How hot was your truck or trailer

Schmelly


Can an A/C unit actually keep a truck or trailer cool at all ?

Not really.    ... The only hope is to bring in makeup air for the hood blowing down along the full length at the front (air curtain). In and out at the hood.   Look at hoods with makeup supply air. ... The makeup supply air to be about 85% (maybe 90%) of the hood exhaust air.    ... Then vent the heat off other appliances to the outside as discussed above; use outside makeup air where and if possible.   ... Now size the AC for the truck/trailer plus the number of people, heat of appliances not vented, and intake air not supplied by makeup supply systems.
 
Est. per 1000 CFM Outside air flow to be cooled, not including high humidity and other heat loads of the kitchen,  outside air only:
       ***30 deg difference (100 deg cooled to 70)= 2.7 tons AC/per 1000 CFM
        ***20 deg difference (100 cooled to 80)=1.8 tons AC/per 1000 CFM
The calculation is not quit this simple, but shows why concession trucks & trailers with the air flow CFM reportedly used by the exhaust hoods (200 cfm per ft) can not be cooled.  You need a 5 ton AC or larger to begin with, running continuously if the exhaust hood air is included.

lornaschinske


There has to be a way to lessen the heat. How can you guys work like that?  I can't believe no one has figured out a solution to this.

 
The short and truthful answer is there is no way to really cool a mobile kitchen. Most restaurant's BOH is hot but not as bad as a mobile unit. It's always going to be hot.....but from Dec 1st to late March it's a blessing. LOL

What about sticking a large 220 volt wall mount a/c unit in your trailer ?
 
Wouldn't cranking a big unit like that on full blast help keep things cool ?

Schmelly
What about sticking a large 220 volt wall mount a/c unit in your trailer ?
Wouldn't cranking a big unit like that on full blast help keep things cool ?

 
The problem remains the same your sucking a tremendous amount of cool air out of the unit with the exhaust fan. So you could install a 440 volt air conditioner or a 3 phase 2 000 gigs monster air conditioner, and you'd still suck a lot of the cool air out of the truck or trailer. It's just going to be a very hot work place and you suffer through it. There is not a great way or even decent way to cool a 7 feet by 18 or 20 foot room with all that heat producing equipment in it.
 
Think about it like this: put 3 or 4 household kitchen stoves in the same size ( your kitchen or bedroom what ever) space and turn them on both oven and stove top  full blast and your home air conditioner could never cool that space/room. It would run non stop all day and maybe make a slight dent in the temp. And it's funny we all worry about insulating trailers (mine is) and trucks, and all the insulation does is keep the heat in during the summer. LOL The insulation helps in the winter months but not during the hot summer months.

I can tell you my undercounter True fridge throws off more heat than the steam tables.  Looking to install a small extraction fan by the fridge.

Rootsman, what you need to do is vent the exhaust air from the fridge unit out the side or bottom of the truck.....
the unit itself isnt really producing any heat, its the exhaust from the condensing coils....vent that out the side and i promise you will be very happy
dont just put a fan in near the unit, but actually vent from the point of exhaust out the side of the truck.... it will make a huge difference!!
 
and i still say an air curtain blowing in from outside(maybe a long duct set up at waist level right in front of the cooking area) blowing upwards, aimed at the throat of the vent hood, and blowing in about 95% of what the cfms are for the hood should help tremendously there as well....

it wont stop all the radiant heat, but it should just about put an end to the convection, and soak up a large part of the radiant as well...
 
i am hoping to put 2 tons in my truck, sounds like a lot, but remember, a ton is only 12,000 btu 
 
and of course there are the tried and true staples.... park in shade if possible, keep the windshield pointing away from the sun if possible...... awning over serving window, heat reflective shades for the front glass if needed, heat reflective roofing..... the cooler your "ambient" air from the front of the truck, the easier on the unit it will be, and the cooler the back of the truck will be....
basically any outside sunshine(direct light) inside your truck, or beating down on your truck is adding heat.....
i believe it can be done, can be done somewhat cheaply, and can increase the livability 

Dr of BBQ

Schmelly
What about sticking a large 220 volt wall mount a/c unit in your trailer ?
Wouldn't cranking a big unit like that on full blast help keep things cool ?

The problem remains the same your sucking a tremendous amount of cool air out of the unit with the exhaust fan. So you could install a 440 volt air conditioner or a 3 phase 2 000 gigs monster air conditioner, and you'd still suck a lot of the cool air out of the truck or trailer. It's just going to be a very hot work place and you suffer through it. There is not a great way or even decent way to cool a 7 feet by 18 or 20 foot room with all that heat producing equipment in it.

Think about it like this: put 3 or 4 household kitchen stoves in the same size ( your kitchen or bedroom what ever) space and turn them on both oven and stove top  full blast and your home air conditioner could never cool that space/room. It would run non stop all day and maybe make a slight dent in the temp. And it's funny we all worry about insulating trailers (mine is) and trucks, and all the insulation does is keep the heat in during the summer. LOL The insulation helps in the winter months but not during the hot summer months.

Hmmm....Well what do you think I should do ? Insulation or no insulation ? I have my trailer torn apart right now....I was going to insulate it.....I live in New England so we get hot 80s and even 90s sometimes in summer time...Yer we get freezing zero degree temps in the winter....
 
Also was thinking of painting my trailer 2-tone royal/navy blue...think this is OK ? or a no-no ?

Insulate your trailer.  Take special care of the roof as it is the biggest heat gain from the sun.    ... The heat being referred to above is from equipment. Heat from those sources need to be directed to the outside rather than being drawn thought the trailer & work areas.

i fought the heat in an exposed kitchen in sit down rest. I had to glass in the kitchen in the summer so customers would stay. makeup air made all the difference in the world. it can be as easy as opening a window somewhere around the hood.

28 posts, ewweee!