Food Carts/Trailers-Portland, OR

[Jupe Blue]

This is cross posted at another electrical forum where I've not gotten any responses. Hopefully, someone here has some insight to my questions.

I'm in Portland, Oregon, and there have been many food cart "pods" developed recently. Typically the lot owner will provide electrical service via a regular panel or a RV panel.

The one I am scheduled to work on next week is fed from the 120v/30a single pole breaker to a 8 space sub-panel via a 3 blade plug and SO (10/3) cord.

Customer wants a 120v water heater, small pump for the water system, and a few lights and receptacles. She says she is only going to power 2 dorm sized refrigerators, a space heater, some lights and a toaster oven. There is a 50a 2 pole breaker and receptacle to up size the sub-panel if needed.

My question is what are the wiring requirements for the interior of the cart. Do you wire it as a commercial kitchen or a RV? Are there special code provisions for something like a trailer mounted concession stand?

The plumber doesn't think a food cart in Portland is subject to any plumbing codes and the only inspections needing to done are by the health department. Can another Portland electrician speak to that?

Thanks.

 

[Cavie]

There is nothing in the code to address trailer mounted kitchens.

 

[zbang]

I would just use generally good and safe practices- no NM where exposed to damage, GFCIs for all receptacles, quality parts, etc. No N-G bond in the panel!! (I keep finding catering trucks & trailers with improper bonds.) Label all the outlets, breakers, and switches. Assume that sometime this trailer will be connected to a 20a source, so make sure the owner knows what to switch off to make it work.

Do a load calc. Their intended loads might not fit on a 30a 120v circuit anyway.

 

[hurk27]

This would be a typical chapter 545 type building but I don't think 545 would address the design issues you have asked about, as you will need to follow the rest of the NEC on each issue, I think the 120/30 amp would have been ok but with these extra loads I think your going to be pushing a 30 amp circuit way beyond it's capacity, if you chose to do a 120/240 volt 50 amp 4-wire circuit of course your going to have to change the cord which has to be a listed hard usage cord anyways, also to give a little adaptability to be able to use different power source similar to an RV set up the sub panel so that RV adapters can be used when only 120/30 amp volts is available by making sure each circuit has its own neutral, make sure the trailer frame is bonded to the EGC in the panel, the one thing that stands out that can be a future problem with using an electric water heater is the problem if the water ever gets turned off or disconnected before they power down the trailer, this could get expensive on replacing elements so make sure you put a pressure switch on it to turn it off if the water gets turned off, I have helped designed a few elephant ears trailers a friend made for doing fairs, and for the most part we used as many gas heating appliances as we could find, that would run on propane including the water heater which we used a propane tankless insta hot which worked out the best since it heats water on the fly but not when the hot water is not being used, the health department will want 160? water temperature for doing dishes but the hand sink will require no more then 120? deep fryers were also propane, about the only things we had that were electric were the fridge's, microwaves, and lights.

this is just some things to think about.

 

[OregonSE]

Most food cart questions can be answered at the following regaurding permits etc;

http://www.portlandonline.com/bds/index.cfm?c=49393&a=226795http://www.portlandonline.com/bds/
http://www.portlandonline.com/bps/index.cfm?a=303190&c=52798

This is cross posted at another electrical forum where I've not gotten any responses. Hopefully, someone here has some insight to my questions.

I'm in Portland, Oregon, and there have been many food cart "pods" developed recently. Typically the lot owner will provide electrical service via a regular panel or a RV panel.

The one I am scheduled to work on next week is fed from the 120v/30a single pole breaker to a 8 space sub-panel via a 3 blade plug and SO (10/3) cord.

Customer wants a 120v water heater, small pump for the water system, and a few lights and receptacles. She says she is only going to power 2 dorm sized refrigerators, a space heater, some lights and a toaster oven. There is a 50a 2 pole breaker and receptacle to up size the sub-panel if needed.

My question is what are the wiring requirements for the interior of the cart. Do you wire it as a commercial kitchen or a RV? Are there special code provisions for something like a trailer mounted concession stand?

The plumber doesn't think a food cart in Portland is subject to any plumbing codes and the only inspections needing to done are by the health department. Can another Portland electrician speak to that?

Thanks.

 

[OregonSE]

Most food cart questions can be answered at the following regaurding permits etc;
http://www.portlandonline.com/bds/index.cfm?c=49393&a=226795
http://www.portlandonline.com/bds/
http://www.portlandonline.com/bps/index.cfm?a=303190&c=52798
Also the ORS 455.705--http://www.cbs.state.or.us/external/bcd/programs/fo/dcc11.doc

This is cross posted at another electrical forum where I've not gotten any responses. Hopefully, someone here has some insight to my questions.

I'm in Portland, Oregon, and there have been many food cart "pods" developed recently. Typically the lot owner will provide electrical service via a regular panel or a RV panel.

The one I am scheduled to work on next week is fed from the 120v/30a single pole breaker to a 8 space sub-panel via a 3 blade plug and SO (10/3) cord.

Customer wants a 120v water heater, small pump for the water system, and a few lights and receptacles. She says she is only going to power 2 dorm sized refrigerators, a space heater, some lights and a toaster oven. There is a 50a 2 pole breaker and receptacle to up size the sub-panel if needed.

My question is what are the wiring requirements for the interior of the cart. Do you wire it as a commercial kitchen or a RV? Are there special code provisions for something like a trailer mounted concession stand?

The plumber doesn't think a food cart in Portland is subject to any plumbing codes and the only inspections needing to done are by the health department. Can another Portland electrician speak to that?

Thanks.

 

[Jupe Blue]

Thanks for your input. The responses were exactly what I was looking for.

 

[tom baker]

Across the river, in Washington that would be Factory Assembled Structure - like a trailer, portable office, cell phone building. Different division of Labor and Industries, but follows rules in NEC.