New here. Working on a Peruvian food truck for SLC, UT

Well, I exploded my hot water tank!


I plugged in the hose from my house to test my plumbing. I connected it directly to the line that leads out of my water holding tank to bypass the water pump. I did this to check for leaks in all my new plumbing. Apparently my plumbing wasn't a weak link, it was the aluminum heater tank. 150psi I guess was too much. I had my face just inches from this inspecting the lines about 10 seconds before this happened. When it exploded it made a loud BOOM that sounded like an M-80 had gone off and echoed around the neighborhood. I ran over and there was mist in the air and a cold hazy steam coming out of the tank.
 
Fair warning to those who choose to test their plumbing without a water pressure regulator in front of city water!

@Vic I hope to be complete by the end of March. It was planned for the beginning of March, but you know how that goes!
I hope to serve downtown in designated zones on public byways if the new ordinances go through. Definitely open to a food "pod" also. Hope to meet you soon! I'm doing a Pakistani fusion cuisine. Simple, 6 item menu + specials later.
 
As for Chow Truck, I have nothing but good things to say. I think she does a wonderful job with her flavors. And being the pioneer in SLC says a lot too.
 
Can't wait to have more flavors roaming the streets in the city of salt!

Wow! Lucky you weren't hanging around that moment!
Ok, gotta go back to work :)

Thank God you still have a face. Oh...that is a snap to fix! Right?

Nice to meet you MoFood!!

I love Andean cuisine, especially ceveche and the Bolivian saltena.  Had dinner with Fujimori once at the Bolivian Embassy in Lima (my then father-in-law was the ambassador).  The menu was French/Continental!
 
Welcome to Roadfood!

 

pnwchef
 

Hi Vc, welcome to Roadfood, I hope your new business does well. The Lomo Saltada could be used for many apps, Peruvian tacos, burritos, Pan Con Chicharron can be used for a Torta and then a Cubano sandwich. The Pollo La Brasa would also be great to have, served with Papas, I know it would be hard to do on Rotisserie, but Roasted would also be great...........If I make it through Salt lake city this year, I'll look you up..........................pnwc

 
I must have missed this one. Thanks! I'd love to do Pollo a la Brasa. I was thinking about building a second truck eventually that just does that and has a giant rotisserie behind glass so people can see the chickens.

MetroplexJim


I love Andean cuisine, especially ceveche and the Bolivian saltena.  Had dinner with Fujimori once at the Bolivian Embassy in Lima (my then father-in-law was the ambassador).  The menu was French/Continental!

Welcome to Roadfood!

 
Haha Fujimori! That's pretty cool!

mofood


@Vic I hope to be complete by the end of March. It was planned for the beginning of March, but you know how that goes!
I hope to serve downtown in designated zones on public byways if the new ordinances go through. Definitely open to a food "pod" also. Hope to meet you soon! I'm doing a Pakistani fusion cuisine. Simple, 6 item menu + specials later.

As for Chow Truck, I have nothing but good things to say. I think she does a wonderful job with her flavors. And being the pioneer in SLC says a lot too.

Can't wait to have more flavors roaming the streets in the city of salt!

Yeah, I hoped to be open by march too, but it looks like that won't happen. Now that I look back on all the projects I've done since I bought this truck in November, it seems like I've done hardly anything. I hope you are more productive than me! If you ever want to stop by and check out my build in person, maybe get some ideas for yourself, I live in Midvale. Send me a message if so.
 
I think the chow truck is great as far as concept and recipes and locations served. I really respect what SuAn has done being the pioneer of salt lake food trucks and the fight she's given the HD and politicians. I really think I went there on an off day, I should give her a second chance. I noticed she wasn't there that day, maybe that's why. Maybe I shouldn't say I have nothing good to say on the internet, I do.  

CCinNJ


Thank God you still have a face. Oh...that is a snap to fix! Right?

Nice to meet you MoFood!!

 
I already bought an Eccotemp L5 because I doubted the capabilities of an under the steam table tank. I was planning on using both together. I guess I'll just use the L5.
 

