Choosing the right gasket will reduce energy costs and help extend the life of cold-vault doors.
No one would dream of powering a Mercedes-Benz with a lawn-mower engine or painting a portrait of Queen Elizabeth with a spatula. So why are so many convenience-store operators willing to replace their cold-vault door gaskets—a necessary task that must be performed every three to five years—with cheap facsimiles that are ill-equipped for the job?
There’s no debate: As gaskets deteriorate, the level of air leakage in coolers and freezers will increase, which can compromise food preservation and safety and drive up electrical costs as compressors and motors work harder to maintain proper temperatures. Studies have shown that a gasket that has deteriorated just one-tenth of an inch will increase energy usage by 128 kWh annually. In a location with 10, 20 or more cold-vault doors, those added energy costs can take a significant bite out of the bottom line.
So while we’ve established that prompt replacement of damaged door gaskets is critical, there’s a second piece of the equation: The gaskets must be replaced with those that have been designed for use with the specific door model. Anthony®, a leading provider of cooler and freezer doors, gaskets and other related components, realizes the importance of this and takes great pains to develop replacement gaskets that are created to be part of a sealing system that guarantees a tight, energy-efficient seal between the door and frame.
Anthony’s gaskets are designed for use on its doors and built within one-sixteenth of an inch of architectural accuracy, a tolerance that knockoff gaskets can’t approach. Anthony uses precisely designed “darts” to attach the gasket to the door, which keep the gasket in place despite the daily use and abuse it is subjected to by customers and stockers. Its gaskets are also thicker than competitive models and designed to expand and contract like an accordion, which helps them absorb the shock of slamming cold-vault doors. The magnets in Anthony’s gaskets are also meticulously placed on the gasket so they conform to the specific dimensions of every Anthony door model and frame. Anthony’s magnets within its gaskets are tougher and thicker, too — all of which creates a stronger seal every time.
Even before the gasket reaches the door frame, Anthony treats it with the utmost level of tender loving care. The company builds its gaskets to order, hand-inspects each one prior to delivery and stores any additional gaskets in a temperature-controlled warehouse. Also, Anthony does not keep and store its gaskets longer than six months. Gaskets are like rubber bands in that too much environmental heating and cooling (or sitting on a shelf for an extended period of time) can cause them to harden, necessitating the need for tightly monitored storage temperatures and time frames. The company also packages and ships its gaskets so that they are not subjected to any wear deformations, such as twisting or tangling, that can lead to early deterioration.
Finally, Anthony’s gaskets are designed for its specific door model. Conversely, many knockoff gaskets are designed as a “one size fits all” solution for a whole slew of door types. The result is often an ill-fitting gasket that does not lie flat on the door frame, resulting in a poor seal and compromised performance.
“The simple fact is that if you use an Anthony gasket, you’ll reduce your total cost of ownership,” said Craig Little, president and CEO of Anthony. “The gasket is designed to do a very specific job, so if you replace it with a knockoff model, you’re doing yourself a disservice. As a result, you will incur higher energy costs, along with the added costs to repair or replace other wear parts, such as door lighting, mullions and frames.”
While Anthony has been setting the standard for gasket performance for decades, the company recently took that performance to the next level with the introduction of the LifePlus Gasket™. LifePlus Gaskets are constructed of a gasket material that is able to consistently keep its shape under varying temperatures and usage conditions. Coupled with the proper door hold-open technology, the useful life span of a LifePlus Gasket can be six to 10 years, or twice that of a standard gasket.
Anthony is also offering a 1+1=5 promotion in which any retailer who purchases one LifePlus Gasket and one of its Cloze Control™ door hold-open controls will receive five years of gasket warranty.