Refrigerated trucks give you the benefit of a climate-controlled environment for storing food or other perishable items. They’re essential for any business selling products that must be refrigerated during transport. Despite these trucks having a host of advantages over more traditional trucks, there is one common concern: overheating.
When we talk about refrigerated trucks overheating, we’re talking about the refrigeration system, not the engine. But what causes this? Stick around as we explain the different things that can make a refrigerated truck overheat and how to avoid this problem in the future.
A Damaged Thermostat
Your refrigerated truck uses a thermostat to control the interior temperature levels. It’ll be set to a specific temperature before loading – this will be around 5 degrees Celsius for chilled foods and -18 degrees and lower for frozen goods. The refrigeration system then uses the thermostat to maintain the desired temperature throughout the journey.
Consequently, a damaged or faulty thermostat will stop the system from regulating its temperature. Faulty thermostats can cause the system to work overtime as it doesn’t know what temperature it should be at. This leads to system failures that overheat your refrigerated truck.
How do you avoid this?
Ensure you check the thermostat for signs of damage before every journey. If it’s faulty, then you need to replace it with a new one.
Inadequate Insulation
Overheating commonly occurs when a refrigeration system has to work beyond its recommended capacity. We’ve just demonstrated how this happens with a faulty thermostat, but poor truck insulation is also a massive factor at play.
You see, refrigerated trucks work by insulating the interior using special panels. These panels will have a specific K-factor, which tells you how insulative they are. The lower the K-factor, the better the panels are at maintaining cold temperatures and stopping hot air from getting inside.
Inadequate insulation will conduct too much heat, which raises your refrigerator truck’s internal temperature. This is extremely common if it’s hot outside – a very regular occurrence during Aussie summers where we see temperatures exceed 30 degrees Celsius for months! So, if it’s hot outside and the truck’s insulation generates too much heat, then the refrigeration system works too hard and can overheat.
How do you avoid this?
The simple solution is to improve your truck’s insulation. At Eurocold, we use cutting-edge ISOKIT truck bodies that are built using innovative insulation materials. They have a K-factor below 0.34 W/m2K – the lowest you’ll find for a refrigerated truck in Australia. Better insulation means it’s easier for the system to maintain a cool temperature and prevent overheating.
Excessively Heavy Loads
It’s tempting to load your refrigerated truck with as many items as possible in one go. On the one hand, this looks like a smart idea – it means you don’t have to make multiple trips, saving time and money.
However, it’s one of the worst things you can do for the refrigeration system.
Excessively heavy loads are the most common reason a refrigerated truck overheats. It causes multiple problems that all lead to the system working too hard and burning out:
- Raises the internal temperature – Simple science dictates that the more things you pack into an area, the warmer that area will be. If your refrigerated truck is too heavy and full of items, the system has a tough time lowering the temperature.
- Worse airflow in the refrigerated unit – Stuffing a truck full of items means there’s less air flowing around the refrigerated unit. The refrigeration system has to try and counter this by blowing more cold air into the truck. It goes into overdrive and blows too hard, causing an overheating problem.
- Potentially damages the engine – It’s worth knowing that your truck’s engine is normally a power source for refrigeration units. Heavy loads can put an increased strain on the engine, which then stops it from powering the unit. The result is a warmer refrigerated truck that needs to work even harder to cool down and ends up overheating.
How do you avoid this?
It’s obvious: don’t overload your truck. You should have guidelines informing you of the maximum load capacity for the refrigerated truck you’re using. Keep it below this to avoid overheating issues. Alternatively, you could rent one of our trucks – the unique Solid Works Technology makes them 20% lighter than conventional refrigerated trucks!
Broken Or Ageing Components
Refrigerated trucks have a few core components that help them work properly:
- Compressor
- Condenser
- Evaporator
A compressor is usually mounted to the engine and pressurises refrigerated gas to pass through to a condenser. When the gas enters the condenser, it becomes a liquid. This liquid refrigerant then gets de-pressurised and sent through an evaporator, where it turns into a gas and helps cool down the refrigerated unit.
As you can imagine, all of these components have small pieces that can easily degrade with time – or get extremely dirty. Some common issues you’ll experience include:
- Blocked condenser coils
- Worn-down compression belts
- A lack of refrigerant passing through the system
All of these problems put pressure on your refrigerated truck, and it will likely work too hard to compensate.
How do you avoid this?
Almost all problems with components can be avoided if you maintain your refrigerated truck. Check the system to ensure condenser coils aren’t clogged, there are no signs of wear and tear on the compression belts, etc. Take it to a specialist at least once a year for a checkup, as well. Preventative maintenance can stop overheating and keep your truck going for longer.
In conclusion, many things can make a refrigerated truck overheat. It’s all to do with stopping the system from working too hard when cooling down the unit. Use the tips and tricks in this post to keep your truck in the best condition and avoid any major overheating issues.