ICE LOAD QUESTION

Yeah it It will help it but, the shipper might not load it until its at -10 they want to know that your unit will do -10 .
I haven't pulled a ice box since 99 and used to do a lot of ice cream -10 shippers wouldn't touch it till it was at -10.

 

Defrost defrost defrost. Even tho its frozen, it's still water i.e. condensation. Every 4 hrs

 

I put a load of melons on last week that pulped at 40. The bill called for 36 so I set my unit for 36. It took 3 days to get my box temp down to 36 and my unit shut down twice with a frozen coil in the process. Luckily it started right back up and immediately defrosted. I called my Carrier dealer and he said it was because the melons were releasing moisture and should have pulped at 36 before being loaded if they were to be hauled at 36.

 

As trailers age, they gradually lose their r-value rating. But in very hot temps, in direct sun, even new ice cream spec'd trailers with big units can struggle to pull an empty trailer down to -10. It can take 2 hours and 4 defrost cycles just to "dry it out" if it had very moist air in it.

But a lot of guys make the mistake of initiating manual defrosts with too little time for ice to accumulate in between, thereby delaying the drying and cooling process.

But there's all sorts of other issues that could be going on too.

 

Reefers MAINTAIN a temperature. They are NOT DESIGNED to blast cool product. If the ice stands at 13 degrees, then getting to -10 may not happen. You can chill an awful lot of air to get to -10 around 13 degree ice. And then burn a ocean of fuel trying to hold it.

What you have to do with reefer trailers prior to loading is the trailer already cooled to -10, open doors quickly, toss the load of ice in there, slam the doors quickly. That way you can preserve as close to -10 as possible. Not that much different than say Ice Cream which is usually around -20 anyway.

 

Great thread

 

I know this is an old thread but here’s an FYI if you haul ice...

The optimal storage temperature for ice is +19° F. When I’d haul it on my ice cream spec trailer with a 10° spread on cycle, I set it for +10°, cycle.

On my regular grocery trailer, I’d just set it for +19°, cycle.