Vic.....any tips on Peruano beans?......I recently discovered them and will never go back to pintos!
Currently, all I add is onion, salt, pepper & some bacon fat. They are so much better than pintos.

chefbuba


Vic.....any tips on Peruano beans?......I recently discovered them and will never go back to pintos!
Currently, all I add is onion, salt, pepper & some bacon fat. They are so much better than pintos.

Sure, those are my favorites too. (AKA Mayocoba beans) Onion, S&P, bacon fat sounds good!  I like to soak them overnight. I usually just add fresh garlic (crushed or sometimes whole if slow cooked) kosher salt, lots of freshly ground black pepper and maybe red onion, sometimes cubed bacon. Ideally I'd crock pot them with water.  Or, a slow boil on the stove if it's on the fly.  When it's done, pull it out if it's in the crock pot and make a corn starch mixture with cold water. Put it in a pot on high, get it to a rolling boil and add the corn starch mixture to thicken up the liquid to a gravy-like consistency.  

Good to meet you as well CCinNJ!
And OP I'd love to check out your refurb/build. And the offer is reciprocal. I'll pm you

I can't wait to try to guess the Pakistani fusion menu items on your thread...MoFood.

4 out of 6 is a passing grade but I will study and try for the Honor Roll.

Crazy, you can actually get into through the back under the griddle.
These pro custom builds are amazing. Definitely a world apart from piecing together equipment individually in a footprint like many of us seem to be doing.

Yeah, I really like that hatch. But, I wouldn't say you can get in and out from it. Unless you like doing an army crawl. More for in-case-of-fire. It has been invaluable for all the plumbing and electrical work on that side of the truck. I have my inverter near there, so if I'm working on the outside of the truck with power tools, I can just run an extension cord out the back. It's a good place to keep my generator too and I just pull it out and put it on the ground outside. And I'll have my grease can sitting back there under the grill for easy removal.
 
I definitely decided on this truck for the professional built "bones" of it. I really think the whole thing was built very smart.

Vic,
 
I saw the pic of your wall mount fans at the back of your truck. It looks a lot like what Pacific Cater Truck offers in their MISC parts page. What do you think?
I will try to get a quote from them for a complete system. I wonder if it would install well in my rig, or if I should just do a simpler louver system after buying and installing two fans.
Is your exhaust system wired to your batteries/inverter? I wonder how much they draw from your system.
 
Basically, I am trying to avoid using a generator. But it seems your rig already has one, and many of the truck builds on this site are large enough that owners have allocated space for generators.

Yes, it looks very similar. I'd check out the dimensions to see if it will fit on the back of your truck. I'll take some pictures for you of the interior and construction of the interior of my hood system to see if it's a project you could tackle. I imagine there would be a lot of custom fabrication involved on your part, even with buying the whole rear portion from them.  I'll post those up in a bit. The great thing about the design of this is that it's sloping angle prevents rain from entering the back. And it has drain holes in the interior. I'm not sure a regular louver vent placed in front of a fan would prevent water from coming in if the wind is blowing.
 
The exhaust fan is 12v and is wired directly to the battery after an automotive style switch with an in-line fuse. I couldn't tell you how many amps it draws, but not too much I'm sure.
 
I'm trying to avoid using a generator too when possible. That's why I have the RV/marine battery and inverter. My truck didn't come with a generator but I bought a Honda 2000watt for battery charging and to run my blender and hotplate when I don't plan well enough for a rush. I should be able to run my lights and hood system for 3 hours off just the battery.  Hood system alone should be about 4.5 hours.  I plan on using the blender and hotplate mostly in the morning when I'm still hooked up at the commissary. Those are my only electricals besides the lights, and hoods.

Awesome Vic. I look forward to seeing those pics. And I appreciate your input.
 
The way you describe your scenario starting your day is a lot how I plan on running my truck. Originally, I gave a lot of consideration to a roof mounted AC power driven fan at first expecting I would be able to plug in and do most of the cooking in the beginning of the day, evacuating all the high BTU griddle exhaust, and then using 12v fans in transit and stops to evacuate the food warmers. However, I know it is much simpler to have one system in place that can handle all the exhaust under any circumstances and be sustainable off the grid.

