Climate Control: Insulating your Shipping Container

Modified shipping containers are today used for a wide variety of purposes. Insulating a shipping container is essential for keeping warm during the winter and cool during the summer months. How these shipping containers are insulated, though, depends on two factors:

• The climate in which the containers are going to be placed
• How these containers are going to be used

Let us take a look at the importance of insulating your shipping container.

Why Insulate Your Shipping Container?

Proper insulation improves the energy efficiency of any structure. With the correct type and thickness of insulation, you can drastically decrease the amount of time your air conditioner or heating systems are running, thus reducing your power consumption and as a result, your utility bill.

The steel walls of a steel shipping container tend to get extremely hot in the summer and equally as cold in the winter. The type and amount of insulation required depends on the climate and function of the container. Without proper insulation, it can become very uncomfortable to stay in a shipping container if the container is used as an office or workshop. Even if the container is used for storage, temperature control may be required depending on what will be stored inside.

Furthermore, insulating a shipping container also helps improve the acoustics inside. Because of the hollowed shape of any shipping container, there is an echo created upon making any sound. Proper insulation inside a shipping container can dramatically reduce any noise problems.

Types of Insulation

Styrofoam, spray foam, and batt are the three main types of insulation used in shipping containers. Let us look at each of them:

Styrofoam: Polystyrene (commonly known as Styrofoam) is ideal for insulating storage containers. It is a fast, easy, and cost-effective way of insulating a storage shipping container and also helps reduce sound. Conventional climate-controlled storage containers typically cone with an inch of Styrofoam insulation already installed.

Spray Foam: This is ideal for temperature-sensitive enclosures. It is not considered to be the most aesthetically pleasing insulation, and it is sprayed directly onto the container walls. The spray foam then sets as a water-resistant, hard covering. Spray foam is a more expensive insulation option.

Batt (or Roll): This insulation material is ideal for living spaces and offices. Batt is made up of finely woven strands of mineral wool, plastic fibers, or glass, and it is the industry standard for insulation used in residential and office containers.

The quickest way to insulate shipping containers is to put in insulation panels that are readily available in predefined sizes, making it easy to fit them. Blanket insulation is also considered to be one of the cheapest options available. Eco-friendly insulation materials are also available such as cotton, wool, and mud.

So when you are buying a shipping container, keep in mind the various insulation options there are as only with proper insulation can you successfully convert a container into a comfortable living or office space.

For more information on modifying a shipping container contact Carolina Containers at 919-562-9187.

How Versatile Can a Shipping Container be on the Worksite?

Shipping containers are the lifeblood of many construction sites given their superior versatility. Today, these containers can be found inside warehouses, shipping docks, schools, and even in the backyards of DIYers all around the world! But just how versatile can shipping containers be? Let’s take a look at some of their various applications.

It is essential to distinguish the difference between the two types of containers Modular vs. Storage containers. Modular buildings are limited in mobility and are structurally insecure but come pre-assembled and are suitable for long-term projects such as housing developments, warehouses, and schools. In contrast, storage containers are suited towards on-site use, given their structural integrity, ease of customization, and mobility. Both are excellent choices depending on the type of project.

Office Buildings

Many construction sites purchase storage containers for office usage for administrative purposes. These units are stackable and customizable with electricity, lighting, HVAC, windows, telecommunications, and even internet access. Additionally, given the dangers construction sites present, shipping containers provide the necessary durability and integrity to preserve the safety of your workforce.

Medical Facilities

Keeping your workforce healthy and safe when they are on-site is a priority for all organizations. Accidents and emergencies happen all the time, and workers must have somewhere to go when the going gets tough. Storage containers for medical purposes are easily deployable. They can be equipped with resources to assist with the well-being of workers, including patient beds, first-aid, and hot & cold-water plumbing.

Expanding Storage

Storage containers are an excellent choice for securing equipment. Their ease of customization, durability, and deployability are perfect for developers to create a barrier between worksites and public space. Additionally, they come equipped with a steel covering, ensuring the safety of nearby pedestrians.

DIY Projects

In recent years, many individuals have taken the time to engage in “Do-It-Yourself” (DIY) projects to create spaces for their personal use. Given the increase in the accessibility of educational resources in today’s world, shipping containers have moved beyond the industrial world and have seen expansion into the public. Many creatives have transformed these vessels into inspiring colorful spaces for outside lounges, home offices, bedrooms, gardens, and much more!

Shipping containers have proven to be useful in a diverse set of applications. Investing in them will provide you the ability to conduct administrative duties on-site, keep your workforce safe & healthy, and expand your storage facilities accordingly.

For more information on shipping containers and their use in your business, contact Carolina Containers at 919-562-9187.

Why Shipping Containers are Great for Disaster Recovery

Shipping containers used to be all about transporting cargo. Now they are used in a wide variety of situations. People have used them for everything, from storage to office buildings. After all of the recent natural disasters, a conversation has begun about using shipping containers for disaster recovery.

