The door is an essential element of a cold room, because in addition to being the part most exposed to mechanical stresses, it also represents a potentially "weak" point in terms of proper cold-proofing. It is therefore essential that the door is designed, built and installed with care, and that quality components are used to properly secure the fixed part of the cold room (wall) to the mobile part (the door itself).
To meet this need, cold room doors were originally made of wood: a material that guarantees good insulation efficiency but is not as satisfactory from the point of view of durability, because it is inevitably damaged by the passage of air and water. Wood also proved not to be the optimal solution since cold room doors, by their very nature, are opened and closed repeatedly and have to withstand a high level of humidity; as a result, it was then insulated with other materials such as cork. With the advent of synthetic plastic materials, cold room doors went on to be made of polystyrene and, more recently, polyurethane foam.
There are now many solutions on the market for the production of cold room doors. Here are some of the options available, with a description of the aspects and advantages of the various types of door:
The different types of door each have their own distinctive features, and there is no one type that can be considered the “best” in a given context. The choice of a specific type of door can also depend on the customs and habits in the country concerned. In southern Europe, for example, overlapping doors are commonly used, while in the USA or Scandinavia, recessed and particularly semi-recessed solutions are preferred. And although these customs can affect the availability of components and spare parts, Intertecnica has developed a wide range of products to meet all construction needs.
All these aspects must be taken into due consideration during the design phase to arrive at the best solution for the case in hand, bearing in mind that each option offers different advantages and that a choice must be made in a thought out and fully informed manner.