Even though we need our freezers to be cold, the build up of frost is actually bad. This is pretty common knowledge in the foodservice industry, but not everyone knows the dirty details as to why frost is bad in your walk-in freezer.
FROST BUILD UP DAMAGES FOOD.
The first issue with frost build up in a walk-in freezer is it damages food. Freezer burn will impact the integrity of cellular composition in both meats and vegetables, which will ultimately decrease the quality of foods when they're prepared and served to guests. Frost on food will change the way food tastes, smells, and in some cases, even the safety of foods.
FROST MAKES YOUR FREEZER OPERATE POORLY.
Freezer and refrigeration systems don't add cold air into your walk-in. They make your walk-in colder by removing the hot air. When frost builds up as a layer of ice, this causes the compressor to actually work harder than it would otherwise. It sounds counter intuitive, but frost actually makes it harder to reduce the temperature of your walk-in, meaning it's highly inefficient.
FROST IS EXPENSIVE.
The most important aspect of frost build up is it costs restaurants and foodservice operations money. Whether you're talking about food waste from damaged food, lost revenue from unhappy guests who ate damaged food, or compressors that use up too much energy to maintain proper temperatures, frost is expensive.
On the contrary, defrost systems that create ideal storage conditions without wasting energy can be a great asset. Traditionally, defrost cycles have operated on a clock that is manually set at specific time intervals, but this wastes energy because the system will likely operate during periods when it's not actually needed.
The best way to efficiently maintain ideal temperatures is with an on-demand defrost system that only operates when needed. This type of "smart" technology operates only when needed, and it ultimately is the best way to combat the negative impacts of frost build up.