Cold weather - soda vending

[beejaykc aka Munch A Bunch]

For those of us that don't have the luxury of indoor, heated warehouses...........how should we handle frozen soda in our trailers/trucks?

 

Is the only REAL answer to bring that product indoors every day?

I've tried throwing a blanket over the soda in my trailer.  Thought it would take the edge off.  Not so.  About 1-2 bottles in every case of 24 still froze.

 

Any suggestions?  Would lining the inside of the trailer (especially around the soda area of the trailer) with foam help?  Think I can buy foam sheets........

 

Thanks!
B

 

[WhiteRoom]

For boats, the trick was always to run an incandescent work light under the engine cover to keep them from freezing.  I wonder if the same thing would work in your trailer?  Clearly you are looking at a bigger area to keep warm, but it doesn't take much.  Hang a couple work lights down along the sides of the stacks and run an extension cord out where you could plug it in every night when it was going to get super cold.  I imagine keeping the sodas from resting against the sides of the trailer would help a lot too.  Insulation?  Sure, why not...but that probably won't be the whole solution.

[jerry1973]

ive been thinking about the exact same thing lately, I am thinking about trying a magnetic block heater attached to the floor or wall close to where the soda is.

http://www.amazon.com/Kats-1155-Watt-Magnetic-Heater/dp/B000I8TPFU/ref=pd_sim_sbs_auto_3

 

or an electric blanket or heating pad

 

or a regular space heater attached to a thermocube

 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-Thermocube-TC3/100210525#.UqYEsOLgw18

 

I don't know what the best answer is, but I'm sure someone on this forum does.

[mission vending]

ive been thinking about the exact same thing lately, I am thinking about trying a magnetic block heater attached to the floor or wall close to where the soda is.

http://www.amazon.com/Kats-1155-Watt-Magnetic-Heater/dp/B000I8TPFU/ref=pd_sim_sbs_auto_3

 

or an electric blanket or heating pad

 

or a regular space heater attached to a thermocube

 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-Thermocube-TC3/100210525#.UqYEsOLgw18

 

I don't know what the best answer is, but I'm sure someone on this forum does.

 

Down here in Texas I have not had to deal with this problem but if you can't garage the vehicle a small space heater ought to do the trick, you only need to keep the temp above freezing not heat it to 70 degrees.

[bo0tsy1]

 

$13.95 an 8x4x1 sheet at Homers, 1/2in thick for $11. If you want to go that route, its not flexible at all. It is also nasty to cut with a saw as it has a grain. and you lose 1- 2 inches interior space.

 

What are you pulling the trailer with? How much do you leave in the trailer? If its a small amount, have a stock of warm cases, in your house or with you in the pulling vehicle that you keep rodeo cold (warm) with the heater. At end of day, or during, you rotate those into your trailer to insulate the leftover stock, then put a blanket over it. At least you're avoiding electricity or gas. Maybe add some of those hot cold gel bags, microwave a few of them and put them with the cans.

This one is 10x16 for $10.99.  There are many sizes of these. Medical supply stores will have a bigger size selection and Big Boxes will carry average and small. I advise you put them in ziplocks, leaks will happen.

[rmorris1953]

I use to use a infrared light in my well house..... If you stack all the diets in the middle the syrup base ones will keep them warm longer.

 

Tell the wife she isn't going to get to use the garage  

 

Pepsi has a propane heater at the front of their trailers to keep it warm.

 

What ever you use just make sure if is safe. 

[engineer1984]

Insulation without a source of energy input is just extending the amount of time it takes for the area to reach outside temps.  When I lived in WI and was poorer I had rented this house that was very drafty (girlfriends always win and the house was 'cute').  Because we couldn't afford to heat the house to more than 60 F, we used a simple timer connected to an electric heater that would warm the bedroom during the hours we usually went to sleep, shut off, then kick back on when we were about to wake up.  The heater was on only 4 - 6 hours of the day.  Anyway, the timer + heater would probably be a step closer to a cost efficient solution to keeping them liquid.

 

That's interesting about the syrup in different types of colas.  

