Saeco SG 200 operators

[Live Life Wide Awake Vend]

Hey all!

I've ran into a dilemma with the city. Nowhere in any literature that I have does it talk about using the 5gal tank as a reservoir for the water. So the city will not allow them until either
A) hook it up to the domestic water line as the manual shows, which I want to stay away form,
Find paperwork that shows what I am doing is a factory option. 

I'm seeing if anyone here has what I'm looking for and could fax/email it over!

Thanks
LLWA

[wolfmother]

Contact Kevin Horstman at Seaga. 815-297-9500. Seaga has Saeco tank kits that have the documentation you are looking for.

[exblend]

We are still looking for support on the Saeco SG-200 Machines that we own. If you are considering providing a service or repair  option we are definitely interested in hearing what you can offer. The machines are generally reliable but not everyone can repair them when they go down. Look forward to hearing some specifics on the repair options. 

[Efman]

Gents.  I have a "slow brewing" problem.

 

I use the machine for personal uses only.  Which makes this problem very tricky.  I need my coffee!!

 

First cup in the morning takes about 3 minutes to dispense.  I get about half a cup.  Cups after that take just as long, but are almost a full portion.

 

I removed the brewing mechanism and washed it thoroughly.  Still no change.  

 

You guys have solved many issues. Thoughts on this one?

 

Thanks.

[Greatdane]

Your Saeco SG200 screens are clean in brew group so no issue there, If you are using good water and boiler is clean/lime/iron free, water is not the issue. It sounds like you may have a very fine grind. If it is too fine, it takes about 3 minutes for the coffee to dribble through the coffee puck into the cup. (I had this issue with my kitchen Saeco SG200)

 

It appears you need to adjust the coffee grind. Remember where the setting is and adjust to a courser grind.

This is above the brew group upper left. You will see a big gear and a set screw that appears to take a flathead screw driver but can be hand turned.

You can always experiment turning the grind adjustment. Go one way and 5 minutes to brew, go to far other way, weak coffee and fast brew. 

You will find the balance that works for you.

 

Peace and good luck!

Greatdane

[BlackLab]

Hello.  This post is more for Greatdane than anyone else.  I would like to thank you for saving me a boatload of money.  My finance and I recently went to a franchise show where we stopped at a Java Brewing Collection booth.  We went to the two other "mandatory" presentations and were signed up for the third one where we were going to be signed up and had to pay a down payment for their program.  In the meantime I tried to do as much due diligence in the small amount of time they give you and luckily happened upon this site where I read your story with great intersest.  In my opinion JBC is just a rehash of the Canmax program you almost fell for a few years ago.  And I've read other posts on here that say the same thing.  Their program is almost identical and "coincidentally" they are also out of Toronto Canada.  The only difference is that they are selling Bianchi machines instead of Saecos.  Anyway thanks for your insights that were posted here.  I have been doing the eBay thing and have seen numerous offers for the Saeco 200 machines from various parts of the country.  Canmax must have sold a lot of those.  My question to you and to anyone else who would like to chime in is now that you have been in the coffee vending business for a few years do you feel it was a wise decision and if you had to do it all over again would you?  Also it would seem to me that depending on what part of the country you are in that this business might be somewhat seasonal as I don't know how much coffee would be sold in the summer months since most people are looking for cold drinks at that time.  And what about all these Saeco machines for sale.  Are they something to stay away from?

[Greatdane]

So glad my experience based on self opinion informed you to make a educated buying decision! You can now send me %10 percent of what you would have paid after taking out a second mortgage paying $30k start up. There was what seemed to me a internet black out when I did my research except mapinfo and one BBB negative.

It is kind of funny you mention Java Brewing because the info packets I received from the previous "Authorized" semi-franchise Canmax operators included Java Brewing materials tucked in with Canmax's start up material.

 

I myself have made my money back because I paid about 10% or less of what Canmax wanted new. Canmax's 5 machine base start up option was around $31,000. It would be a very very long time to recover 31K or 60,000 cups of coffee before you see a profit.

 

The Saeco SG 200's I have placed are now making me spending money but not exactly a "Living Income". This is mainly by choice and also I am in a very rural area and not a big metro area so others may experience' will differ. I service them once or twice every two weeks. After the first placement newness factor is over, sales seem to be about a third of when first placing the machine. But since I owe nothing, it is like making about $50 a week average per machine. It takes me about 1 hour average servicing each machine. So in a month I make about $500 and that includes the 10 hours I service. I have doubled my original investment after costs are factored in. 

