Five signs a commercial door seal needs replacing

A door seal fails slowly. By the time anyone notices, it's usually been costing money for months. Here's what to look for, and one test that takes ten seconds.

1. Cracking, tearing or mould

Run a finger along the seal. Commercial seals live in a wet, cold, constantly flexed environment and eventually go hard, crack at the corners or tear where the door swings.

Mould in the folds is worth taking seriously in a food environment, and once it's established in perished rubber it doesn't clean out properly. That's a replacement, not a scrub.

2. The paper test

Close the door on a sheet of paper so half of it is inside. Pull it out.

If it slides out with no resistance, the seal isn't gripping at that point. Repeat every 200mm around all four sides, because seals usually fail in one section rather than all over. The bottom corners on the handle side go first on most commercial doors.

3. Condensation or ice build-up

Warm air getting past a seal condenses when it hits cold surfaces. On a coolroom that shows as water pooling near the door or frost forming on the frame. On a freezer it's ice, and it builds until the door won't close square, which makes the leak worse.

Ice on the evaporator rather than the door usually points at something else, and that's worth a service call rather than a seal.

4. The unit runs more than it used to

A leaking seal means the compressor works harder to hold temperature. On a coolroom running around the clock, a failed seal can add a meaningful amount to a power bill and shorten compressor life at the same time.

If a fridge that used to cycle is now running almost constantly, check the seal before assuming the worse and more expensive problem.

5. You can't hold temperature near the door

Products near the door warming while the back of the room holds temperature is a strong sign the seal has gone. In a food business that's also a compliance issue, because your temperature records are the evidence you rely on if anything is ever questioned.

It might not be the seal

Worth ruling out before you order:

Dropped or sagging doors. A heavy commercial door that has dropped won't seal even with a new gasket. Check the hinges, and whether packers or shims would bring it back into line.

Worn latches. If the latch no longer pulls the door up tight against the seal, a new seal won't help. Cam-rise latches wear at the ramp.

A missing or blocked pressure relief valve. If a coolroom door is hard to open just after closing, that's vacuum rather than a seal problem.

If it is the seal

Measure it, or photograph the profile, and we'll match it. Most commercial profiles are stocked, and custom lengths are made to your measurements.