A smooth installation starts weeks before the truck arrives. Use this checklist to prepare your site for a new mortuary cooler so delivery day goes smoothly and your cooler is running as soon as possible.

Timeline

Current lead times are 4 to 6 weeks from approved shop drawings. Use that time to prepare the site, schedule your installer, and plan for delivery day.

1. Prepare the floor

Indoors: the cooler needs a level concrete floor. If the floor isn’t level, the installer will need to shim the panels, which takes extra time.

Outdoors: place the cooler on a smooth, level concrete slab at least 4″ thick. Avoid setting a cooler directly on asphalt.

Freezers: add an insulated floor, or use an insulated concrete slab if your contractor builds one.

Floorless coolers: the walls anchor to your existing floor with an NSF cove base, so the floor must be sound and level.

2. Check your clearances

• Around the cooler: leave about a 2″ air gap between the cooler and surrounding walls. We supply metal trim to close the gap.
• Above the cooler: leave about 36″ above a top-mounted refrigeration unit for service access and airflow.
• Inside height: an 8′ tall box has about 7’8″ of interior height because of the 4″ ceiling panel. An insulated floor takes about another 4¾”. If interior height matters, ask us to increase the overall height.

3. Plan the tile allowance

If the cooler door opens onto a tiled area, allow about ¾” under the door so it clears the tile. Tell your sales rep, and we’ll build it in.

4. Map the delivery path

Walk the route from the truck to the final location and measure:

• Every doorway, hallway, and turn
• Ramps, steps, and elevators
• Overhead obstructions like pipes, lights, and door closers
• The space needed to assemble panels in place

If you’re ordering a body box, ask whether it ships assembled, and check its outside dimensions against the narrowest point on the route.

5. Arrange power and refrigeration

• Confirm the electrical requirements on your quote, and have an electrician run service to the location.
• Decide where the refrigeration will sit, and keep the condenser clear of walls and other equipment.
• Line up a licensed refrigeration contractor to connect and start up the system.

6. Line up your installer

You can install the cooler yourself or use a contractor from our nationwide network. Installation is fastest when the installer has the shop drawings before delivery day.

7. Plan unloading

Drivers do not unload the truck. You’ll need people or equipment on site to unload, such as a forklift, a pallet jack, or a crew. Freight carriers usually give a delivery window of about 4 hours, and you’ll coordinate the arrival time directly with the carrier once the shipment leaves the factory.

8. Inspect the shipment

Damage is rare, but it happens. Before the driver leaves:

1. Inspect every crate and panel.
2. Note any damage on the Bill of Lading (BOL) and have the driver sign the note.
3. Photograph the damage.
4. Send the BOL and photos to your AWIC sales rep.

We’ll expedite replacement of the damaged piece. Damage that isn’t noted on the BOL is much harder to claim later.

9. Install promptly and protect the panels

Store panels indoors or covered until they’re installed, and install them promptly. Panels left outside in the weather can be damaged.

Delivery-day checklist

• Level floor or 4″ slab ready
• 2″ air gap and 36″ overhead clearance confirmed
• Tile allowance noted on the order, if needed
• Delivery path measured and clear
• Power run to the location
• Refrigeration contractor booked
• Installer booked with shop drawings in hand
• Unloading crew or equipment on site
• Phone and camera ready to inspect and document the shipment

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to install a walk-in cooler?

It depends on the cooler size, whether it has a floor, how easy the site is to reach, and who does the work. A walk-in is assembled panel by panel on site, so it takes more labor than a smaller unit. A licensed refrigeration contractor must also connect and start up the refrigeration, and an electrician may need to run power to the location.

Ask for installation as a separate line item on your quote so you can see it separately from the cooler and freight. You can install the cooler yourself or use a contractor from our nationwide network. Either way, we’ll send the shop drawings ahead of time so your installer can plan the job and quote it accurately.

Do walk-in coolers need an insulated floor?

Not always. It depends on location, use, temperature, and weather. Many indoor coolers sit on a level concrete slab with no insulated floor and use an NSF cove base to seal the wall-to-floor joint. That makes loading easier because cots and racks roll straight in, and you can wash down the whole room.

Freezers need an insulated floor to maintain temperature and protect the slab underneath. If you add an insulated floor to a cooler, remember it takes up about 4¾” of interior height, so ask us to raise the overall height if headroom matters. Your sales rep will recommend the right option for your site.

How do you wire up a walk-in cooler?

The door section arrives prewired. On an AWIC walk-in, the door light, switch, and heater (where needed) are factory-installed in conduit and terminate at a junction box above the door. A licensed electrician then makes the field connection, which is 120 volt, 60 cycle, single phase.

The refrigeration system has its own electrical requirements, which depend on the system we specify for your cooler. They’ll be listed on your quote and drawings. Send those to your electrician before delivery day so the power is in place when the cooler arrives.

Do walk-in coolers need a floor drain?

The refrigeration system does need somewhere to drain. As the evaporator coil inside the cooler removes heat, it collects condensation, and that water has to be piped to an approved drain. Your refrigeration contractor will route the line, so make sure there’s a suitable drain point near where the evaporator will sit.

Whether you need a floor drain inside the cooler itself depends on your local building and health codes and on how you plan to clean it. If you’ll be washing the floor regularly, ask your local inspector or engineer what’s required before you pour the slab or place the cooler.

Can I install a walk-in cooler myself?

Yes. Each panel is labeled and matched to the shop drawing, so you know exactly where it goes. The box goes together in rings: floor (if there is one), walls, then ceiling. Each panel joint locks with a hex wrench, and on a floorless cooler, a vinyl screed seals the wall panels to the slab.

Don’t do the refrigeration and electrical work yourself. A licensed refrigeration contractor should connect, charge, and start up the system, and a licensed electrician should make the power connections. If you’d rather not handle any of it, a contractor from our nationwide network can do the full installation.

Will the driver unload my cooler?

No. Freight drivers don’t unload, so you’ll need people or equipment on site to take the delivery, such as a forklift, a pallet jack, or a crew. Plan for the crates’ size and weight, and ask your sales rep how your order will be packed.

Carriers usually give a delivery window of about 4 hours. Once the shipment leaves the factory, you’ll coordinate the arrival time directly with the carrier, so keep your phone handy and have your unloading crew ready for that window.

What if something arrives damaged?

Inspect every crate and panel before the driver leaves. If anything is damaged, note it on the Bill of Lading (BOL), have the driver sign the note, and take photos. Then send the BOL and photos to your AWIC sales rep, and we’ll expedite a replacement for the damaged piece.

Don’t skip the BOL note, even for damage that looks minor. Damage not recorded at delivery is much harder to claim later, and a damaged panel edge or cam-lock can prevent the cooler from sealing properly once assembled.

Questions about your site? Call 1-800-430-4468. See all mortuary coolers, or compare body box coolers and walk-in mortuary coolers.