installing a pump on a gravity sink.

Anyone have any ideas about how I could put an electric pump on a Creative Mobile 325? It now has a gravity fed sink, but health people say it has to be electric. Please help, 4 years of inspections and now I have a different guy and has different rules I guess.

Hi EddyBees

I've got a cart on order made by Island Time Hot Dog Carts (www.islandtimehdc.com), and they have a pump on the sink too... so maybe you can contact them and see how they do it. Their phone number is on their web site.

Any local RV/Camper store should have everything you need in stock
for either AC or DC function. Show them what you have and
what you need to do and they will set you right up.

This is not simple purchase and install. There's a science to selecting the correct pump for your particular situation. Certain factors need to be considered.

1. The type of plumbing currently used on the cart. Plastic boat or water line with hose clamps will not handle high pressure from an electric pump. The pressure will blow the line right off the fittings. The same may occur using metal flex line as used on dish washer installations. My cart had to be hard plumbed with copper tubing to withstand the pressure of the pump that came from the factory.
2. The correct pressure for your current plumbing is a very important factor
3. The installation of a small marine or motorcycle battery with an easily accessible on/off switch
4. The location of the battery and the switch
5. The location of the pump
6. A battery box
7. The necessary space to fit the battery, the pump, and the plumbing

CSD PhD-Professor of Hot Dogs

quote:

Originally posted by EddyBees Dogs
Anyone have any ideas about how I could put an electric pump on a Creative Mobile 325? It now has a gravity fed sink, but health people say it has to be electric. Please help, 4 years of inspections and now I have a different guy and has different rules I guess.

Eddy,
Go to a Lowes or Menards store they carry a good selection of pumps from small to very large. Look for well pumps or irrigation pumps, they come in both 110 and 12 volts.Most RV stores are very expensive for the same pumps. I have found the best way to pipe a water system is using stainless steel braided hose with standard garden hose fittings. The movement from hauling a trailer, cart or the pump kicking on and off will sometimes break PVC pipe and unless the copper lines are attached to something very ridged will tend to weaken and leak after time. You can buy the stainless steel braided hose on Ebay very inexpensively, and the garden hose fittings make it a snap to install. After paying plumbers to install my system twice once with PVC and then with copper I redid it with the stainless steel braided hose myself and it works like a charm. Sorry to disagree with the esteemed CD on this one but they don't make a pump that will blow the stainless steel braided hose with the right fittings. Do a search on Ebay and you'll find different lengths of stainless steel braided hose with the fittings attached. Order the length you need and in 3 days it will arrive and you can put it together yourself in a matter of minutes. Good luck.
Jack

I have 2 Shur-Flo pumps on my truck for handwash sink and espresso machine. All the lines are braided poly with hose clamps over barbed connections, and I've never had a problem. Available at RV stores.

Jack,

The braided stainless steel hose uses a gasket at the faucet fitting and the pump. While the pump will not blow a braided stainless hose off the fitting of either, excessive pressure from the pump, combined with hot water blew the gasket at the faucet, causing the hose to leak at the fitting. Instead of replacing the pump with a lower pressure unit, we plumbed the system with copper tubing. Each cart uses a different system to produce hot water for it's sink. Our's makes direct countact with three burners. In our system, there's always a pocket of steam in the line going to the hot water line, going to the sink. The pump is turned off until hot water is need. Once the pump's engaged and hot water faucet is turned on, steam is purged through the faucet prior to hot water. It's a very bad design, but it works. We replumbed our cart five times until it was correct. Our problem was a bad design, combined with boat line, hose clamps, and the wrong pump, requiring a leaning curve to correct it. I appreciate being called the "esteemed CSD." The pump problem made me the "steamed CSD." I suggested to Eddy to ask for another health inspector who's familiar with the existing codes and his cart, instead of dealing with his new ispector.

Take care.


Mark

quote:

Originally posted by chicagostyledog
Jack,I appreciate being called the "esteemed CSD." The pum problem made me the "steamed CSD." Take care. Mark

LOL your welcome.

Wow that does sound like a poorly designed system. I use a hot water on demand system (LP Gas) and I can run my faucet slow and the water will steam when it comes out but I never get a bump of steam in the line. Heck that's dangerous to have water get that hot.Someone should post some detailed photos of a system for carts that really works well for future reference.Or maybe cart builders should have detailed post, with pictures on their respective sites that show the system and how it works. With all the hot dog questions here on Roadfood, both are needed and I'd bet that's an aspect most new vendors wouldn't pay a great deal of attention to, at the initial inspection/purchase.
Jack