The two things that make shipping containers ideal for disaster situations is the fact they are designed to be mobile and secure. Let’s take a look at some other reasons why they are the perfect fit.

Availability

There are very few parts of the country where shipping containers aren’t already available. Freight is continuously being transported between locations using these containers. Besides that, they are stored at facilities around the world, waiting to be used or sold after they are retired. Using these after a disaster only makes sense.

Anywhere a semi-truck can go or where a train can be unloaded can also receive shipping containers. Containers can also be shipped to islands or more remote areas rapidly. And if the shipping containers are transporting goods to the disaster area, once there they can be repurposed.

Versatile In Deployment

Shipping containers are already built to carry just about anything. That makes them very versatile in how they can be used during a disaster. Your first idea might be to use them to store items. However, there is typically a more immediate need after a catastrophe. Shipping containers can serve as homes after a natural disaster. They can be used to set up a command center to control response or triage facility for medical needs.

Made from steel, shipping containers are straightforward to modify. Adding windows, doors, ventilation, floors, and walls are easy.
Quick Setup, High Durability

Once on-site, a shipping container needs minimal setup. Depending on the conditions you might want to secure it to the ground or provide drainage around the base. Other than that, they are ready to go as soon as they are placed on the ground. Even with this minimal setup, shipping containers maintain fantastic durability. These containers are designed to travel across the ocean exposed on the deck of a ship.

During disasters, there could be a lot more done with shipping containers – from creating a home for displaced victims to securing survival goods.

For more ideas on how shipping containers can be converted for other uses, contact Carolina Containers at 919-562-9187.

What’s Different Between Ground Level Offices and Office Trailers?

When searching for a temporary mobile office, there are two options available: office trailers and ground-level offices (aka GLO). Each option supplies functional space for employee and customer access. When an office is needed temporarily, such as at a construction site or when a company needs a low-cost alternative to putting up a brick and mortar building, these offices may be the solution. Before making a decision on which option is best for your business, let’s look at the differences.

An office trailer is a structure set on wheels as the base. The trailer sits off the ground and requires stairs to enter. These trailers are constructed using steel and aluminum for the framing with walls made from fiberglass, vinyl, plywood, aluminum, or a combination of those materials.

A GLO is a converted shipping container. A GLO sits directly on the ground, so there is no need for stairs for access. A significant benefit of a GLO is its basic construction. Being made of steel, breaking in is near impossible. This extra security helps prevent robberies from occurring on the job site. Items inside the office are safe once the steel doors are closed and locked.

The one requirement for both office trailers and GLOs is that the location for placement needs to be flat and dry.

Transporting either an office trailer or GLO is easy. Office trailers are permanently mounted on wheels. Attach a semi-truck to the trailer, and it’s ready to move. A GLO requires a crane, a forklift, or a tilt-bed truck to move. No need to remove furniture or office equipment. This easy transport makes either option the ideal solution for businesses that have temporary locations.

With an office trailer, weather conditions need to be considered when placing on the site. Trailers are especially susceptible to strong winds since they sit off the ground. GLOs, on the other hand, are built to be weathertight and being set directly on the ground are less affected by wind.

Since the costs are similar, there is one other factor that needs to be considered. If the office is permanent or rarely moved (i.e., at a school or church), an office trailer will be perfectly acceptable and last about 20 years. If the office will be moved frequently or moved over unpaved roads or rough terrain, a GLO is a better choice. GLOs can withstand this rough handling with minimal maintenance.
Whatever the needs of your business, there is a mobile office solution. Office trailers and GLOs can be outfitted with multiple offices, electricity, restroom, conference room, doors, windows, or extra storage.

For more information on how a shipping container can become your new mobile office, contact Carolina Containers at 919-562-9187.

Custom Equipment and Workshop storage

Custom Landscaping Equipment Storage and Workshop

A secure and lockable shed is almost a must-have for any backyard today, if you have any kind of landscaping business you know you need secure storage for your work tools, if they go missing so does your income. In this case, a shipping container that is not only heavy-duty built to withstand a lifetime of work on land and sea, but it can also extremely secure and customizable, and can be modified to make the perfect equipment storage shed. A shipping container storage unit is a far more cost-effective option than regular garden sheds on the market today, and the good thing is you can choose between a 10ft, 20ft, or 40ft container with the choice of standard height 8.6ft high or high cube 9.6ft high. With that much space, you should be covered for the foreseeable future!

There is a lot you can do in the way of modifying and making the design truly your own. but keep in mind that while you are installing a workbench, adding some shelves or a place to store your mower, shovels, and rakes, shipping containers are a steel box, and they can get really hot if not adequately Insulated or ventilation is installed. The most cost-effective thing you can do to control the temperature is add vents to draw air throughout the unit because the last thing you or your precious groundskeeping equipment need is to spend time inside a super-hot melting pot in the middle of summer.

