Reefer Vans as a Cold Storage for 1-3 years contineously

Google FEMA and ice.

Dear Mr. Gonzales,

I have never done what your asking about but , most of my life's work experience has been making do with what little I have , to cover my needs and I also was in the restaurant business, once upon a time. The trucks would do the job perhaps but the County Health Department might have an issue with your set up, if its not "inspectable" and able to be kept cleaned. As in any freezer situation a watchful overview by lawful regulation ( they were such a pain in the , well you know) and of course us owners monitoring our frozen goods must be available as that thermostats were hanging in the freezer throughout, so anyone can inspect, know temps were consistent, and this will most likely be a requirement for the truck bodies.

As that I am now an also energy conservation guy and because I have a few trucks too, I know that the refrigeration units, can lack the best insulation at least for long term storage. This is so as to leave us ample room to haul some freight down the road, while being just cool enough.

With energy cost to keep the reefer units cooling , were I to use the storage trailer bodies, I would consider the addition of several inches , outside the truck body, of a good polyisocyanurate insulation. There will be a thermal break from the truck body but this will still give you less compressor run time and colder ice cream. Perhaps, buried trucks would be wise to, if the inspectors will allow this. Sell them on that one. They worry so much about dust , but the 57 or so degrees, of Mother Earth, would keep temps from rising so much in the summer.

This is probably stuff you knew already but, I hope that helps you some !

Best Of Luck ,

Joe Woodall, Managing Partner

Georgia Adobe Rammed Earth & Renewable Energy

2395 Bowman Hwy. NW.

Dewy Rose, GA 30634

http://www.georgiaadobe.com

706-213-7693

Thanks Joe, actually we want to establish the more economical storage as compared to building type cold storage with flexible capacity as you know the ice cream business is seasonal in nature. Yes, we do mount the trailer itself and to lessen direct sun exposure we house them as much as possible.

Looking forward to your experiences shared once confusion struck me.

Mr. Gonzales,

I agree with TVP45 about the energy efficiency. 1-3 years is a long time for frozen storage, so I expect that you would ideally want a very well-insulated area and to have the temperature below 0 deg-F (below -18 deg-C). Also, I assume you would need to worry about rotating stock and maintaining good air flow between the stored items and the walls. Trailers are fairly small, so they have a lot of wall surface for the internal volume. But, if that is all that is available, you may have to use it. I would hope that you can find better approaches.

--JMM.

Thanks JMM, actually the stocks will cover the 1-2 weeks inventory or less during peak season. However, my concern is more on the reliability of running contineously if not proper preventive maintenance is applied.

Both I and my post are crazy so here goes:

Legally mount electrical outlets to the outside of the building. Add an AC/DC converter to your reefers and plug in your trucks. This isn't as good as emptying the trucks for inspection of product and cleaning of the truck but it might even work.

Orpheuse

Thanks Orpheuse! Its worth noting the AC/DC converter installation.

What is theAC/DC converter for? All of the big refrigerated trucks and containers I have seen run on 230 3 phase or are switch selectable 230/460 3 phase. Some small ones were 230 1 phase, but most were 3 phase.

I agree that a constant vigal must be maintained regarding monitoring the units, as one poster mentioned they are not "set and forget" units. I have seen several used for long term applications, but they needed attention fairly often, much more than the twice a year the original poster mentioned. -- JHF

I believe you're right, I check it with our Electrician and says no need for AC/DC converter. Anyway, its worth taking note. Thanks.

I would be very hesitant to recommend this. These units are not designed for continuous operation of that duration.

While not with food, I work at an electronics sytems manufacturer, I have similar experience. We are really short on space right now, so we are using environmentally controlled connexes (reefers, you could say) to store some our system components. Needless to say, they have been a logistical nightmare. We have experienced several failures, one heated up to 130F, another went down to -35F, etc. They all have had the same 72 deg F setpoint. Very touchy units. They are definately not a "set it and forget it" type of thing. We have to inspect them daily for problems. Oh did I mention that they are power hogs!

Just my experience.

Thanks Ian! In our experience, more of temperature heat up.

Lui Gonzales,

Hello and sorry I have been going about but I have now heard of your question.

Reefer trailer is not designed as long term storage but if enough maintenance is observed could suffice.

#1 is portable may need registration or?? Needs refrigeration unit inspection bi-annually.

Good reefer trailer if temp kept below -19F will keep below 17F for four hours, enough time for repair or R&R unit.

Good use of equipment keep your eye on the temperature and use of the right tool for the job always pays a dividend.