FAQ

General:

What is Refrigerated Structures of New England’s service area? 

We serve all of New England (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont), including customers in major cities (Boston, Providence, Bridgeport, Manchester, Portland, Burlington) and the surrounding areas.

We also service customers beyond New England! We travel to New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, down the Eastern Seaboard and throughout the Midwest.

What services does RSNE offer? 

• As a full-service thermal contractor, RSNE provides fabrication, installation, and repair of interior and exterior insulated metal panel (IMP) structures
• There is no job too big and no job too small. We can repair a gasket or hinge on your walk-in cooler door or build you a 90-foot freezer.
• We specialize in the construction of:

• Cold storage structures, such as retail, commercial, and industrial coolers and freezers
• Other temperature-controlled environments such as grow houses and clean rooms
• Exterior insulated metal panel installations
• RSNE can install and service/repair your structures due to our local presence.
• We custom build and install insulated metal panel structures for many industries and applications including cold storage, food processing, food distribution, food retail/restaurants, laboratory/metrology, automotive/car dealerships, and horticulture.
• We fabricate, install, and service replacement cooler and freezer doors, including swing, sliding, bi-part, roll-up, strip, air barrier, and double acting traffic doors.
• We provide custom repair for compromised insulated floors, walls, and ceilings.

What is your installation process like? 

1. Prior to the installation phase of a project, RSNE makes at least one site visit to review layout, logistics, and identify any potential complications that may affect a timely and efficient installation.
2. Once the site review is complete, RSNE will coordinate with the customer to finalize an installation date and confirm the expected duration of the project. Most smaller projects can be completed within 3-5 business days. For smaller projects, RSNE may “pre-build” or fabricate your structure in our Lakeville, MA facility prior to delivery and assembly at the job site. This reduces the amount of time required to custom cut our panels on-site and is particularly useful for structures being built in irregular or small spaces. In other cases (i.e., larger projects) RSNE may have materials delivered directly to our customer’s job site to streamline logistics.
3. RSNE provides all material handling and installation equipment for the project, and our own highly experienced technicians complete the project. RSNE does not subcontract our installation work or employ temporary labor.
4. Once RSNE’s structural work is complete, the other trades we partner with will complete the installation of all other required equipment and fixtures (e.g., refrigeration equipment, electrical, plumbing, etc.).
5. Finally, once the structure is fully operational, RSNE will meet with our customer to ensure complete customer satisfaction and confirm the structure meets our high standards for form, finish, and function.

How do you ensure compliance with safety, city permits, and health regulations? 

• RSNE fabricates all its cold storage structures in accordance with current NSF/ANSI standards and panel manufacturer specifications.
• All RSNE employees complete the OSHA 10-Hour safety training upon joining RSNE.
• Local permitting, if required, is always secured by the other licensed trades involved in our projects (e.g., general contractor, electrician, plumber, etc.). Building permits are not required for stand-alone cooler or freezer structures.
• RSNE is often contracted to repair or replace older and damaged structures that may be out of compliance with local Board of Health departments due to failed/deficient inspections, typically with our food service, food retail, and food distribution customers. RSNE has never been called back due to failed subsequent inspections once completing our repair or replacement work.

Do you install or repair refrigeration equipment? 

Refrigerated Structures of New England specializes in the “structure” only. We are thermal experts in the floors, doors, walls and ceilings of temperature-controlled environments. We partner with best-in-class HVAC-R contractors in the various geographies we serve and will make recommendations to our customers for installation and repair of refrigeration systems (evaporators, condensers, controls, etc.) as needed.

What sets Refrigerated Structures of New England apart from your competition? 

There are many contractors who claim to know how to install insulated metal panel structures. Many of those same folks will provide you with a low bid, use inferior materials, then sub-contract the installation to an inexperienced crew, and finally charge an exorbitant extra “repair” cost when the inefficient structure begins to exhibit failures.

At RSNE, building highly efficient, durable, and reliable insulated structures is what we do day in, day out. We take a highly consultative approach to our job estimation and scoping process. Once a project is confirmed, we fabricate all our products and components in our Lakeville, MA facility, using best-in-class materials and craftsmanship. We then coordinate a convenient installation schedule with you and install your project with our full-time experienced technicians. Unlike many contractors today, we show up when we say we’ll show up. With RSNE, there are no middlemen, distributors, or third-party installers. Our singular goal is your complete satisfaction.

Walk Ins:

What size cooler or freezer can you build? 

RSNE can custom build a cooler or freezer in any size and combination. We have built small custom coolers for specific applications (e.g., wine storage), combination freezers & coolers, and industrial sized coolers and freezers. We can fabricate any size structure to suit your needs based on the space you have available.

I think my walk-in needs help. Can you recommend whether I need repairs or a full replacement? 

Yes, we will come to your location and make a full evaluation of your current structure at no cost to you. Often, we can quote a long-term repair that will save you the cost of a new structure. However, if a full replacement is deemed necessary, we will explain why and provide you with an itemized quote. At RSNE, we build long-term relationships by providing value to our customers.

What form of insulation do you use for your coolers and freezers? 

RSNE uses a pre-engineered Insulated Metal Panel (IMP) system. In most applications, the insulating core is 4″ polyisocyanurate foam, clad by 26-gauge, embossed Galvalume. The R-value for our panels is 7.2-8.0 per inch. For more extreme applications, 5″ and 6″ panel widths are available, as well as multiple metal skins, thicknesses, and colors. There is no wood or mechanical cam-locks in our IMP system.

Do you repair insulated floors and ceilings?  

Yes, RSNE will evaluate your floor and provide a quote for either repair or replacement depending on the safety and integrity of the current surface.

DOORS:

What kind of doors do you install? 

We fabricate, install, and service replacement cooler and freezer doors, including swing, sliding, bi-part, roll-up, strip, air barrier, and double acting traffic doors.

Can you fabricate a custom replacement door for my existing door? 

Yes, we will build and install custom insulated swing or sliding doors of any size for any walk-in. Prior to fabrication, one of our qualified technicians will make a site visit to take exact measurements, ensuring that our door fits and functions perfectly in your walk-in.

Can I purchase a RSNE custom door and install it myself?  

While we prefer to install our own doors, yes, we will build and sell our doors to experienced customers for their direct pick-up and DIY installation.

Do you build coolers and freezers with glass reach-in doors?

Yes, we routinely build and install coolers and freezers for convenience stores, grocery stores, and liquor stores that include glass doors from all major manufacturers.