 

I have had less than 3 failures I had to deal with outside of my regular service. The Saeco SG 200's are EXTREMELY reliable in my opinion working with them in a real operating environment. I could place them in more profitable areas but I'm in the comfort zone. I have a HVAC full time job so this works for me. I listed and sold one machine on Ebay and it sold right away. One of our forum readers saw my add and wondered what was going on and I explained that I wasn't using it and was taking my spare room storage space. The person I sold it too said it is doing well and if things continue he will get his money back after 6 months. I provide free help when needed for success as a bonus to the buyer.

 

If you have the time, buy ONE Saeco SG 200 on ebay for no more than bargain Ebay normal price of $1000 for a new machine $800+ for used with supplies  (not $3,500) and place in a well traveled area. My favorite is at the ice rink. Year round cold. It's Minnesota northland so it's cold here all year Kids love the hot chocolate. I love the French Vanilla but the calories add up. 

 

Let me know how things go or if you need my address to send the 10% $$$ (kidding)

 

Peace,

Greatdane

[tim911]

Great information about both CanMax and Saeco.

 

Thanks.

[Saeco SG200 Operaters]

Hello, I just bought a second hand Saeco SG 200 Model E machine. Everything works with the machine except I can not source cups 70mm that fit the dropping mechanism unless I want to buy a ton at a time. Almost every cup is a standard 3 plus inches and I need a 2.75 inch cup around the top rim. I spoke with a guy from International Paper company who I contacted through Vistar that said my best bet would be to adjust the ring size on the mechanism that drops the cups but I'm not sure how to do that. Anyone ever adjusted this in order to fit a bigger cup? My biggest challenge is finding a cup that fits properly. Thank you for your help, I love that this board is going, it is full of very useful great help and information.

[Live Life Wide Awake Vend]

Hey guys!

Do you guys have any sort of liability insurance? Like if someone burns themselves if they spill it on themselves.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[Greatdane]

I use general business liability insurance. It covers my coffee biz for vending and it also covers my HVAC business so it is like a umbrella policy. It covers liability, loss of product, machine, damages like flooding if hooking up directly to water supply. Most importantly is coverage of one million USD a year, $500,000 per occurrence. Cost is $$89 a month. You never know when a machine malfunctions and makes 111 degree coffee-a really steamy latte and you get a mickeedees lawsuit. Of course the difference is you did not intend to keep the coffee at 190 degree + upon serving on purpose. 

 

Worst case for me is someone swipes a machine or the water valve malfunctions and dumps 5 gallons of water on the floor of which the Saeco SG200 has a dredge tank of about 2.5 gallons. You just never know in this litigious world.

[PerformaVending]

Good to see you still around Greatdane! Are you still having pretty good luck with your Barista Supremo Seaco SG200 by Canmax?

 

Solid advice on the insurance, never know when some goofball will do something dumb to the machines and try and sue you for it.

[Greatdane]

I have not expanded the coffee biz due to my hectic HVAC job so I still have seven machines placed. I made deals with the locations facilities. I found people in the office staff that are capable and I did a schooling on how to maintain and refill machines with extra product I leave in machine. Only takes 10 minutes. They just add 5 gallons of water when low from water vendor that opens the machine and puts fresh water in at no charge and the the location pays for the water. What a great deal for me.

 

I now show up to do a thorough maintenance once a month and collect the money. I give the person that looks after the Saeco SG 200's about 15% plus free coffee. The Saeco SG200's have internal tracking so I can tell what has been sold and what was gratis. Getting a return of about 60% over cost of product. All machines are fully paid for so whatever dollars are made is a bonus..

 

Peace:

Greatdane

[PerformaVending]

I have not expanded the coffee biz due to my hectic HVAC job so I still have seven machines placed. I made deals with the locations facilities. I found people in the office staff that are capable and I did a schooling on how to maintain and refill machines with extra product I leave in machine. Only takes 10 minutes. They just add 5 gallons of water when low from water vendor that opens the machine and puts fresh water in at no charge and the the location pays for the water. What a great deal for me.

 

I now show up to do a thorough maintenance once a month and collect the money. I give the person that looks after the Saeco SG 200's about 15% plus free coffee. The Saeco SG200's have internal tracking so I can tell what has been sold and what was gratis. Getting a return of about 60% over cost of product. All machines are fully paid for so whatever dollars are made is a bonus..

 

Peace:

Greatdane

 

Great to hear! Glad you're keeping up and keeping busy- and quite the slick setup you've got with those! Nice job sir!

