The Gasketeers Blog
Gasket know-how, refrigeration tips and straight answers for Boulder County kitchens.
The Dollar Bill Test, and the Three Checks That Beat It
The dollar bill test finds obvious gaps and misses the rest. Three better checks a kitchen can run in five minutes, and what each one actually proves.
Garrett Voss 7 min read
Read the article
The Seal Looks Fine and Still Leaks: Hardening and Compression Set
No tears, no gaps, still losing cold. Compression set and hardening are the failure modes you cannot see, and dry Front Range air brings them on faster.
Garrett Voss 6 min read
Gasket Materials Compared: PVC, TPE, Santoprene, Silicone and EPDM
Five materials, five service lives. What each commercial gasket compound handles, where it fails first, and which ones belong in a freezer versus a prep table lid.
Garrett Voss 7 min read
Your Cooler Door Drifts Open: Closers, Hinges and Door Sag
A door that drifts open costs more than a torn seal and no gasket will fix it. How to tell a spent closer from a sagging hinge from a door that is out of square.
Garrett Voss 7 min read
Fogging and Sweating Glass Display Doors: What the Seal Has to Do With It
Condensation on merchandiser glass is not always a heater fault. How to tell a failed door seal from a failed anti-sweat system before you pay for the wrong repair.
Garrett Voss 7 min read
Frost and Ice at a Walk-In Freezer Door: Four Possible Causes
Ice at the threshold, frost around the frame, a door freezing shut each morning: how to tell a seal problem from a sweep, threshold or frame heater problem.
Garrett Voss 7 min read
Six Reasons the Gasket You Ordered Online Does Not Fit
Right model number, wrong gasket. The six fitment traps behind most returned commercial door seals, including mid-production profile changes and retro-fitted doors.
Garrett Voss 6 min read
No Data Plate, No Part Number: Identifying a Discontinued Cooler
The plate is painted over, the manufacturer is gone and the part number is dead. Here is how a discontinued unit still gets an exact gasket, without guesswork.
Garrett Voss 7 min read
The Five Photos That Let Us Quote a Gasket Without a Part Number
Skip the tape measure. Five photos of your door, corner, channel and data plate are usually enough for an exact gasket quote, even on a discontinued unit.
Garrett Voss 6 min read
Dart to Dart or Outside Edge: Why Two Suppliers Quote Different Sizes
Two suppliers, two numbers, same door. Here is what each measuring convention means, which one your unit's paperwork uses, and how to stop ordering the wrong size.
Garrett Voss 6 min read
Cold Side Door Seals for Boulder County Breweries and Taprooms
Boulder County has 40 breweries. Walk-ins, keg coolers and merchandisers all seal differently, and all of them have to be serviced around a production schedule.
Garrett Voss 7 min read
Grocery Glass Door Run: Twelve Doors, One Visit
A Boulder County grocery with a run of fogging glass doors: how we surveyed twelve doors, what varied between them, and how the work was staged around trading hours.
Garrett Voss 6 min read
Longmont Brewery Walk-In: Resealing a Door That Never Stopped Moving
A Longmont brewery walk-in with a door in constant use: the seal and hardware we found, what we replaced, and how we scheduled around a production week.
Garrett Voss 6 min read
Boulder Restaurant Reach-In: From Failed Temperature Check to Sealed
A Boulder kitchen with a reach-in that would not hold temperature: what we found on the door, what we fitted, and how long the unit was out of service.
Garrett Voss 6 min read
Why Front Range Kitchens Lose Door Seals in Summer
Boulder swings from 88F afternoons to 57F nights in July, and dry air hardens vinyl seals. Here is why marginal gaskets give up in summer and what to check in May.
Garrett Voss 6 min read
OEM, Aftermarket or Custom Cut: Choosing a Commercial Gasket
How the three gasket options really differ on fit, service life and lead time, and which one is right when the manufacturer part still exists and when it does not.
Garrett Voss 7 min read
Replacing a Commercial Gasket Yourself: When It Works and When It Costs More
A snap-in reach-in gasket is a genuine DIY job if you order the right part. Here is where that goes wrong, and what a service visit adds beyond the install.
Garrett Voss 7 min read
Door and Seal Maintenance Across a Commercial Kitchen
Every cold door in a commercial kitchen, from walk-ins to prep table lids, with the inspection interval each one actually needs and who should be doing it.
Garrett Voss 7 min read
The Walk-In Door Maintenance Checklist for Commercial Kitchens
A printable monthly walk-in check covering seals, sweeps, thresholds, hinges, closers and latches, built from what actually fails on Boulder County doors.
Garrett Voss 6 min read
Can a Commercial Gasket Be Repaired, or Does It Need Replacing?
Small tears, lifted corners, hardened seals and dead magnets: which gasket faults can genuinely be repaired, which are wasted effort, and how to tell in two minutes.
Garrett Voss 7 min read
Cleaning Commercial Refrigerator Gaskets Without Destroying Them
The weekly routine that keeps door seals pliable, the cleaners that harden and crack vinyl, and why mould keeps coming back in the same corner of the fold.
Garrett Voss 7 min read
Gasket Mounting Profiles: Snap-In, Push-In, Screw-In and Compression
Snap-in, push-in, screw-in, compression, magnetic and hook: how to tell which profile your unit uses from one corner photo, and why it decides your options.
Garrett Voss 7 min read
Walk-In Cooler Door Problems and What Each One Is Telling You
Doors that drift open, seals that gap at the top, sweeps that drag: what each walk-in door symptom means and which part of the door actually needs the work.
Garrett Voss 7 min read
Commercial Refrigerator Door Not Sealing: Work Out Why in Five Minutes
A working order of checks for a commercial fridge door that will not seal: seal, hinge, closer, latch and frame, and which of them a new gasket actually fixes.
Garrett Voss 6 min read
Where to Find the Data Plate on Commercial Refrigeration, Brand by Brand
True, Traulsen, Turbo Air, Kolpak and more: where each manufacturer hides the data plate, which number orders the gasket, and what to photograph.
Garrett Voss 7 min read
How to Measure a Commercial Refrigerator Gasket Correctly
Measure a commercial door gasket in five minutes without ordering the wrong size, plus the two measuring conventions suppliers use and which one your quote needs.
Garrett Voss 7 min read
What Commercial Refrigerator Gasket Replacement Costs in Boulder County
Real price ranges for commercial gasket replacement in Boulder County, the five factors that move a quote, and when a custom profile costs more than a stock one.
Garrett Voss 7 min read
Behind every article
Garrett Voss, Refrigeration Gasket Specialist
Servicing commercial kitchen equipment in Boulder County since 2011, with over 4,000 door seals replaced on walk-ins, reach-ins and display cases. He writes about the problems he sees in the field every week.
Meet the authorKeep your kitchen cold and compliant.
One call seals it. Free quotes across Boulder County, usually same week.