[jerry1973]

engineer1984, what do you think about that thermocube thing? It claims to kick the power on at 35 degrees and kick it back off at 45 degrees. It's rated for 15 amps, so I think it should handle a small space heater. What are your thoughts about that?  (i will post the link below)

 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-Thermocube-TC3/100210525

[AZVendor]

Jerry,  That is an interesting device that I haven't seen before.  You will have to check the current rating of the heater you want to use to ensure it doesn't exceed the 15A rating of the thermocube.  Don't plug it into a wall and then run an extension cord to it because that will drop the amperage to the heater.  You will want to run a heavy extension cord to the vehicle and plug the thermocube into it.  There are a few review of this device on the HD page and most use it for heat lamps.  The one review that used a ceramic heater had the thermocube fail, so you'll want to remain below the 15A rating.  Also, you can't plug two 15A heaters in, the total amperage of the thermocube must not exceed 15A.

[jerry1973]

Yeah, I'm aware of the amperage limits and the extension cord point. I think the main problem is that most of those space heaters are about 1500 watts which is hovering 13 amps (very close to the limit). Maybe the heater could be used on a lower setting just to keep the bottles from freezing. Just sort of thinking of options.

[AZVendor]

If the heater is rated for 13A then you will be okay to run it at full blast.  There should be no negative affect on the thermocube - just keep an eye on the plug contacts for discoloration which might indicate overheating.

[JBVending]

I use a radiant quartz heater in my cube van when the temp goes below 20 degrees. I run it at 750 watts when temp is between 20 thru 10 degrees and 1500 watts anything below 10 degrees. Keep the diet drinks away from walls.

 

JB

[bo0tsy1]

Two can's a day, 90 days for winter. My cost is .31 cents a can. I'd lose $55.80. If I was in your situation, I'd suggest cheap solution.

[andyinchville]

HI All,

 

Good topic and certainly timely given that winter is here....

 

Just curious, but at what point does a can of soda actually freeze and bulge out / bust a  can of soda?.....Reason I ask is because we have plenty of 32 degree days but at those temps I've never had an issue w/ sodas even without taking any precautions (in terms of keeping them from freezing). 

 

I think it takes some pretty low temps to actually freeze a soda since it is not pure water.

 

Last year, when the temps got unusually cold (around 15 to 20 degrees for a few days in a row) I had a few bulge out and / or bust...not alot but enough to make a mess (I drank the cans that were bulged) .

 

I like the blanket idea but unless heat is physically added to the truck or trailer won't cans still bust since the floors get pretty cold too?...You know come to think about it maybe an easy solution is an electric blanket?....Anybody use one of those?

 

For better or worse, my truck is NOT near an electrical outlet so I have actually thought about doing this....

 

Plumb in a  55 gallon drum into the cooling system (be sure to use cutoffs so convection does NOT cause fluid to circulate through the radiator etc when the engine is shut off for the night.....I hope it can take the heat / pressure) and use it as a heat storage tank to keep the inside of the truck warm (at least above the freezing point of the soda) overnight....of course you do have more weight, need way more coolant / antifreeze and does take up space BUT the thermal mass giving off heat may keep temps up enough to prevent freezing (it goes without saying the drum would have to be securely mounted).....Smaller radiators / storage containers can be plumbed in place of the drum BUT it may lack the thermal mass to keep the area warm overnight.

 

FWIW thermal mass is a good way of heating.....IN the apartment I used to live in when I first started off in life, Hot water was included in the lease.....I used the same method (except I started off simply using the bath tub full of hot water to warm the place) before plumbing in a few drums into the system I made up (so I wouldn't have to run the hot water as often due to the larger thermal mass).....Of course, like a woodstove, you would have to "tend it"  (i.e. run the hot water every once in awhile to keep the tanks hot and radiating good heat).....Admittedly, It was a little wasteful of water but it was free and I wasn't made of $$. 

 

Andrew

[AZVendor]

Most sugared sodas won't freeze until well past 32 deg. due to the sugar acting as an antifreeze.  Diet soda and waters will begin freezing at 32 deg. but it's not flash freezing, of course.  The barrel idea in your truck probably won't work as there isn't enough pressure behind the water pump in the motor to move 55 gals of water.  You would be lucky to keep your engine properly cooled while driving because the water might not then circulate properly.  Trying to add a helper pump would probably move the water through the block too fast and not remove enough heat, causing your engine to overheat.  You will also find the barrel would cool off very quickly, much as your engine does in cold weather, and the motor block has a lot of thermal mass.