Shipping Containers Blog

Posts Tagged ‘reefers’

Most refrigerated containers (reefers) sometimes known as ambient temperature containers, need a 3 phase power supply to run effectively.   This is often found on farms, industrial estates as standard but not in normally in a domestic setting.    Most suppliers of refrigerated containers will have the capability of  commissioning the container on the customer’s site.   However, sometimes, a  engineer known to the customer personally might be called in.  

It is important to be able to give the following information:-

• The power requirements for 3 phase are 380/440VAc with a current rating of 32 amp. 
• The circuit should be protected by an RCD (Residual Current Device) with a leakage trip level of 30mA
• The socket should suit a  5 Pin Ceeform 32A  conforming to BS4343
• A minimum of 8m of cable should be supplied for a 20ft unit and 10m of cable for a 40ft unit

New Refrigerated Containers

Often customers ask for single phase powered refrigerated containers.   The most common size found for this is 10ft.   However it is important to note that the 10ft refrigerated containers are often more expensive than a 20ft or even a 40ft.   This is because it is not a size commonly used in shipping and any 10ft  containers are normally purposely built for the domestic market.  

Whilst 10ft refrigerated containers can chill and freeze using a single phase supply, 20ft and 40ft refrigerated containers often struggle to freeze successfully.   This is because in order to become single phase the 3 phase refrigeration units are often taken out and replaced with single phase ones that often do not have the capacity to freeze the cubic meterage of a 20ft or 40ft container.   As a result the single phase 20ft or 40ft units are often just referred to as chiller containers.

If a 3 phase supply is not (or even no electricity supply at all) available on site but a freezing capacity is still required clip on generators can often offer a solution.  In a future post we will discuss the basic facts of clip on generators and what to look for when purchasing.