Shipping Containers Blog

Posts Tagged ‘refrigerated container’

Like most shipping containers, refrigerated containers are available for hire.   Christmas time with many suppliers needing additional storage is the most popular time period for refrigerated container hire.   Perhaps this is not surprising given all the traditional goodies from turkeys to cheese, smoked salmon to luxury icecreams that we eat during the holiday period.   Supermarkets and small producers in keeping up with this demand, hire the refrigerated containers between October to January just to fill orders.

Refrigerated containers are ideal as they are easily transportable and can be set at any temperature between -20C to +20C.   Most require 3 phase electricity although they can be run off diesel fuelled generators or “gen-sets”.  The most common sizes are 20ft and 40ft containers.

For those who have never hired a refrigerated container before there are a few important points to remember.  

• The length of the hire has an impact on the weekly rental cost of the container itself - normally there is a minimum hire period of at least 4 weeks - with the longer the period of hire being the most economic.   This is partly due to the fact that the refrigerated container itself needs a pre-trip inspection (PTI) by a refrigeration engineer which ensures that the container itself will be in good running condition prior to being delivered.
• Haulage.  Most hires require that the cost of the haulage from the depot to the delivery site as well as the cost of the haulage back from the delivery site to the depot is paid in advance.   This acts as a guarantee that should the customer default on payment the container can be collected.
• Breakdown.   In case of the unit failing, breakdown cover should be provided as part of the hire contract.   The speed of this is important as you don’t want to be left with a whole load of frozen turkeys defrosting at the beginning of December.

For those of you considering hiring a refrigerated container for Christmas it would be a good idea to start looking for a company to supply this now if you have not done so already.   Many companies have already hired out most of their containers and may therefore be unable to help.

Second hand 10ft refrigerated container

If you are considering buying a 10ft refrigerated container the following facts may be useful:-

INTERIOR

    Length        245cm    Width         224cm    Height        222cm

    Cubic Capacity 13 cu m

    Door opening width 224cm      Door opening height 218cm

    Tare weight 1500kgs     Max gross weight 15000kgs

    Pallet capacity 5 to 6 depending on type

 EXTERIOR

    Length  300cm      Width  243cm      Height 259cm

The downside of 10ft containers is that they are normally more expensive than the more widely available 20ft and 40ft containers as they are not built in such numbers and do not have such a demand in the commercial marketplace.

So, carrying on from the questions we answered yesterday on refrigerated containers, we have the more technical aspect here.  A big thanks to Kev for getting these through to us in a way that we had a chance of understanding.

What power does a refrigerated container require?
Most marine units run on 3 phase electricity.   The actual requirements depend on the type of machine i.e. Carrier, Thermoking, Daikin, Misubishi, Zanotti etc., the ambient temperature, set point of the machine and the product placed inside.  But to give an idea based on a Carrier machine set to chill in this country it would require 40/60 amps per phase on start up and on running will pull between 10/15 amps.
I don’t have a 3 phase electricity supply; can I still run my refrigerated container?
Some refrigerated shipping containers have been adapted to run from the single phase domestic electricity supply.  These are normally more expensive than the 3 phase models due to the additional work involved in converting them.  Alternatively, all refrigerated containers can be run off diesel powered gen-sets which clip onto the front of the machine.

What length is a cable on a refrigerated container?
On average the length of cable is 18 metres but this varies depending on the type of machine.

How often should I service my refrigerated container?

Every 6 months is recommended although this does depend on where the refrigerated shipping container is sited.  In a very dirty or dusty environment if not cleaned out regularly it will affect the operation of the unit and so a much more frequent servicing programme is recommended.

Hope you now know everything you need to know about refrigerated units - and I suspect many of you will know much more than you ever thought possible - so that tomorrow we can return to less technical stuff!

There are many different reasons for hiring a shipping container rather than getting involved in shipping container hire.   Mostly this is to do with the length of time you need the container for or using the container on a trial basis to see if it is the solution for you.   If you are considering hiring a shipping container for over 9 months it may well be more economic to consider buying a shipping container.   If you no longer require your container after this time you can either ask the company you bought it from to buy it back or sell it on ebay.

