New Mobile Coffee Adventure!

[PQlliar]

Hi there!

I finally signed up, but I've been lurking for a few months. My wife and I just pulled the trigger on a cargo trailer we plan to convert into a highly mobile coffee business here in the pacific northwest!

There are some insightful folk here and I'm hoping I can contribute to the conversation as well as gleem what I can't from them who done it before.

Website should be up soon! And we'll blog the whole thing as we put it together! Much like the inspirational Mr Shave.

So thanks for letting me join and let's get right into it!

I am having a hard time finding resources on plumbing and electrifying this bad boy. Anyone have any advice on where to start? Thanks ahead of time!

 

[PinkRose]

Hello PQlliar,

Welcome!

It's great that you decided to join us!

As time goes on, if you don't get a response to your questions in this thread, just start a separate thread asking for specific help finding plumbing and electric resources for your mobile coffee trailer. The thread title is important, because it get's people's attention.

Good luck with your new adventure.

Rose

 

[namballe]

Welcome PQlliar,
will you be using a gas powered generator for your electrical needs? what are your power requirements? (110 or 220) it shoudnt be difficult finding plumbing and electrical supplies for your mobile coffee biz. have you done a google search? should be able to purchase most all the hardware from a Home Depot or similar store.
Good Luck!

 

[bprotsman]

Good luck with the new adventure!

 

[CoffeeJunky]

Welcome PQlliar,
will you be using a gas powered generator for your electrical needs? what are your power requirements? (110 or 220) it shoudnt be difficult finding plumbing and electrical supplies for your mobile coffee biz. have you done a google search? should be able to purchase most all the hardware from a Home Depot or similar store.
Good Luck!

I would do Youtube search first under mobile home for plumbing and electrical can be found in Google search. I am sure you want to use 220 since most of the double head espresso maker uses 220. Make sure you have enough power for all your equipment and more.

 

[CoffeeLovers]

Howdy PQlliar,

You need a power for your coffee machine. An electrician also can suggest the best generator that matches your mobile coffee business. Anyway, you better have to ask advice from any local electrical and plumbing experts. They can have some suggestion on how you are going to set electrical and plumbing.

Good luck!

 

[PQlliar]

Thanks for all the input folks!

I would do Youtube search first under mobile home for plumbing and electrical can be found in Google search. I am sure you want to use 220 since most of the double head espresso maker uses 220. Make sure you have enough power for all your equipment and more.

Thanks! Dunno why I hadn't thought of youtube. There is some good stuff on there! Boston Concession has some awesome plumbing videos that will be super helpful.

Just found out today also that I dont need to include any plumbing / electrical on my "mobile unit plan review" for the local health dept. So I can submit that a lot sooner than I expected.

Onward!

 

[PQlliar]

Much belated followup! We've been building! Here's the site so far.

refuelcoffee.com

In need of an update as we have fridges and the lower cabinets framed in now. As well as all the plumbing. There should be more pics soon!

So now I'm into the electrical for reals! Added up all my watts and I'm looking at a massive generator. 10k watts or more... Does that seem normal? I suppose I can put something on batteries. Any thoughts appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[namballe]

can't wait to see your finished trailer
i would imagine the biggest consumer of wattage will be your espresso machine. what type of lighting are you using. it's always best to get a generator thats slightly overrated to the power you are consuming. how much wattage did you add up for all your electrical needs?

 

[sidg]

Get the biggest generator you can afford and fit into your space. Trust me you will always need more watts and if the generator is straining to provide the power it will kick off at the most inopportune time. Trust me I learned this the hard way.

 

[CoffeeJunky]

I can imagine that would really suck if that happens. I never really ran a mobile coffee shop but I did lose my power at my coffee shop one of the busy time of the day. That really put us in bad position. So i have purchased generator that would put few light above the cafe and also run my espresso and coffee machine.

 

[PQlliar]

added all up, its around 9000 watts at peak usage for everything.

I spoke to another mobile coffee guy here in Portland and he suggested a 7000 watt generator should be enough, since not everything will be running all at once. Says he only has a breaker pop once or twice a year.

And since 7000 watts is the highest I can find for the built-in RV style gas generators, I'm kinda hoping to go that route. hmm...

 

[Truckie]

Howdy, What size trailer did you purchase and what is a round about price for the finished product. My wife and I are planning on doing the same thing with either a trailer or van type vehicle. Good luck with your new venture.

 

[garydem]

Here's the result of our research on the generator (we are working on building a trike): RV_Products_Overview

The main reason we selected this manufacturer (or had to select this manufacturer) was the noise. You may or may not have the same criteria but if the noise is important, these guys are pretty much it in the market place.

As far as the power requirements go, the rule of thumb is to add up everything and multiply it by (at least) 1.3 (but 1.5 is safer). Here is the reason; the amperage/wattage that your equipment requires is the "running amperage/wattage". But start up power requirement is usually 1.5 of the running power.

At this point you need to make a decision... you can start your equipment one at a time, and stay with the low power requirement, or be safe and buy a large generator (and look for a place to put that thing... and of course paying for it is another matter.)

Hope this helps... Let me know if you need any help on the engineering side...

 

[PQlliar]

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to say thanks for all the advice! We just finished up our first year of business and I know I learned quite a bit. If I build a second coffee trailer, I know of a few things I'd do differently. But overall it's gone well.

Thanks again!