Installation Guide

Snowman Cooler Installation Instructions include guidelines for your walk-in cooler or freezer, including personnel doors, ceiling panels and supports, and electrician instructions. We provide a copy of Installation Instructions with each order and have included a copy here for your convenience.

When your shipment arrives please: 

• Check for damage.
• Check for the correct number of parts according to your bill of lading.
• Inform the trucking company of any damage or incorrect number of parts before they leave your site. The parts were thoroughly inspected prior to shipping and any damages must be reported to the shipper within 15 days of receiving your order for any claim to be accepted.
• If there is obvious damage, have the driver note it on the freight bill and sign it.

Critical Information 

Once the freight bill has been signed and the shipment accepted, any shortages or non-reported damages are not recoverable. If you have any questions regarding the shipment, call us within 7 days.

Locate Your Installation Tool Box

You should find:

• Layout drawing w/possible special instructions
• Cam-lock activating wrench
• Bag of cam-lock access cover caps

Using your drawing, lay out on the floor the correct location for your cooler/freezer. Be aware of clearances needed for ventilation. Plum, level, straight, and square are a good thing to remember when laying out the floor and location to install your walk-in cooler/freezer.

A chalk-line is the most common method for floor layout, using the 3,4,5 method and multiples of it for checking the square of your layout. Once you are comfortable with your layout measurements and location, you can begin.

Panels are Marked as Follows:

• Floor panels — F-1, F-2, F-3, etc.
• Wall panels — W-1, W-2, W-3, etc.
• Header panels — H-1, H-2, etc.
• Sill panels — S-1, S-2, etc.
• Ceiling panels — C-1, C-2, C-3, etc.
• Doors — D-1, D-2 etc.
• Corner units — COR-1, COR-2, COR-3, etc.

** All panel to panel connections utilize the same tongue and groove/cam lock system.

**The lock used in this system is activated using the large “L” shaped Allen wrench provided in your installation kit.

Important:

Do not overtighten the cam lock. The lock is designed to have about 3/4 turn clockwise and then back 3/4 turn counter clockwise. This 3/4 turn takes the lock from the fully engaged position to the fully disengaged position. Under the conditions of excess force, the lock could malfunction and would need to be replaced. When the tongue and groove and the cam locks are engaged, the panels cannot be moved or adjusted. Any attempt to do so will damage the panel/panels. If damage to the panel itself is sustained, the entire panel would need to be replaced.

Installing Floors:

If your unit has a floor, start here. (If your unit does not have a floor, please skip this step and proceed to the Installing Walls section.)

• Find the F-1 panel and position it according to the drawing, lining up with your chalk marks as its final position.
• Find the F-2 floor panel and position alongside F-1 panel tongue to groove, nesting with each other. (Cam locks should be disengaged).
• Insert wrench through access hole to the cam lock, and rotate clockwise engaging cam lock, check to see if the cam lock is fully engaged (try to slide panels apart). Should the lock not properly engage, insert wrench and turn counter clockwise fully, approximately 3/4 turn, this resets cam. Repeat the procedure for all locks. Continue with the numerically ordered F-panels following your plan until your floor is complete.

Installing Walls:

• When using our manufactured floor, wall panels install on top of flooring and lock together using the cam lock system.
• When utilizing an insulated concrete floor, the first step is to install the provided screeding. Align screeding OFFSET 7/16″ with the cooler box chalk line you made and silicone to floor using 2 beads of silicone approximately 3″ apart.
• The wall panels sit inside the screeding and should line up with the chalk line on the floor. Find the panels marked W-1 and W-2 and insert them into screeding positioned as your layout drawing shows.
• When not using a floor, bottom of wall panels are flat.