Whatever your decision here are some useful things to consider

1. To hire a container you will be asked to pay the delivery and collection charges up front.  Therefore you need to try and source your steel container from a depot near to you.   You want the haulage charge to be as small as possible in order to reduce costs.
2. The minimum hire length of a shipping container will normally be 28 days.   Even if you want your shipping container hire to be for less time than this you will still probably be asked to pay for the full 28 days.   This is normally paid per month in advance.
3. Very few companies will hire containers if they are to be used for export shipping.   This is because of the costs involved in reclaiming a container once it has left the country should you default on payment.
4. It is important that you ask about the notice you need to give when you no longer require your shipping container.   Most companies require a weeks notice.  As you will have already paid for the collection up front no further fees should be payable.
5. If you decide you want to buy the shipping container whilst you have it on hire, you should have the collection charge taken off the overall cost of the container.   If you have hired the container for over a year, most companies will give you a discount on the final purchase price.
6. The condition of the container is very important.  If you want to hire a second hand container then you should ensure that it is guaranteed to be wind and watertight and structurally sound.
7. If you wish to hire a new/once used container generally the minimum period of hire is for 2 years.
8. Refrigerated containers are also available for hire as well as storage/shipping containers.
9. Consider where you are going to place your container, as you really need a level surface in order to open the doors without difficulty.
10. Finally, you need to consider the security of your shipping container.  Ask for a lock cowl (lockbox) and a CISA heavy duty container padlock to prevent illegal access from bolt croppers and angle grinders.

Whatever you decide to do, don’t forget to discuss your needs with the company you intend hiring from.   There are many different options available and they may be able to suggest different answers to your particular needs.

We have been looking at how shipping containers make good homes and so today I thought that it would be fun if we had a look at some of the more eclectic uses that shipping containers have been put to.

Adam Kalkin’s developed the absolutely amazing concept above showing what can be done with shipping containers.  It was originally used in Italy at the 52nd Venice Biennial as a coffee stand by Illy but has subsequently traveled to the USA and elsewhere where it always makes an impact!  Not many cargo containers are able to do this at the touch of a button!

At the other end of the scale - at least technologically speaking - we have an example of a high rise building in Zürich which looks exactly like what it is - 17 old and rusty cargo containers.

The company has a strong ecological product ethos and so have used a shipping container conversion to make their 85ft high Freitag Shop.  It is connected by staircases and has a viewing platform at the top.

But shipping containers of whatever size don’t have to always be converted into anything quite as spectacular as the examples pictured above.  They are often found in much more everyday settings.  Our local garage has converted a 40 foot ISO container into a car wash which works very well.  Simon, our website guy, was out and about this weekend when he spotted this 20 foot shipping container providing shelter and security for a cash machine.  Thank you to him for taking a photo with his mobile!

But let us not forget the more everyday cargo container conversions.  These include chemical stores, refrigerated containers, smoking shelters, insulated containers, recording studios, tack rooms, p.e. equipment stores, offices, classrooms, roadside cafes, mess rooms and canteens to name but a few!

So, from the extraordinary to the everyday shipping containers can provide solutions on many different levels as a ecologically friendly, adaptable and highly transportable option for whatever conversion you are considering.

We are all getting used to seeing shipping container conversions of  amazing h0uses, art galleries and classrooms but, in order to prove that uses of shipping containers and container conversions are really is only limited to yor imagination, here are some of the more unusal requests we have had over the last few months.

