Maggie Lech, BDM, transport refrigeration sector at SPAL Automotive UK advises on important maintenance checks for the season.
“Just because it’s chilly outside doesn’t mean you should take your eye off the ball when it comes to tending to the maintenance of thermal management systems in temperature-controlled applications.
“Faults in refrigeration units tend to be mechanical rather than electrical. It is extremely uncommon for the motors to fail on SPAL fans, which are fitted to either the evaporator or condenser units used in refrigerated vehicles.
“It’s a common misconception that in the winter months the cooling fans don’t have to work as hard as they do in the height of summer. The cold just means that issues are more difficult spot and if you don’t get ahead of them early, you are storing up trouble for the future."
Fan faults occur in the winter too
“Faults with fans occur in the winter as well as in the summer for the same reason - mechanical failure - in particular, the blades wearing out.
“This can happen for various reasons one of them being the wind resistance caused by the speed vehicle is going at because of where the fans are positioned in an exposed location at the top of the vehicle.
“So although it appears that problems with refrigeration units may seem more common in the summertime, as the external heat may require the units to keep cooling for longer causing the fans run out of life faster, this is not the case.
“Faults are just as common in the wintertime, it’s just they go unnoticed as it’s a lot cooler outside and the fans have an easier job of controlling the temperature. That is precisely why it’s important to check the condition of the fan, the blades, the wiring, plus the overall performance and efficiency of the fan."
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Do you have a specific question for us that hasn’t been covered?
Drop us a line at sales@spalautomotive.co.uk or call Technical Sales Support on 01905 613 714.
