Here are the answers to some of the questions we get asked most often.

This is in the top five questions I get asked. Getting it right from the beginning will save extra costs upon commissioning. Our refrigerated containers need a 3 phase 440V neutral and earth with a minimum 32 amp motor rated supply, we recommend a D type breaker.

Our refrigerated containers come with a hardwired 10 meter cable which has a five pin plug on the end. You will need a five pin 3 phase socket within 10 meters of where you plan to site the container.

The cable comes from the motor which is on the opposite end of the container to the doors, so please be aware of this when planning where you will position the container.

As I mentioned the power needs to be in place ready for the unit to be commissioned, so please have it ready in advance. If it will not be ready, please advise us in good time. We may be able to delay the commissioning to save you paying for a failed commissioning visit.

We also have a fleet of 10ft and 20ft refrigerated containers that run off a single phase 16 amp supply. There are very few of these units available in the 20ft size and they are only suitable for chilling not freezing. This is because the single phase motors have not got enough power for the cubic capacity of a 20 foot container. Put simply they’re not powerful enough to efficiently run and would use much more electricity because of this. The 10ft units are suitable to chill and to freeze and are much more readily available.

Our refrigerated containers are delivered by a lorry with a hiab crane attached to it. With the crane the driver can place the container into most positions quite easily and safely, as long as there is sufficient access for it to get onto site.

The lorry that delivers the refrigerated container will be between 30ft and 50ft long and nearly 10ft wide, so will need plenty of room to access and manoeuvre on site.

The site will need to be hardstanding as the lorry will not be able to drive on grass or muddy areas unless assessed and agreed prior to delivery. The container will also need to be delivered immediately to the side and parallel to the vehicle as there is a limit on the reach of the crane. A bigger crane can be arranged if required but will be costly.

The lorry will need space to lower stabilisation legs and have plenty of overhead space with no cables or obstructions for the crane. If you think there may be any possible issues with this we are able to do a site survey in advance. We also require a delivery questionnaire to be filled out prior to delivery to help assess access and whether a site survey may necessary.

Please also be aware that our refrigerated containers come with a hardwired 10 meter cable which has a five pin plug on the end. You will need a five pin 3 phase socket within 10 meters of where you plan to site the container. The cable comes from the motor which is on the opposite end of the container to the doors, so please be aware of this when planning where you will position the container.

You will also need to leave as much space at the motor end as at the door end. This is to allow plenty of room for the air to flow into the motor and enough room for the commissioning engineer to set up the unit. The lorry driver will carry RAMS with him should they be required and they can be supplied in advance, just let us know.

The cost of hiring a refrigerated trailer is dependent on two things, how long you need to hire it for and the location for delivery and collection.

The length of hire can range from a three day weekend hire, up to weeks, months and even years. Due to this, the length of the minimum contracted hire period dictates the hire rate. For example, our weekly hire rate is more for 1 week than if you were to sign up for 3, 6 or 12 months.

The location for delivery and collection also plays a part, as all of our units are delivered by our drivers in 4×4 vehicles. We are lucky to have depots that cover the whole of the mainland UK, but some locations will be further to travel than others. Further to the distance there are other factors to consider such as tolls, charges and time. For example, going into London takes significantly longer than delivering to more rural areas due to the traffic and also costs more with the Congestion, LEZ and ULEZ charges.

Due to all of these variables, each price is quoted on an individual basis by our expert team who are on hand 24 hours a day to help with your cold storage requirements. Fill in the quick quote form and we will send you a personalised quote or if you need us in a hurry you can give us a call.

Our refrigerated trailers are powered by a 16 amp 240V single phase cable which is 10 meters long. The trailer will be supplied with an adapter to a 13 amp plug so it can be plugged into a standard three pin socket.

It is possible to connect two of the 10 meter cables together, but having more than two lengths of cable can cause running issues with the unit due to the power it draws.

You can also power a refrigerated trailer from a generator if mains power is not available. You will need at least 3kW of power to run the trailer so we would recommend a 7.2kW generator as a minimum. These are easily sourced and can be hired from a huge number of companies.

When a refrigerated trailer is delivered to site the driver will connect the trailer to the power supply and set the trailer temperature to your requirements. They will also secure the trailer with its stabilising legs and will place locks on one of the wheel and the tow hitch.

The short answer to this question is that yes you can use a fridge or a freezer trailer to transport your stock. However the trailer will not be able to be powered and running whilst in transport. This means it will only be useful for shorter journeys where the stock can be chilled or frozen ready for the journey and will not be affected too much by the length of time it is not plugged in.

You will also need to make sure that your stock is secure inside of the trailer to make sure that it does not move around and get damaged during the journey.

Another consideration you will have is the weight within the trailer and the positioning of that weight. Ideally it would be best to have most of the weight over the axles and the maximum payload of the trailer is 1250kg.

