Walk-In Cooler Strip Curtains: When They Help and When to Replace

A walk-in door stands open more than most people realize: during deliveries, restocking and prep. Strip curtains are the simple, inexpensive part that keeps a lot of warm air out while that happens, and they only work if they're whole, clean and hanging right.

What strip curtains do

When the door opens, cold air spills out along the floor and warm, humid room air flows in at the top. That warm air has to be cooled, and its moisture ends up as water or frost on the evaporator coil, the ceiling, the walls and the product.

Strip curtains are overlapping vertical strips of flexible vinyl hung across the door opening, usually just inside the frame. People and carts push through them, and the strips fall back into place behind. They do not seal like a door, but they slow the air exchange a great deal while the door is open.

The Conference for Food Protection's emergency plan for retail food stores notes that opening refrigeration doors makes food warm faster. That applies every day, not just during an outage, and it is the reason strip curtains exist.

The federal rule

Walk-ins built on or after 1 Jan 2009 must meet federal design standards. One of them requires strip doors, spring-hinged doors or another method of reducing infiltration when the door is open (10 CFR 431.306). Many walk-ins meet this with strip curtains; others use self-closing spring hinges or another approach.

If your walk-in came with strip curtains, removing them may take it out of line with how it was designed to comply. Before taking them down permanently, check with the installer or see DOE walk-in regulations and repairs.

Signs the curtains need attention

Why staff take them down, and fixes that work

Strip curtains that are annoying get tied back, and then they do nothing. Common complaints and practical fixes:

• "I can't see through them." Clean or replace cloudy strips. Clear vinyl should let people see someone on the other side.
• "They drag product off the cart." Consider wider, overlapping strips mounted on a quick-release rail so they can be swung aside during a delivery, then put back.
• "They're frozen stiff." In a freezer, use strips made for low temperatures.
• "They're slimy." Add them to the cleaning schedule (below).

Tip: A hook to hold strips aside during a long delivery is fine if someone is responsible for releasing them afterward. A hook that never gets released is the same as no curtain.

Cleaning strip curtains

Clean strips on the same schedule as other walk-in surfaces, more often in busy or greasy areas. See cleaning a walk-in cooler.

1. Lift the strips off their hangers, if the system allows, and lay them flat.
2. Wash with warm water and a mild detergent or a cleaner your food safety plan allows. Avoid harsh solvents, which cloud and stiffen vinyl.
3. Rinse, sanitize if your plan calls for it, and dry fully before rehanging. In a freezer, wet strips freeze.
4. Rehang with the correct overlap between strips.

Safety and visibility

Strip curtains are a collision point. People carrying stacked cases walk into them without seeing who's coming the other way.

• Keep strips clear and clean so people can see through them.
• Replace scratched or cloudy strips rather than waiting.
• Make sure the curtain doesn't block the inside release or any emergency lighting or alarm button.
• Keep the floor under the curtain dry. OSHA's restaurant guidance warns that condensation inside refrigerators or freezers can make floors wet and slippery.

Safety: Strips must never block the inside door release, or make it hard to find in the dark. See trapped in a walk-in.

Strip curtains, spring-hinged doors and other options

The federal rule allows more than one way to limit infiltration: strip doors, spring-hinged doors, or another method. What suits a walk-in depends on how it is used.

• Strip curtains suit boxes where the door stands open for deliveries and restocking, and where people push carts through.
• Self-closing, spring-hinged doors suit boxes where the door is opened briefly and closes behind each person. They do nothing while a door is propped open.
• Both together are common on busy boxes: the door closes itself, and the curtain limits air exchange when the door has to stay open.

Whatever the box uses, it should keep working. A curtain tied aside or a closer that no longer pulls the door shut leaves the box with neither.

Replacing strips

Replacing individual strips or a whole curtain is usually a staff or maintenance job.

• Measure the opening and count the strips. Note the width, thickness and overlap.
• Match the hanger system. Most curtains hang from a rail with hooks or clamp plates. Replacement strips must fit that hardware.
• Pick the right material for the temperature. Freezer strips should be rated for low temperatures.
• Choose the right weight. Heavier, wider strips stand up better to pallet jacks but are harder to push through by hand.

If a strip curtain is being replaced because the door stands open for long stretches, also look at why. A door that won't close on its own is a hardware problem. See door closers and hinges.

What worn curtains cause

Missing or tied-back strips contribute to:

• Ice buildup in walk-in freezer
• Walk-in cooler runs constantly
• Walk-in cooler high electric bill
• Evaporator coil frozen

For other low-cost ways to cut a walk-in's energy use, see the walk-in cooler energy efficiency guide.