1. Rogrigo the human cannon ball wants to be able to transport his cannon over to Australia and needs to be able to secure his cannon for the trip.   This enquiry is  relatively simple to do but how could anyone resist including such a request?   7 metres in length,  2 metres in width and 2.5 metres high it weights 2000-2500 kg so is a substantial piece of kit!   Luckily shipping containers are used to taking a lot more weight than that so, providing the cannon is kept anchored in side securely it should not prove to be a problem.
2. Refrigerated shipping containers are often put to the most unusual uses.   Have you ever thought of them as being useful for bug extermination?   A well-known country house uses them to put in their antique carpets and turns down the temperature to kill off all the nasties that are trying to chomp through the carpet fibres.  Apparently if you keep the carpets at -20C for two weeks, let them slowly come back to normal ambient temperature for another two weeks before repeating the process again, this solves the problem.  These carpets are priceless so the refrigerated containers have to be kept in a bonded warehouse or somewhere equally as secure to make sure the carpets don’t get stolen.
3. Talking of creatures with more than 2 legs, we have also been asked for a shipping container conversion of a refrigerated container so it could be used as a climate controlled holding tank for crabs for a sea aquarium whilst the crabs were breeding.   The floor had to be bunded to hold 1 metre depth of water at a constant temperature and have a ledge for the crabs to be able to climb up on.   At the same time the refrigerator motor had to be totally secure so the crabs could not get into it!
4. One of our refrigerated containers has been used to test a Range Rover!   Regulations apparently required that the car underwent a series of tests at -20C and these were carried out in one of our containers that we hired out for 16 weeks.   Amazing!
5. Maybe not such an unusual shipping container conversion - but rather an unusual use - was the request for a shipping container to be converted into a mobile on-line auction room.   Fitted out to a luxury spec it was to provide a place where clients would feel happy to bid for luxury yachts in all parts of the world be this at  the Boat Show at Earls Court or  St Tropez or even Florida!   With the different power requirements, lots of glass, sofas and expensive rugs, as well as the need for air conditioning and heating (depending on where the conversion was sited at any particular time) it certainly proved to be a detailed job to undertake!

So there you are, next time you look at a shipping container you can think of these requests and see them in a whole new light!

We mostly think of refrigerated containers as being purely commercial and of no interest to us cooking at home.   It is true, of course, that most of us will not have a 20ft or 40ft refrigerated shipping container sitting in our garden waiting for us to put our shopping in!   But in all likelihood many of the fresh ingredients that we buy have probably been in a refrigerated container before we ever get them home.

It isn’t fashionable now to admit that your ingredients have not all been sourced locally or been grown in your allotment or back garden.  Truth is most of the food we eat has travelled from various parts of the country or, indeed, various parts of the world.   Whether our lamb comes from our local farmer, or from Wales or New Zealand the truth is it has still probably been transported at some point in a refrigerated container.

These industrial containers  that we call refrigerated containers, work by keeping their contents at a different temperature than the surrounding environment.  Sometimes this involves the temperature being set at higher than that outside -which, if you think about it, means that calling them “refrigerated containers” could be inappropriate!    In fact the range that these so called refrigerated containers can be set at is between -20C and +20C.    This gives the opportunity to store a whole range of different products.   After all, different food stuffs will require different temperatures for storage.    Icecream, for example is going to need to be kept at a much lower temperature than lettuces!  Indeed the temperature controlled environment of the refrigerated shipping container means that everything can be kept fresh at the optimum temperature. 

So how is all this relevant to you at home and the stuff that you cook with everyday?   Shipping containers have bought the price of food down, and have made it possible for it to be transported from all over the world.   The majority of our food travels at some point by sea, road or train.   The standard size of a shipping container is 20ft or 40ft and it is these very sizes of  shipping containers, refrigerated or otherwise, which has brought down the price of transportation considerably.   The fact that standard shipping containers are either 20ft or 40ft  means that handling of all the containers could be done simply rather than using a variety of different machinery and lots of man power thus saving money.

So next time you are on the road travelling to the shops and pass a lorry taking food to the supermarket or to your local greengrocer you know exactly why that refrigerated container you have just overtaken has helped you with the meals you are planning to prepare.

Refrigerated Containers, sometimes known as reefer containers, are shipping containers designed to hold goods in a temperature controlled environment. This can be set anywhere between -20C to +20C. As such a refrigerated container is suitable for a variety of goods ranging from fresh produce (chill controlled), ice cream (hard frozen) to explosives and chemicals (temperature controlled). All controllers on refrigerated containers have a display that will show the set point and running temperature.

It is important to site a refrigerated container on level hard standing. The weight of the container’s insulated doors mean that unless the unit is sited correctly the doors are likely to be hard to open and may even get a build up of ice behind the door seals, effectively freezing them shut.

