Coffeepot and Warmer

 

General Information

The unit has two propane coffeepots and a hot water jacket.  It also has a propane food warmer for keeping food hot, especially for hot sandwiches.   The photo shows the two coffeepots and the food warmer to the right of the coffeepots. 

The food warmer is often used to keep sandwiches warm.
 

Filling the coffeepot

The coffeepot has a long hinged water spout for easy filling, as shown in the photo.   The water jacket is filled at the small hole in the right rear of the top of the coffeepots, usually plugged shut.   The water in the water jacket becomes the hot water from the orange spigot in the middle.

In order to use the spigot, the truck needs to have a water hose connected to it, and the valve next to the water hose has to be in the vertical position.  See the water systems part of the manual for more information.

If you use the fresh water tank to fill the coffeepot, you will use all or almost all of the water in the fresh water tank.  Therefore, you need to fill the coffeepot from the city water supply or some other source.

 Coffeepot and Warmer

Making coffee

Start with one pound of instant coffee per pot, and add more to taste if needed.  Be sure to put in the water first, then the coffee.
 

Lighting the pilot lights

First check that the coffeepot is clean and free from mold.  Then fill the coffeepot with water using the special long spout.  The coffeepot and the warmer use the same type of control.  The black knob is off, pilot, and on.  The green knob controls the temperature;  start with the green knob set at "2", in other words, relatively low.  The ideal temperature for serving coffee is 160F, so adjust the green knob to get the 160F temperature.  The yellow valve is the shutoff in case of problems or leaks.  To light the pilot light, set the control to pilot, and push the knob in and hold it while lighting pilot light.  If there is air in the propane lines, you may need to hold the knob in a minute before the pilot light will stay on.  Once the pilot light will stay on, turn the knob to the on position.  There is one pilot light and control for the coffeepot, and one for the food warmer.  The steam table uses a similar control.

Food Warmer

The temperature control (green knob) for the warmer should be set to "LO".   If the temperature control is set much higher, the warmer will become extremely hot, and has been measured as high as 250 degrees F. The temperature in the warmer, measured by the thermometer, should be about 150 degrees F.  Food should be kept at least 140 F for food safety.

The food on the lower shelf will get hotter than the food on the other shelves.  Styrofoam boxes on the lower shelf can melt, especially if the temperature control is set higher than "LO".

Aluminum foil on the botton of the warmer will make it easier to clean, and may improve heat distribution in the warmer.
 
 

Draining and cleaning the coffeepot

Before putting away the unit,  drain out all the coffee and rinse out the pot.  Be sure to open both the inside and the outside spigots.  Also, use the copper valve to drain the water out of the water jacket, as shown in the photo.

To prevent mold from growing in the coffeepot in storage, leave the lids off the pots to allow them to completely dry.

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RAF  9/23/05