Got a clogged water line on your used hot dog cart? Follow along to see several ways to fix it.
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Hi Steve,
I recently purchased a used hot dog cart made by Custom Sales & Service in Hammonton, NJ. It’s a model 525. It was manufactured in 1985 and in great condition with 1 exception. The water to the cold faucets will not flow, they barely drip and it is apparent there must be an obstruction. (Hot water flows fine).
I contacted the manufacturer and purchased the owner manual yesterday but it did not have a schematic of the plumbing. I sent an e-mail to the company asking if they had any thoughts or suggestions on how to determine the issue and or is it possible to remove the stainless steel skin and get inside the box and re-plumb it.
Does anyone have an older 525 cart that has experienced a similar issue?
Mr. Bill
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Hi Bill,
The 525 is a very well made cart so congrats on that.
A few thoughts…
First, gravity feed water systems (no pump) are notorious for trickling and clogging. There just isn’t enough pressure to keep the pipes clean. However there are some advantages to gravity feed systems, namely they conserve water very well.
So, is there a water pump on your cart? I know the older 525 comes stock with a gravity feed system (no pump) but perhaps a pump was installed at some time in the cart’s life. If there is a pump, perhaps it is only plumbed into the hot water line? Probably not, but check anyways.
Next, try blowing out the cold water line with compressed air. Open the cold water faucet. Get a piece of modeling clay and mold it around your air hose nozzle. Push the clay down on the water fill fitting and hold it on firmly with your hand. This will create a seal for the air pressure. Blow out the line and see if anything comes out. You can also do this with a small amount of water in the tank. Forcing water through the plumbing helps flush out partial obstructions that air can just pass by.
If that doesn’t work you will need to access the interior of the hot dog cart so you can replace that cold water line. Try to find an access door, go through a cooler access hole, etc.
If you don’t have such access, take a look at the bottom side of the hot dog cart and see if you can remove the flooring. This is a lot better than trying to remove a side or top skin because you don’t have to worry about cosmetics. If you need to get rough and bend or cut things, it won’t show.
How to remove the sheet metal skin. If the skin is riveted on, just drill out the rivets. You can re-rivet them with a pop rivet gun from the local hardware.
If the skin is welded on, you can drill out the spot welds with a carbide bit, or grind through them with a hand held die grinder. As above, reattach the skin by drilling an 1/8 inch hole through the skin and the frame, then fasten with pop rivets.
Once you get inside it should be a simple matter to replace the clogged water line.
Let us know what you ended up doing Bill.
OK slingers, did I miss anything? How would you tackle this used hot dog cart repair project?
-Steve
Hey Slinger,
Cutting boards are made of food safe polyethylene and health inspectors love them as a food prep surface.
