Nine Unconventional Reefer Van Uses!

We all know that reefer vans all essentially have one function: to keep the cooling bay of the van cold. This is perfect for businesses and events that involve lots of perishables, but let’s look at a few other less conventional uses of our vans, not that you’ll use them this way, but it’s good to know other uses for those just in case days.

Once you read our list of awesome other uses, you’ll no doubt be interested in renting or buying a reefer van for yourself. 

Sitting Inside to Cool Down

It’s no secret is hot. Really, really hot. With temperatures averaging around 70 degrees year round, cooling down is a year long necessity for locals. While it’s not built with interior seats, sitting in the cooling bay for a minute can be a real treat to beat the heat. In some medical emergencies, like cases of heat stroke or heat exhaustion, this can even save lives. We don’t suggest renting one of our vans for potential heat related first aid, but we wouldn’t stop you if you really wanted to.

Keeping Food Cool in An Emergency

This one is easily our most normal of the unconventional uses of a reefer van. When power fails, or a walk-in cooler breaks, there is a real health hazard which can cause a company to lose tens of thousands of dollars in product. Quickly renting one of our refrigerator or reefer vans can allow you to transfer your product and save the day!

Running a High Powered Computer in One

Now we are getting unconventional. If you have some serious thinking that a computer has to do, you can run it in artificially cooled spaces in order to keep it at its most efficient. This is because as a computer thinks, it has a tiny amount of resistance in circuits that produces heat. Eventually, that builds up and can cause efficiency issues. If you are thinking of renting a van for computing purposes, remember to keep the humidity setting as low as possible.

Extending the Life of Batteries

We suggest that you own the refrigerated van for this one, because this is a storage trick. If batteries are kept at cooler and especially freezing temperatures, you can extend the lifespan of your batteries. Most any commercial battery operates by moving ions from one side of the battery to the other. This occurs the most when the battery has joined a circuit, but it can also happen throughout the day in warmer temperatures, which slowly drains the battery. Usually this trick is best left for your refrigerator or freezer back home, but if you are set to drive a lot with bundles of batteries in the back, you can help them extend their life with cool vans.

Extend the Burning Time for Wax Candles

This one is another trick for home that can be applied to our vans. By cooling or freezing wax candles, you can extend their burning lifespans. Cooling the wax candles as much as possible forces the flame on the wick to spend that much more time warming the wax to its melting point. This trick is especially useful for long thin candles. Please note that the candles must be stored in the fridge or the freezer and taken out only when they are about to be lit. This will prevent warming of the candle that will negate the time extension of cooling or freezing one. After removing it from the refrigerator, freezer, or cooling bay of the van, the slower burn will last as long as the candle stays colder. Still, this is a great way to extend the life of your expensive scented candles at home.

Killing Dust Mites

Dust mites are everywhere, and, for some people, can cause serious allergic reactions. To help stifle this, you can take affected items such as cushions, stuffed animals, and clothes, and put them into a freezer for at least 24 hours before you wash them. Afterwards, there shouldn’t be a mite living in or on the item. This trick is made possible because dust mites have adapted to live in warm homes feeding on people’s dead skin and blood (gross). So, they are very cold sensitive. Remember that your item(s) are best protected by putting them in bags or other protective wrappings.

Clean and Deodorize Nice Jeans

This one is awesome. Whether you just want your jeans to last longer, you’re a million miles from a washer, or you spent a month’s rent on designer jeans and want to get your money’s worth, you can avoid having to clean them as regularly by disinfecting and deodorizing your jeans with either your freezer or one of our freezer vans (for the jean collectors). Take your jeans, and put them into a ziplock bag and put them in a freezer for a week. After about a week of being frozen, the smell and the germs have been frozen away. Make sure not to use this too often, as even the nicest jeans still need a gentle washing every now and then. Also, make sure to remember not to leave your jeans longer than a week to avoid freezer burn.

Unseal and Reseal a Sealed Envelope

This is especially great if you closed the envelope too soon or made a mistake in your writing. We know that we’ve done this with thank you cards when we are busy doing a million things a minute. Simply take the envelope, put it on a dry towel or plate, and leave it for hours in the freezer. While it is still cold, try and gently, but quickly, open it. If it hasn’t opened by itself already, it should just pop right open. Now, you can fix what birthday gift came from what aunt then reseal it in the warm air, and send it with renewed confidence!

Recover Data

This one is pretty neat. If you have been working on your computer and the hard drive crashed with no backup, you can put the harddrive in a freezer for three to five hours. Like our other freezer tricks, make sure that it is protected in a sandwich bag or other moisture barrier. After the allotted time, put it back in your computer and quickly try a restart. You should now be able to backup your data to another hard drive before it crashes again. 

We hope that this guide has opened your eyes to the less conventional uses of refrigerator vans and freezer vans. Whether on the road or at home, these tricks can help affordably solve a number of common issues and emergencies.