For longer journeys or for heavier loads our trailers are likely not to be the best solution. We would recommend using a cold storage courier or hiring a fridge or freezer van as this will be able to run and keep the stock cold whilst in transport.

When our refrigerated trailers are delivered, the driver will secure the unit by lowering stabilisation legs to stop it from moving. They will also place locks on both the tow hitch and one of the wheels. There is a lock on the door to keep the contents safe and secure.

This allows for our trailers to be sited just about anywhere a 4×4 can deliver it with peace of mind that both the trailer and the contents are secure. For further safety we also have inside door handles on all our refrigerated trailers to avoid anybody getting trapped should the door shut whilst they are inside.

The minimum hire period for our refrigerated trailers is three days. We also offer hire on a weekly and monthly basis. For longer term hires we offer a reduced rate depending on the minimum signed hire period (see What is the cost of hiring a refrigerated trailer?).

For refrigerated containers our minimum hire period is 30 days, however this does not mean you must keep the container for the full 30 days. This minimum charge applies whether you were looking to hire the unit for a weekend, a week, or a fortnight. However, if you needed to extend the hire up to the 30 day period that would be included in the price that you have paid.

As with our refrigerated trailers the longer the minimum signed hire period, the better the hire rate. With both our refrigerated containers and trailers there is no maximum hire period, they can be left rolling on a weekly or monthly hire for as long as you need them.

Once you are finished, we will require notice to off hire. The notice period is 1 week for trailers and 2 weeks for containers to allow time to book collection of the unit.

Yes you can store drinks, ice and ice cream in a refrigerated trailer.

However, you could not store all three of them in the same refrigerated trailer due to the differences in temperature required.

The drinks will need to be kept chilled whereas the ice and ice cream will need to be kept frozen. This means that they could not be kept in the same unit, otherwise your drinks will freeze or your ice and ice cream will melt.

You could hire two refrigerated trailers, one as a fridge and one as a freezer. If you have lots of drinks and less ice and ice cream you could have a fridge trailer for all the drinks and a smaller, maybe chest freezer for the ice and ice cream.

Our refrigerated trailers can be supplied with or without racking.

Because our units do not have fixed racking inside this allows us to be flexible to suit your requirements. We can leave the trailer empty to maximise space or can provide shelving on one side or both sides depending on what works best for you.

Racking is supplied at no extra cost, just be sure to let us know what works best for you when making your booking.

All of our refrigerated trailers and refrigerated containers are supplied on a minimum hire basis. Whether you are hiring a refrigerated trailer for a week or a refrigerated container for six months, if you are not finished with it in the time that you had planned there is no need to panic.

We can extend the hire to suit your requirements. Whether you would like an agreed extension period or a rolling weekly or month contract, we will gladly accommodate. You can keep the unit for as long as you need it and no longer, so you will only pay for the time it is on site.

To give you an idea of just how flexible we can be, we currently have a refrigerated trailer on hire that was initially for one week and it was delivered over a year ago.

I get asked a lot about storing pallets of goods in our units. Our refrigerated containers are better suited for storing pallets for a few reasons.

Firstly, they are close to ground level so are easier to access than our refrigerated trailers. Being much larger than our refrigerated trailers makes for more storage space for more pallets. It also makes for easier access to the pallets inside the unit and allows more room to move them around.

Our refrigerated containers are also supplied with a ramp to allow for pump trucks and trolleys to be easily wheeled in and out. It is important to make sure there is enough space for the air to flow in the unit around the goods, so the extra space also allows the unit to run more efficiently.

Back to the question at hand, now we know that a refrigerated container will be better suited than a refrigerated trailer.

To store 5 pallets you will require a 20ft refrigerated container as this has the capacity for 10 euro pallets (800mm x 1200mm) or 8 standard pallets (1000mm x 1200mm). If you would like more space to be able to access the goods or there may be a potential for more pallets in the future, then a 40ft refrigerated container may be better suited. A 40ft refrigerated container has the capacity for 20 euro pallets or approximately 16-17 standard pallets depending if they are loaded straight in or staggered.

This depends if you are looking for delivery of a refrigerated trailer or a refrigerated container.

With our refrigerated trailers our promise is to get emergency refrigeration to you within 2-4 hours of your call. In rare times of exceptional demand, when this is not possible, we will make you aware of this up front and guarantee a delivery time. Delivering mobile refrigeration at short notice is our speciality, backed up by having depots around the UK in key areas.

If you are planning a larger job or planning to book in peak season (Summer or Christmas) for specific dates, be sure to book in advance to secure availability and save any last-minute panic.

When it comes to our larger refrigerated containers these can take a little longer for delivery. This is due the need for a haulier with a lorry and hiab crane to make the delivery. Our usual delivery times for a refrigerated container are 3-7 working days. However it’s not unheard of to be able to get a delivery slot within 24-48 hours if the hauliers have availability.

Our team are dedicated to keeping you cool and will pull out all the stops to get you what you need and when you need it, just give us a call and we will get you sorted.