Store Strangely Shaped Objects

Landscape trailers and equipment storage is an issue year-round and properly maintaining and storing groundskeeping tools is critical to keeping your operation running smoothly. You do need to make sure your city or town will allow you to keep your container without a permit first. Once you’re sure you’re good to go you can start thinking about all the customizations and features that are going to work best for you. The height and width of these containers allow you to really get strangely shaped stuff stored with ease.

It’s important that you prepare a space for your container to sit at your home, it can’t just go anywhere. It ideally needs to be flat and have a resting pad like small concrete blocks, crushed rocks, just anything that is level and NOT directly on the ground. If you’re ready to take that next step so you can actually have the storage available that you so badly need, contact us!

Get Your Shipping Container Doors Opening Effortlessly

Get Your Container Doors Opening Like New Again

Shipping containers make durable and robust building material to be used in constructing homes or storage units compared to other eco-friendly building materials like straw bales or recycled plastics. As strong as these containers are, parts can get weaker and compromised over time. While general-purpose shipping containers such as the 20-foot and 40-foot, including standard height and high cube containers, are made from a copper chromium alloy and weather resistant material known as cor-ten steel, you still need to take the steps you can to keep it protected as much as you can. Redundancy is better than doing nothing to later learn it’s caused you some huge issues.

Everything Will Rust Eventually

Shipping containers can rust, and while Cor-ten steel displays high resistance to corrosion, it doesn’t eliminate rest entirely and unfortunately, in in the right environment, the protective oxide film on the metal’s surface comes into contact with both oxygen and water an oxidation reaction occurs leading to rusting. A container which is continuously exposed to salty sea air will rust much faster than one in alternating wet and dry climate cycles. When buying a container you want to mostly be looking at any points of contact or points that bear a lot of weight. This would include the roof, corners, and floors!

How to Loosen up Your Doors

There are many routes you can take when your doors start getting sticky. The best thing you can do is try to protect from it in the first place. Consider the following tips to help maximize the life of your shipping container, even get your hard-to-open doors working like new:

• Cargo door hinges will seize from not being used for an extended period and to keep them working smoothly, just be sure you’re actually moving them around frequently.
• You can reduce the possibility of corrosion by hosing down dirt and surface rust issues with a simple cleaning solution or bleach. You should also brush off snow in the winter and any other debris that may land and put unnecessary weight on the roof and substantially weaken it.
• Install air vents in your container to ensure airflow and reduce condensation.
• Avoid opening the doors when it’s raining or very humid and replace worn rubber seals on doors which also applies to weather stripping and caulk if it looks damaged.
• Position the container on railroad ties or concrete blocks to keep it on level ground away from puddles of water and to allows the doors to open and close as they should.

In summation, the best thing you can do is just keep your container protected, use it regularly, and keep it lubricated with WD-40 and oil in any trouble spots. If you need further advice on your container, please contact us! From office containers to containers just used for storage, we work with them all!

Shipping Container Office Tips & Tricks

Tips to Ensure You Have the Best and Most Comfortable Shipping Container Office

More and more people are converting shipping containers into business or offices. Shipping containers portray a very modern and structural aesthetic and this is part of what makes them so attractive particularly to younger market demographics. It is also cheaper and easier to set up a mobile office using a shipping container in comparison to building one from scratch as long as you have sufficient land space. Here are several tips to help you set up your shipping container mobile office.

Buy a Quality Container

Most buyers find it difficult to choose if they want to buy used or new shipping containers considering new containers are stronger but older ones are cheaper. If this is you, then you should look into one-trip shipping containers for your mobile office. These containers have been used once only assuring you they are still in proper condition and are not too expensive. A good middle ground of both.

When buying a shipping container for a home office, look for those made from Corten steel. This material is very good for shipping container offices because it is tailor-made to resist harsh environments and corrosion. When you have a shipping container office made from Corten Steel, you are guaranteed that your office can handle harsh weather conditions. This will help you save on any possible costs of repair in the future. Pretty much all containers are going to be Corten steel, but it can’t hurt to ensure.

Think About HVAC & Add-ons

Most reputable vendors typically provide their clients with customization options for their shipping container offices so that you can fit it to YOUR needs. The most popular are the windows, HVAC systems, general comfort. Conex shipping containers are still metallic all through, they can get warm when it’s hot outside. A window air conditioner is usually sufficient for an HVAC system but if you want to connect multiple shipping containers, you are better off with centralized air conditioning. Even toilets are an option.

It is important to have sufficient lighting in your mobile office as you would any other office space. When modifying your shipping container, think about installing a few large windows to let in enough natural light in the day. This will offer added visibility in your shipping container office and the natural light makes space look much bigger and more cheerful. This can help you increase productivity and morale.

Add More Storage Space

Storage space is usually an issue in shipping containers especially if you have to keep many documents nearby at all times. You can solve this by installing a few overhead cabinets or shelves to maximize on floor space as opposed to filing cabinets. This option allows you to have more space for the things you really need. If you need a mobile office, you need to come to Carolina Containers so we can get you taken care of.