Modularm Corp., a manufacturer of innovative temperature and refrigeration monitoring systems designed to protect perishables, save energy and increase operator safety, recently presented the DAC-55 Door Monitor.

According to the company’s press release, this patented and functionally integrated device for monitoring doors on walk-in coolers and freezers offers such benefits as energy savings, automation of certain functions which are normally done manually, training of personnel to close doors, increased operator safety, improved product integrity, and lowered maintenance costs. Using magnetic contacts to sense door status, the DAC-55 combines a time adjustable audible and visual door ajar alarm with remote notification capability, automatic control of compartment lights (replaces light switches), and user configurable automatic interruption of the refrigeration system relative to the status of the door (replaces fan shutoff switches) into a single compact unit.

“We’ve been using the DAC-55 on our walk-ins and it works very nicely,” says John Baptis of King’s Super Markets in Parsippany, NJ. “It’s more reliable than fan timers and the doors get closed.” A controlled test conducted at King’s found that the DAC-55 can reduce the amount of time walk-in doors are ajar by as much as 86%, and the amount of time lights are left on by as much as 99.5%. An optional IP-1 Illuminated Pushbutton, installed inside of the walk-in, provides Panic (Entrapment) Alarm annunciation and expands other device functions.