A refrigerated container, also known as a reefer, is a standard shipping container that has been fitted with its own refrigeration unit for the transport of perishable goods in temperature-controlled conditions. They are ideal for the transport of goods such as fruit, vegetables and meat.
Refrigeration containers are available in a range of sizes to meet the needs of any shipment. They can be found in standard 20-foot and 40-foot sizes, or larger if necessary. Unlike regular containers, refrigerated units have a double-walled insulation that helps to reduce heat loss. This feature, coupled with a powerful refrigeration system, allows the refrigerated container to maintain a constant temperature throughout the duration of its journey.
The most common type of refrigerated container is the Closed reefer, which comes in one piece with an integral front wall and an all-electric automatic cooling and heating unit for ISO sea-going containers. Closed reefers are suitable for any product that requires a controlled temperature in transit, from small batches of medicine to large shipments of produce and hazardous chemicals.
Another popular option for reefer containers is the Modified/Controlled Atmosphere (MA/CA) model, which regulates oxygen and carbon dioxide in the cargo area to help manipulate a product’s ripening rate, thereby extending its shelf life. Finally, there are also superfreezer reefer containers that can achieve extremely low temperatures for extreme cold-storage applications.
In terms of cost, the biggest reason people turn to refrigerated containers for their container home is that they can often be purchased at a significantly lower price than the same size standard container. This is because the refrigeration equipment takes up two feet of interior space, which means that you can get more usable square footage for your money with a refrigerated container.
However, a refrigerated container is not without its challenges, particularly in terms of insulating it for use as a home. In many cases, the unmodified T-floor that is standard in most containers will not be able to support the weight of your home, and you’ll need to either put another floor on top of it or tear it out and replace it with something more durable. In addition, the foam in a refrigerated container is less dense than that of a standard container, meaning you’ll probably have to spend more money on insulation if you’re going to convert it into a home.
Additionally, the refrigerated flooring can present difficulties when it comes to installing plumbing and electrical fixtures because it isn’t as thick as the plywood floors of standard containers. You’ll also have to cut through the foam sandwich when you need to install doors, windows or utility penetrations. Fortunately, cutting through the foam isn’t much more difficult than doing so with a standard container floor, and you shouldn’t have any trouble with water or electricity flowing through your home once it has been properly insulated.
