What to Remember When Buying a Refrigerated Van
Refrigerated vans are often needed for businesses that deliver or handle food, medicine, flowers, baked goods, and even furs and fabrics. Refrigeration keeps items fresh and also reduces and eliminates excessive humidity that could be damaging to your items. You have many choices for refrigerated, or "reefer," vans and other vehicles, so note some factors to keep in mind when you're ready to shop, and this can help you make the right decision.
Trailer
A reefer trailer may be a good choice rather than a full van, as the trailer can be detached and you can use the towing vehicle for other purposes. This can also allow you to more easily set up an offsite store of some sort; if you want to sell food or ice cream at a remote location, you can more readily get a trailer built with windows that open for customer interaction, a ramp for easier loading and unloading of items, and even signage. Once the business closes shop for the day, you can then put the trailer back in storage or, if permissible, leave it onsite and use the tow vehicle for everyday driving.
Insulation
Check the insulation of the van or trailer you choose; foam insulation is often the most expensive option, but it fills all the cracks and crevices inside the vehicle or trailer. The thicker the foam, the more expensive the van will be, but this also means you'll need less power to keep the space cool. For materials that need a constant and consistent temperature, such as ice cream or medicines, you'll want to invest in the thickest insulation. For vans where you simply need the space cool and need some protection from outside weather, such as for delivery of food, you can make do with a thinner insulation.
Defrosting methods
The defrosting method in a refrigerated van doesn't mean removing condensation that has formed on the inside of the van, but this refers to how it removes humidity while it cools the space. An off-cycle defrosting method works on a timer and cycles on and off; this can be good for when you need minimal protection against outside humidity. Hot gas defrosting, as the name implies, actually uses a warm gas to help remove humidity, capturing water droplets so that they can be vented outside the van. This method is more expensive but is needed for maximum protection against humidity, such as for bakery delivery, storage of furs, and any items that needs to be kept with minimal humidity and moisture content.
