usually used for ground insulation, with strong compressive strength.

Kumen:

Function: It is the channel for goods to enter and exit, and also the place where cooling capacity is most easily lost.

Type: Depending on the usage scenario, there are sliding doors (saving internal space), hinged doors (similar to household doors), electric rolling shutter doors, and free doors (quick access, commonly used in logistics channels).

Ground insulation and antifreeze measures:

Function: To prevent the cold from the ground from being transmitted to the foundation, which may cause frost heave and cracking of the foundation.

Method: For low-temperature cold storage, in addition to laying insulation layers on the ground, it is usually necessary to lay electric heating wires or ventilation pipes for heating to prevent soil freezing and damaging the ground.

This is the “heart” and “blood vessels” of the cold storage, responsible for generating cold and delivering it to the warehouse.

Compressor:

Function: The “power source” of the refrigeration system compresses the refrigerant to circulate and transfer the heat inside the storage to the outside.

Common types:

Fully enclosed: Sealed like a compressor in a household refrigerator, with low power, used for micro sized cold storage.

Semi enclosed/vortex type: commonly used in medium-sized cold storage, with high efficiency and easy maintenance.

Screw type: commonly used in large cold storage, with huge power and smooth operation.

Condenser:

Function: Heat dissipation device. Cool the high-temperature and high-pressure gas discharged from the compressor into liquid.

Type:

Air cooling: Blows with a fan like an air conditioner outdoor unit, easy to install, commonly used in small warehouses.

Water cooling: using a water tower to circulate water for cooling, with high heat dissipation efficiency, suitable for medium-sized and above cold storage that requires stable operation.

Evaporative: Combining air and water cooling, it has good energy-saving effect and is common in large cold storage.

Evaporator:

Function: Heat absorbing device. Installed inside the warehouse, the liquid refrigerant evaporates and absorbs heat here, causing the temperature of the warehouse to drop.

Common forms:

Air cooler (ceiling mounted): The most commonly used, it uses a fan to forcefully blow air, which cools down quickly but has a drying effect (suitable for most scenarios).

Duct: Installed around or at the top of the warehouse, it relies on natural convection heat transfer, has no wind sensation, and has good moisturizing effect. It is suitable for goods that need to be stored for a long time and are afraid of drying out (such as meat, garlic, and apples), but it is more troublesome to defrost after frosting.

Expansion valve and pipeline:

Function: Adjust the flow and pressure of refrigerant, and connect various devices.

Refrigerant: A medium used to transport heat, commonly including R22 (gradually phased out), R404A, R134a, R410A, R717 (ammonia, used in large cold storage), etc.

This is the “brain” and “nerve” of the cold storage, responsible for commanding equipment operation and monitoring status.

Cold storage dedicated control box/electrical control cabinet:

Function: Centralize control of the start and stop of compressors, fans, defrosting heating wires, etc.

Function: Includes contactors, thermal relays, overload protectors, etc.

Temperature and humidity controller/display screen:

Function: Set and display the temperature inside the library. Usually, sensor probes are inserted into the warehouse.

Advanced: Medium sized and above cold storage will have a PLC touch screen, which can view historical temperature curves, fault alarm records, etc.

Defrosting system:

Function: If the evaporator works for a long time, it will freeze and frost, affecting the cooling effect and requiring regular melting.

Method: There are usually electric heating defrosting (small storage) and hot gas defrosting (large storage, using hot gas discharged by a compressor).

lighting:

Function: Lighting inside the warehouse.

Requirement: Moisture proof, explosion-proof, and corrosion-resistant cold storage special lights (LED cold storage lights) must be used, and the switch is usually installed on the outside of the warehouse door with indicator lights.

This is a supporting facility for cold storage. Although it is not a direct refrigeration, it is crucial for daily use and cargo safety.

Shelf system:

Function: Improve space utilization and facilitate the stacking of goods.

Types: Light duty shelving, medium duty shelving, heavy-duty crossbeam shelving, and drive in shelving (for large warehouses).

Temperature Monitoring and Recording System :

Function: Real time monitoring of temperature. Once the temperature is abnormal, an alarm can be triggered through a mobile app or SMS. This is a mandatory requirement for pharmaceutical warehouses and high-end food warehouses.

Backup power source (generator):

Function: To prevent sudden power outages from causing a rise in warehouse temperature and damage to goods. For cold storage facilities storing valuable goods or vaccines, a backup power source is essential.

Ventilation and air exchange system:

Function: For cold storage of fruits and vegetables (especially controlled atmosphere storage), fresh air needs to be introduced to remove carbon dioxide and ethylene, preventing fruits and vegetables from spoiling.

Summary diagram: Cold storage workflow

Heat in the warehouse → absorbed by the evaporator → refrigerant turns into gas.

Gas is extracted by the compressor → compressed into high-temperature and high-pressure gas → sent to the condenser.

Condenser heat dissipation → refrigerant returns to liquid.

The liquid is throttled and depressurized through the expansion valve, and then returns to the evaporator to absorb heat again.

Repeatedly, the temperature inside the warehouse decreases.

The electric control box controls the start and stop of all the above links to ensure a constant temperature.