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Conversions come in all sizes – here’s a Vanfridge conversion of a Citroen Berlingo for Wiltshire Farm Foods

Three ways to defrost

So reverse cycle defrost, hot gas defrost and – the third type – off-cycle defrost.

What’s that all about?

Off-cycle defrost is cheapest and defrosts on a timed basis where the engine compressor shuts down – but it is unsuited to any temperature below 0ºC.

For that you need a more efficient defrost system. There are two. One is the reverse cycle defrost. This basically reverses the roof condenser and evaporator to defrost in seconds automatically as and when necessary. The other is hot gas defrost, which gives the same result using a different method.

 

Plug-in electric stand-by for the night

On top of this will be extras tailored to how you use the van. A common choice is an ‘electric standby’ – basically, a set-up that lets you plug the fridge into a power socket. This lets you store chilled or frozen goods in the van overnight – so long as someone doesn’t come along and unplug it…

It’s also a smart thing to do before you load up. Plug in, get the load space pre-chilled down to temperature, and then load up.

Fitting a standby costs £800-£1000, says Foster. But you can expect to get about half of that back when you sell the van. Of all refrigerated vans, those with 75mm lining and standby are likely to have the best residual values, he says.

 

What’s ATP all about?

ATP stands for Accord Transport Perissable, and it’s basically a set of standards that say your van’s body and fridge are up to the job of transporting food safely. Think of it like type approval.

If you transport food to mainland Europe then you’ll need the conversion to meet specific standards. It is illegal to transport perishable food in mainland Europe unless your van has ATP certification.

So if you transport food in mainland Europe, get the conversion done by a firm that works to ATP standards. They’ll be able to supply ATP certificates for certain vans or arrange for an individual test to be done to get you an ATP certificate. You do not need an ATP certificate for transporting food in the UK.

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