Panels sit tongue to groove, nesting with each other. All of the lock access holes are on the inside of your cooler/freezer. Because of possible variations with your floor, be sure to align all wall panels even at the top. (Cam locks should be disengaged.) Insert wrench through access hole to cam lock, and rotate clockwise engaging cam lock. Check to see if the cam lock fully engaged. (Try to slide panels apart.) If lock did not properly engage, insert wrench and turn counter clockwise fully approximately 3/4 turn, this resets cam. Repeat procedure for all locks. Continue with the numerically ordered W-panels following your plan until the walls are complete.

Installing Personnel Doors:

Personnel doors come pre-hung, within their own door jamb, ready for your electrician to make their connection. The door jamb connects to adjoining wall and ceiling panels (and floor panels if a manufactured floor is used), utilizing the same tongue and groove/cam lock system as all panel to panel connections.

With the door in the closed position, the clearance reveal between the door perimeter and door jamb should remain a constant factory set dimension on both sides and top of door. This preset clearance allows the magnetic gasket used in all our personnel doors to work most efficiently. The bottom of door to bottom of door jamb clearance is preset at factory for optimal performance of the door sealing strip/sweep. If the reveal at the top of the door is not constant, the header is not level from left to right, or the hinge side of jamb is not plumb, make the necessary adjustments. If the reveal on the left or right of door is not constant, the left or right jamb is not plumb, make the necessary adjustments. If the door is not flush with the jamb, (top or bottom corner protrudes out) the magnetic gasket will not provide a proper seal. This is caused by the jamb not being plumb. Make the necessary adjustments. When complete, all components of the personnel door will function properly. To ensure a proper seal, apply a generous bead of silicone underneath the door threshold.

Installing Ceiling Panels:

The ceiling panels are labeled C-1, C-2, C-3 in numerical order through completion. Please start with C-1. Position C-1 and C-2 on top of wall panels according to your plan. All joints utilize the tongue and groove/cam lock system. Make sure the ceiling to wall joint is well seated. Then activate the cam locks to attach C-1 to C-2, while holding downward pressure on the ceiling panel proceed to activate the cam locks from ceiling to wall panels for the C-1 panel only. Then Position C-3 panel and lock to the C-2 then lock C-2 to the walls. Repeat this procedure through completion of ceiling.

Ceiling Supports (Hanger system)
When walk-in coolers/freezers sizing becomes too large (wide) to allow self-supporting ceilings, a ceiling support system is included with the order. The ceiling support plate is captured between panels at and by the cam lock mechanism at specific locations. Being captured between the panels a cable or rod is attached from the support plate to a mounting point at the roof above. Ceiling supports are also used for glass door openings over 10 ft to take excessive weight off of glass door frames.

Seam Sealing Instructions:

All floor, wall, and ceiling panel seams are to be sealed with 100% food grade silicone sealant. Open the end of the tube by cutting and install nozzle, cut the nozzle to the proper width for you needs. Apply the silicone with steady even pressure and speed to fill the cavity between adjacent panels. The silicone will skin over in 15 minutes, so tooling of the seam must be done as soon as possible. Clean up is done with acetone.

CAUTION: Safety is important. Make sure there is adequate fresh air, curing silicone releases an acid into the air, and acetone produces dangerous and volatile fumes!

Final Inspection:

1. Make sure all locks are locked, all seams are sealed, all access holes are plugged.
2. Check the operation of the door/doors and proper sealing of the door/doors.
3. Makes sure operational temperature is set.
4. Make sure all excess silicone is removed and all cleaning has been completed.

Maintenance Procedure:

1. In order to clean the surfaces of your cooler/freezer or to remove spills, use a mild detergent in water and clean as needed to provide a proper environment within the cooler/freezer.
2. Clean and inspect door gaskets on a regular basis.
3. Should any hardware become damaged or non-functional, call for replacements.

CAUTION: THE TOP OF YOUR WALK-IN COOLER/FREEZER IS NOT FOR STORAGE. IT IS NOT DESIGNED TO CARRY ADDITIONAL LOADING. ANY DAMAGE DUE TO ADDITIONAL LOADING IS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY.