We understand that if you’re new to the transport refrigeration industry, you might be wondering which best suits your purposes, a fridge or a freezer van. There’s relatively little differences between them, besides a thicker layer of insulation to account for their differences in temperature.
But is it possible your industry might find one more useful than the other?
Characteristics of fridge vans
Fridge vans (or ‘chiller’ vans) are unrivalled in their versatility. Their main temperature ranges are between 0C to 8C, making them useful for a range of industries. One example which might not be immediately obvious comes in the form of flowers. Flowers and other plants require a very specific range of temperatures in order to maintain their consistency and colour. Temperatures that are too warm or cold can be equally destructive to a florist’s products by drying them out and shortening their lifespans dramatically, sometimes even before they’ve made it as far as the shop-front. Ideally, they need a consistent temperature of between 5C and 7C to survive, well within the capabilities of our chiller vans.
Our fridge vans are also immeasurably useful to the medical industry in maintaining the ‘cold chain’ when storing or transporting medical goods. Most medications which are extremely vulnerable to shifts in temperature; in the best case scenario, for completed medications a change in temperature can dull their effectiveness for their intended use. In worst case scenarios, whole batches of developing formulas can be rendered ineffective by an extreme temperature shift. This can potentially cost somewhere in the region of thousands of pounds for medical organisations, not to mention the human cost to patients.
The Difference With Freezer Vans
Our freezer vans are of a broadly similar construction to our fridge vans, but have a thicker layer of insulation and use a different kind of gas that allows them to keep their interiors to as low as -18C. One example of an industry that benefits from this is the ice-cream sector, as higher temperatures are often insufficient for them to maintain a reasonable standard of quality. There are also markets in the UK aimed at catering for our elderly and infirm populations, providing ready-meals that take the hassle and stress out of cooking, especially for those who might find themselves physically unable to do consistently do so. Professionals in these markets regularly find our freezer vans exceptionally useful for transporting these sorts of meals all over the country to those who might need them most.
Which One Should I Choose For My Business?
This largely depends on what you need from your van. Many of our customers find that the versatility of our fridge vans is more than sufficient for their needs, whereas our freezer vans are excellent at fulfilling more specialised requirements.
At Coolkit, we’re only too happy to provide advice and support where needed, whether that’s to do with leasing new fridge vans or manufacturing our own bespoke conversion kits. Whichever you use, you can count on our sophisticated temperature-regulating systems to keep your products at exactly the temperature you desire.
