Containerized Kitchen–Run for Cover

Loose gear banging around in the mechanical room of the containerized kitchen can wreck equipment. The air conditioners especially take a beating. The slide hammer, the ground rod and the jacks ram the condensers and bend the fins. Once the fins are bent, the condenser can’t let heat escape. The air conditioners won’t operate. And because they work in tandem, if one goes down, the other one won’t work either.

To prevent damage, pack your gear like it says in WP 0006 of TM 10-7360-226-13&P (Aug 01, w/Ch 4, Mar 07).

For added protection, put a metal shroud over each air conditioner’s condenser. Ask your metal shop or field maintenance shop to fabricate two shrouds. Here are the tools and materials:

o Tools: cutting grinder or metal cutting shears, measuring tape, hammer and screwdriver

o Materials: sheet of steel mesh, NSN 5680-00-551-3810, 8 feet long x 4 feet wide; twelve 1/4-in diameter washers, NSN 5310-00-463-0268 (six washers for each air conditioner)

Here are the fabricating instructions:

1. Cut out two shrouds from the sheet of steel mesh. Each shroud should measure 40 inches long x 20 inches wide.

2. Bend both long sides of each shroud 90^o. Each bend should measure 1 inch deep.

3. Bend one short side of each shroud 90^o. The bend should measure 2 inches deep.

And here’s how to install the shroud:

1. Remove the screws from the frame that holds the condenser to the air conditioner.

2. Slide the shroud over the condenser and frame.

3. Place a washer over each screw hole, insert a screw and tighten. Continue until all screws and washers are in place.

4. Install the second shroud over the second air conditioner in the same way.