For long term maitenance is it better to run a reefer continious or start stop?

If you leave it on 24/7 on every load when you could get away with it running 6-8 hours a day to maintain the temp, you’ll eventually burn enough fuel to pay for a starter.

 

Common sense. Think of your central heat and air. Do you run that all the time? Nope.

 

A starter is less than a couple hundred dollars with core charge. Fuel is expensive. Don’t trip over dollars to make dimes.

 

Run it the way the BOL's require and don't try to over think it.

 

running it cont for no reason just adds to the hours on the unit.

You will need to service it sooner and parts will wear out in a shorter time span.

Your warranty is based on reefer engine hours as well as time.

Also it will hurt the resale value.

Since you are going Carrier.. ( assuming a X4 2100A/7300/7500 ) zip tie an extra alternator belt inside the cabinet. You will thank me when it chews it to shreds at 3am on a sunday in BFE. Spend $9 now or $1,200+ for the service call.
..and about that rear main seal, if you can get 10k hours before it goes, you did good.

 

Really depends on loads....a Carrier on a frozen load will typically get better fuel mileage on continuous...and as said before really need to just follow instructions on BOL....But weather and battery life play into it also
Cold weather starts are hard in anything...So my general rule of thumb is...anything much under 20 degrees ambient(was below 0 this entire trip) run continuously Once at temp unit rarely works hard and doesn’t tax electrical system
I also on longer runs on stop/start will kick it to continuos for couple hours a day....helps keep battery charged
Just some food for thought
Good Luck

 

If it’s much over 75-80* outside I just leave them on continuous, if it’s cooler out I leave it on start and stop BUT I do swap to cont. for an hour or so a day so it charges the battery so it doesn’t kill itself cranking over and running for 90 seconds

Unless BOL says otherwise