Help cutting open 40ft reefer, we now have problems

[Gary]

There is little doubt that you are going to need additional cooling for the cold store area, and this is where you can profit greatly from professional help.

Ideally, this main cold store unit would be a system designed specifically for a cold store (medium temperature) application as opposed to a freezer (low temperature) application.

This unit should be sized to handle the entire cold store load under normal conditions. Its temperature control would be set to maintain 0-3C.

The temperature control for unit#4 would then be set to maintain 3-5C, thus acting as a back-up unit, assisting in handling heavier than normal loads.

This way, assuming spillage from the freezers is minimized, you can have all units professionally designed/sized for their particular areas.

And at this point, that's as close as you can get to doing this right.

[US Iceman]

...the company i work for are not very good at shelling out money for design, in fact we are very good and getting things to half work...

This is an all too common issue. I have been involved in several projects like this where the owner decided he would save a few dollars and do it himself. Then after a year or so of constant problems and lost product they finally ask for help and then complain about all the money that has to be spent to fix the installation.

There is nothing like being in the position of being the messenger and getting yelled at for previous mistakes made (by someone who shall remain nameless, of course)

In the long run, if you added all the costs spent on an "alternative arrangement" to one designed specifically for the application requirements the owner would be money ahead. But hey, they saved some money initially, right?

As you might have guessed, I am more than a little sensitive to giving away too much information in these conditions, because some firm should have made some money from this.

This is not directed at you personally as it is at the situation Adrian, so don't take my comments to heart.

[Gary]

This is an all too common issue. I have been involved in several projects like this where the owner decided he would save a few dollars and do it himself. Then after a year or so of constant problems and lost product they finally ask for help and then complain about all the money that has to be spent to fix the installation.

There is nothing like being in the position of being the messenger and getting yelled at for previous mistakes made (by someone who shall remain nameless, of course)

Been there, done that, cried all the way to the bank where I deposited a big fat check.