A refrigerated shipping container is designed to maintain the temperature of the goods placed inside rather than to blast freeze them. For maximum efficiency the products should be stacked a foot away from the front panel (which is the end opposite the doors!) and be a foot below the ceiling for maximum efficiency. This allows the airflow to pass under the product (through the t-bar flooring) and up by the doors, before passing over the top and back down again. Refrigerated containers are designed to maintain the temperature of the goods placed inside rather than to blast freeze them.

Most reefer containers normally have a Partlow to record the temperature that the unit is running at. Some controllers even have the facility to download information via a laptop equipped with the appropriate software programme. It is also possible to attach a system which, should the unit drop below the set temperature, a call is generated to a phone (mobile or land line) by way of warning so an engineer can be called out promptly to fix the problem.

In order to keep the reefer container running efficiently it is a good idea to defrost (remembering that this defrosts the machinery and not the product stored inside) once or twice a day. A service is recommended every 6 months but this does depend on where the unit is sited as dirt/dust will affect the operation of the unit if not cleaned out regularly. For example, if you are putting the refrigerated container in a dusty environment you may need to service your container more regularly in order to stop it from becoming clogged. The servicing interval can also be dependent on the temperature the unit is running at - chill is less work for the machine than freezing for example.

Refrigerated Containers can be adapted in a variety of ways. Lights, internal alarms, emergency stop buttons, butchers or caterers doors are all commonly installed conversions. Solid checker plate flooring is also popular - particularly when the products are going to be store at temperatures above +0C.

T-bar floors are often thought to be less desirable than checker plate in a refrigerated container. They are considered difficult to walk on and to keep clean and there advantages overlooked. It is important to remember that these containers were designed as shipping containers that could keep cargo in a temperature controlled environment whilst in transit. The original containers came with t-bar floors and there are a number of good reasons for that.

refrigerated container with t-bar floor

Truth is t-bar floors have lots of different advantages as far as keeping the contents of the reefer containers chilled or frozen. The main one is how the t-bar floors design helps air flow. The profile of the floor allows for the chilled/frozen air to travel around the container from the refrigeration unit underneath the contents. This means that the unit works to maximum efficiency in terms of economy and effectiveness. Providing the contents are packed so that there is space to the sides and top of the container the air flow can continue to travel round unimpeded.

One criticism that is often levelled at t-bar flooring is that it is difficult to load pallets using anything with wheels! A very simple and cheap solution can be taken by following the example of supermarkets. They lay a piece of plywood onto the floor for the wheels to travel over. It is simply removed when the reefer container is loaded.

Like all containers used for food storage it is important that refrigerated containers can be kept clean. The steel sides and the t-bar floor are the original features and respond well to being jet washed. Unlike checker plate flooring it is difficult for food to stick to a t-bar floor.

Obviously, there are times when a t-bar floor is not going to be the answer. It would not be the best choice for a food preparation area for example. But for the original purpose of a refrigerated container - to keep food chilled or frozen - it is hard to beat.

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… C: wait… SD: wait…

We have been discussing refrigerated containers on this week’s blog and quite a few of you have rung the office with questions which I thought would be a good idea to answer here.

How is the temperature recorded on a refrigerated shipping container?

On marine units the controller will have a display that will show the set point and the running temperature.  If particularly required some units have displays which can also be “downloaded” - whereby you can see a set of parameters over a set period of time although you will need additional equipment in the form of a laptop,  specialised software etc.  Other units have a Partlowchart (like the taco graph that some lorries have) although it is important should you wish to use them you specify this to your supplier at point of order.

How should a refrigerated shipping container be loaded for maximum efficiency?

The products inside te container should be stacked at least a foot away from the front panel (which is the end opposite the doors!) and at least a foot away from the ceiling. This allows air to flow under the product (through the t-bar flooring) and up by the doors before going over the top of the goods and back down again.

Can I use a refrigerated container to bring things down to temperature?

A refrigerated container is designed  to maintain the temperature of the goods placed inside rather than bring the goods down/up to the set point temperature like a blast freezer.

Tomorrow we will deal with some of the more challenging technical questions to do with electricity supply and servicing that some of you seem so keen to know about - our electrician has been relentlessly quizzed and come up with some understandable answers to your questions.