Alright, here's those pictures of the hood system. Excuse the mess! Actually you'd be surprised at how clean it is compared to when I bought it.



 
 
 
Yeah, the plumbing and wiring is a bit insane right now. It's kind of a mock up.
 
 
 


 
I'll include a few other random pictures too
 
The inverter and charger  
 
 
The new fryer controls, which I'm having problems with.
 
It sure is ugly right now!
 
 

What's the pot for in the last pic? For draining fry grease? Just a guess. I always wondered how trucks can move with fryers and not have the grease slosh all over.
 
Thanks for the pics! Awesome of you to take the time to take them/post them.
 
Now I see what you mean about the water tank. I would think one would avoid a top heavy situation but maybe the advantage is gained with gravity fed faucets instead of using a pump.
 
How wide is the hood system? It looks to me about 5-6'. I suppose that extra exhaust duct on the right side (facing back of vehicle from outside) is specifically for the fryer? Is that exhaust just manually taken out from under the griddle and fryer? Like CO2 exhaust? Or is it pushed/pulled out?
 
You gotta love those skylights for natural light. A common build for S. Cali trucks is using a raised up "bubble top". I think Armenco is who specializes in it, if not more than one builder. Originally, I thought that was the only way to go. I think they quoted me 3k for a 10'x3' top, which I'd need to have shipped and installed.
With rain the way it is in Oregon, I am not sure relying on manual roof ventilation is the right way to go.
 
Are your removable grease filters very small? I'd be curious to know the dimensions.
 
Thanks a lot. I should look for a place to host my pics so I can share them with everyone. Kind of a bummer not being able to post. Oh well.
 

What's the pot for in the last pic? For draining fry grease? Just a guess. I always wondered how trucks can move with fryers and not have the grease slosh all over.
 
  You can kind of see it in the 4th pic that there is a slide out cover that the fry baskets are sitting on. It sits very securely over the top.  Yes, the pot is my grease bucket. I'll need it  underneath the grill, always, because it just has an open drain spout. Then I can use it for the fryer too when I need to drain it. 
 
Now I see what you mean about the water tank. I would think one would avoid a top heavy situation but maybe the advantage is gained with gravity fed faucets instead of using a pump.
 
Exactly! Although, I added in that pump because my HD requires that the water "be under pressure". I figure the gravity fed system won't have much pressure when the tank is running low.
 
How wide is the hood system? It looks to me about 5-6'.
 
The whole exterior portion of it is about 75" wide x 38" tall. The interior of my truck measured wall-to-wall is 80" wide.  From the ceiling down to where the drip pan hangs off of ,measured vertically and straight, is about 30".
 
 I suppose that extra exhaust duct on the right side (facing back of vehicle from outside) is specifically for the fryer? Is that exhaust just manually taken out from under the griddle and fryer? Like CO2 exhaust? Or is it pushed/pulled out?
 
Yes, that extra duct is for the fryer only. There is no fan inside of there. Any build up of vapors come out of those chamfered holes and get pulled out by the regular exhaust.
 
 Are your removable grease filters very small? I'd be curious to know the dimensions.
 
20" x 16". A standard size. I know because I replaced those with new ones.
 
Thanks a lot. I should look for a place to host my pics so I can share them with everyone. Kind of a bummer not being able to post. Oh well.
 
I like Photobucket.
 
 
 
 

So, I'm having some print shop owners meet with me today.
I'm going to be painting the truck black and then having some vinyl logos made for it.
These are my logos...
 

The dimensions you mentioned, 30x75 are what I idealized for my hood system. My van's interior is 78" wide.
Thanks for the info on Pacific Cater. I spoke to Zhorzh today after he responded to an email this morning. I sent him some mock ups of my plans to see if/how their systems can work for me. Looking forward to his response.
 
Re: your logos. I think they look great. Very sharp, great colors. Way to use the colors of Peru. And also the Cuy! What a great mascot. I tried it when I was in Ecuador.
I think its difficult to get an animal mascot that is not already too cliche. You nailed it!

My thoughts are:A black truck will cook your brains in the summer.

daddywoofdawg


My thoughts are:A black truck will cook your brains in the summer.

