Regular gasket inspections are vital – but are they enough?

Kitchen managers and catering companies that regularly inspect their fridge and freezer door seals are less likely to be unintentionally burning extra energy. But what happens when a seal is found to be broken or no longer fit for purpose?

In most cases, it is left to an admin team or service engineer to source a replacement gasket, and the OEM or a wholesaler is usually the first port of call.

Since these companies are almost always based overseas, getting hold of a new door seal involves global shipping and complex supply chains. Mistakes are often made with orders, which means you then have a returns process to deal with, racking up more air, sea or road miles - plus the associated carbon emissions.

All the while, your refrigeration units continue to burn more energy than necessary as you're forced to wait for the replacement gaskets to arrive. For catering brands and food-related chains aiming to boost their sustainability credentials, this is far from ideal.

By sourcing your door seals from Gasket Guy, you can drastically reduce your carbon footprint. We are based in the UK and hold over 200 types of gasket in stock, which means we can often despatch your replacement seal within days rather than weeks. If your gasket profile is obsolete, we can manufacture a high quality seal here in the UK and either send it or come and fit it for you.

How better gasket management can reduce waste

Streamlining your door seal procurement process will bring you more than an immediate reduction in carbon emissions. It will minimise wastage.

Inefficient sealing doesn't just push up energy usage, it makes internal components work harder. From your compressor motor to your condenser fans to your thermostat electronics, increased load will shorten their lifespans. While some materials may be recyclable, those that aren't are destined for landfill.

If your fridge or freezer is beyond repair, the appliance itself will need to be dumped. While there are strict controls in place to avoid the release of refrigerants, should any of these escape, the gases are even more potent contributors to global warming than CO?

To guarantee 100% serviceability across your kitchens, we strongly recommend considering our Asset Register service. Our engineers will inspect your sites and enter the profile details of all gaskets from all appliances onto a central database. Rather than rummaging for paperwork and trying to locate ID plates, your admin team or service engineers will only have to read off an ID number from a sticker. We will even proactively reach out when your door seals are about to expire.

Are you accountable for your carbon emissions?

Catering chains and their site owners are increasingly being required to carry out sustainability audits. Increasing the operational efficiency of your refrigeration units while minimising the transport mileage of replacement parts is a quick and easy way to provide auditable proof of your efforts to decarbonise your supply chain.

Whether you're future-proofing your business from tightening eco regulations, competing for a national contract or simply trying to leave the planet in a better state for future generations, Gasket Guy can help.

Contact us or visit our dedicated webpage to find out more about the work we do with national catering companies. Sign up for a trade account to access group prices and multi-buy discounts.