Food trucks Feeder Calculation

Status
Not open for further replies.
A

AC\DC

Senior Member
Location
Florence,Oregon,Lane
Occupation
EC
I have a client that want to have me install 5 Pedestal with 50/30 amp outlets for Food carts.
Looking through the book I have no dedicated spot for calculation Food trucks.
Seems like I would just do 220 calc to find the feeder size
or service size if I go Metered pedestal.
Am I right on my thinking?
And do most food trucks even use 50 amp
from looking most use a L14-30R
Thanks
 
thing I don't get is I have no way of knowing what equipment there going to be plugging in as far as KW for stove- Fryer- etc. so I can't use a Demand factor, I could just full size it for 50 amps but then I am looking at 250 amps for 5 pedestals Seems WAYYYY over kill
 
Is this a new service? If so, someone is likely going to want to see a load calculation before they issue a permit.

You should get your client to let you contact some of the typical food trucks and find out what they are using as far as cords go. if they are all 30 Amp cords, maybe you just claim 150 A. I don't see how you can justify anything less without knowing what is likely to be plugged in.
 
Several manufacture I called said 240 volt 50 amp, to 100 amp at most .
DANG
Said 50 is the norm but then he may have some units with to 50 amp shore cords. ( I did not dive farther into that one.)

Seems without know what is in each of these going off 50 amp with no demand factor is the way to go.

Called my inspector and he said he only has ran into one of these set ups and he just used the cord rating at full.
 
Yes, some food trucks use a 50a connection on a 14-50 or a CS connector. Some will even use close to that- it all depends on how they're cooking (gas or electric). IME, there's no good way to guess unless the site has a gas/no-gas rule. I usually go 40 amps/leg for 50a connections and 20 for 30a connections, and a demand of 60-80% for 5-6 trucks (no data to back that up).

Since I'm doing another outdoor event next week, I'll take a closer look at the actual usage if I can.

(I saw a truck once that had it's own 20kva generator, all electric.)
 
zbang said:
Yes, some food trucks use a 50a connection on a 14-50 or a CS connector. Some will even use close to that- it all depends on how they're cooking (gas or electric). IME, there's no good way to guess unless the site has a gas/no-gas rule. I usually go 40 amps/leg for 50a connections and 20 for 30a connections, and a demand of 60-80% for 5-6 trucks (no data to back that up).

Since I'm doing another outdoor event next week, I'll take a closer look at the actual usage if I can.

(I saw a truck once that had it's own 20kva generator, all electric.)
Click to expand...
I understand the Demand would work since they probably will never all be running at max, how do you justify this to your inspector?? since its has nothing in the code for Food trucks loads.

Thanks for the help guys
 
AC\DC said:
how do you justify this to your inspector??
Click to expand...
Never had to :LOL:; never had an inspector look at the temp wiring, only one or two temp transformers if they're hard-wired into a panel. Granted that quite often we're either going onto a 150-300kva generator or permanently-installed CS or camlok connectors, but I know the sum of the outlets is often greater than the main in the panels (we've never tripped the mains and seldom the 2-pole feeds). A lot is going to depend on how the AHJ views the problem. If they want to enforce hard math, ask them where it is.
 
I hate to say it but you kind of have to guess. You don't know what is going to get plugged into those. I'd probably have 200A (if single phase) for those.
 
Unfortunately food trucks are not covered by the NEC so you can get away with alot but I would want 50 amp. If everything in the truck is propane then you may only need 30 amp.
 
I coordinated power connections for our local festival, we would set out about a dozen power spiders. Initially we just asked for a list of appliances, but learned to get the volts, amps and watts. The vendors would say I have a couple of hot plates, but show up with a perc coffee pot, crock pot, hot dog cooker.
Now you get 20A at 120V, if you need more you pay for it.
May point is if you put in 30A, someone will need to make sure they don’t go over that.
 
zbang said:
That's what the breaker is for :LOL: , and I always tell the vendors the first reset is free and what not to use. After that they're paying for more (and I get surlier if they keep tripping).
Click to expand...
Exactly. We had circuits to tree wells for holiday lighting, there would be a street fair, whoops no power, I show up and they have three crock pots plugged in. Now the free well lighting is off most of the time
 
tom baker said:
Exactly. We had circuits to tree wells for holiday lighting, there would be a street fair, whoops no power, I show up and they have three crock pots plugged in. Now the free well lighting is off most of the time
Click to expand...
In our town there was a street with a bunch of restaurants and stuff with diagonal parking. In front of the parking spaces were receptacles with christmas lights (left year round I brought up the code issue with this and the city didn't care) plugged into them. Breakers kept mysteriously tripping. They eventually figured out that people were parking there and plugging their cars in. Now the receptacles have inuse covers with little padlocks on them.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top