 
Yeah, I thought about that. I'm not sure that it will make a HUGE difference like the effect that a car has that is completely painted black. Because... the roof is still bare aluminum. There are still huge portions on the service side that will remain unpainted stainless steel, the menu board, the windows, etc... The back side is mostly the hood system; the front side is mostly glass and the grill. The one side that will be covered in black paint would be the non-service side and that entire side has a few inches of insulation. But, even then, I was thinking about doing the bottom black and leaving the top white, maybe.
 
But, you're right, every little bit will matter on a 100 degree day.

DWags541


The dimensions you mentioned, 30x75 are what I idealized for my hood system. My van's interior is 78" wide.
Thanks for the info on Pacific Cater. I spoke to Zhorzh today after he responded to an email this morning. I sent him some mock ups of my plans to see if/how their systems can work for me. Looking forward to his response.

Re: your logos. I think they look great. Very sharp, great colors. Way to use the colors of Peru. And also the Cuy! What a great mascot. I tried it when I was in Ecuador.
I think its difficult to get an animal mascot that is not already too cliche. You nailed it!

 
Hey, I'm glad you like the logos and the Cuy!

Maybe you should paint the top white, which is what I've seen on school buses and UPS trucks.

The logos are very sleek. Cuy is adorable. I can see him as a plushie. Maybe without the knife.

CCinNJ


The logos are very sleek. Cuy is adorable. I can see him as a plushie. Maybe without the knife.

 
Thanks! My wife says they sell tons of plushie cuys in Peru. They even look like that guy. I'm thinking next time we go back (next winter) we could pick up a bunch of them and make little chef coats for them.
 

DWags541


Maybe you should paint the top white, which is what I've seen on school buses and UPS trucks.

 
That might work better. Good idea!

Ordered about $1600 of refrigeration, and random parts from Pacific last week. Hopefully I'll get those soon so I can get my fridge running.
 
My print shop lady made a little template for my truck. Although it will be a bit different. It gives you a good idea of how the truck will look.
 
 
I may end up tearing the fryer out at this point. I don't really need it and based on the conversation with Mofood, it looks like I may need an ansul system. Which I can't afford at this point. I talked with the fire marshal before, a few months ago, and he told me that I would need an ansul system. I noticed no other food trucks around here have one. So, I talked to some other guy that runs a few trucks and a commissary. He was saying he never needed ansul systems in his trucks, just a K-class. I'm trying to get a hold of other truck operators to get a straight answer on the subject with no luck. I don't think anybody wants to talk about it. I just have a feeling that I'll end up getting inspected by the fire marshal that requires this stuff and I won't have the same luck as these other trucks out there already without an ansul system.
So, I think my best solution is to just tear out the fryer and patch up the hole where the fryer was. My current menu doesn't involve a fryer as a necessity, just a luxury. I have one menu, lomo saltado, that has french fries. I hand cut them to an un-traditional "shoestring" style. I can still make these on the flat top. It will just take longer. But, I think they actually taste better on my flat top! This way I'll also save propane without the fryer. I was thinking I had to get a piece of stainless patched over in that area anyway, now I'll just do the whole thing. There's a trash hole in front of the fryer that got patched over by just riveting SS over it. I think that's a big no-no that the HD wouldn't have liked. So, I was planning on welding that anyway.
 
So, a new project at hand. But I think it's a blessing in disguise in a way. I just wish I hadn't bought all those fryer parts before hand. I was planning on expanding the menu later on to take advantage of the fryer more, with empanadas, papa rellenas, etc... Oh well.

Vic, let me know what size piece of stainless you need. If I don't have a piece to fit, Affiliated Metals is your source. Out by the airport. Brushed stainless from them only comes in 4'x10' sheets, but it's a good price.

Well, I was thinking about having resco do it. They're already working on a couple trim pieces of stainless for me, and they seem to be fairly cheap for the fab work. I have a welder but I can't weld stainless good. And I do have some scrap of my own.
 
How much does affiliated charge for a 4 by 10?

Just to answer your question... I need a piece about 17x17" and I need to make a door for my under sink cabinet that's 21x31".