[Live Life Wide Awake Vend]

Thanks for that help Greatdane,

Next Q:

Since these machines I'm reviving have been in storage for years, the tubing in the back is disgusting with mold. The health inspector was not...happy....

Do we know where to reorder this tubing so I can replace like for like?

I've currently just gone to a hardware store and repiped a couple machines while waiting for the H-I to reapprove. I'm just not sure if what I'm using is allowed for food prep.

Thanks!

LLWA

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[AZVendor]

I can help you with the tubing.  If you could measure the inside diameter of your tubing (ID) and email that measurement to me I can get the tubing for you.  There may be different sizes in your machine so check various hoses and also measure the total lengths of each ID sizes you need.  You can email me at rbepic4gatgmaildotcom.

[craigrob]

Good day all. 

 

I'm experiencing issues with two our machines and hope that someone might be able to provide some assistance. 

 

One machine, located in a small downtown bus terminal, began having power loss issues last week. After operating for a few minutes, the GFCI cuts out and the machine goes dead. Resetting the GFCI gives another couple of minutes of power, followed by a similar drop. I've tried swapping out the GFCI from a machine at home that has had no power issues, same result. The machine is giving no error codes. I've tried plugging in to outlets on different circuits to no avail. We've added small surge protectors between the outlet and the GFCI but this has not helped. The loss does not seem to be tied to any machine function, as the boiler had heated completely on one attempt at troubleshooting while another attempt gave us long enough for a machine rinse before shutting down a few minutes later. Any ideas? 

 

Our other issue is leaking from the steel nut directly behind the boiler. Water is coming out on the side furthest away from the boiler, where the steel nut meets an angled piece with a teflon water line attached on the other side. This issue has occurred on a low-usage machine and also on a higher-use one (close to 10K drinks). On the higher-use machine, we first noticed our drink levels dropping, then ++ water in the waste coffee bin in the past week. Fortunately, the water was spraying into the bin through the back of the machine and not all over the wiring. The boilers are really hard to work around, is there any info out there on troubleshooting issues with them? Is there an O-ring in the fittings that might have deteriorated? Could this be caused by a blockage? Both machines have been descaled recently, and the newer one developed the leak issue not long after we descaled it.

 

I would greatly appreciate your assistance!  

[AZVendor]

I can help with the GFCI issue.  If the GFCI is on the unit's power cord then it has probably weakened to the point of giving nuisance trips.  In that case you need to cut it off the cord and install a normal plug on the end with no GFCI on it.  If you're instead referring to the machine tripping the GFI in a breaker box for that wall circuit, then you either have too high a current draw on that circuit from other things that are overloading the GFI or you have a bad heating element, water shorting out something or some other wiring short in the machine.  Since it takes a couple of minutes for the GFI to trip again it could be your heater as that probably doesn't turn on immediately upon powering the machine. 

[craigrob]

I can help with the GFCI issue.  If the GFCI is on the unit's power cord then it has probably weakened to the point of giving nuisance trips.  In that case you need to cut it off the cord and install a normal plug on the end with no GFCI on it.  If you're instead referring to the machine tripping the GFI in a breaker box for that wall circuit, then you either have too high a current draw on that circuit from other things that are overloading the GFI or you have a bad heating element, water shorting out something or some other wiring short in the machine.  Since it takes a couple of minutes for the GFI to trip again it could be your heater as that probably doesn't turn on immediately upon powering the machine. 

Thanks very much! It was the corded GFCI that was the issue, as replacing it with a three-prong grounded plug solved the issue. 

[latte4u]

Anyone remember this gentleman from Canmax?
http://www.digitaljournal.com/business/business/rob-ford-gives-opening-address-at-national-franchise-show-sept-6/article/401715
Scroll down until you see 2 guys in a green shirts. It must be in his blood.

[langes07]

I am trying to sell three of my SG200.  Coffee business didn't take off like I had hoped.  One machine has a power issue (when plugged in every parts seems to start working (mixing, grinding, water, etc.)).  One machine has stopped grinding.  And the last machine works just fine.  I am willing to let them go very cheap and thought one could be used immediately and the others could either be used for parts or fixed to work again.  I have two with bill collectors.  I am willing to let them go for $300 for working one, $200 each for broken ones or make me an offer.  I live in Phoenix and would deliver in greater Phoenix/Tucson/Flag/Prescott area. four 8 zero four five 2 three 8 4 four since I am not great about checking up on this blog.

[Xpresso]

Anyone fix an Error 14 without changing out the sensor??? As i'm not sure how to disconnect it from the broiler.   Any ideas would be helpful

[abrhouston]

Howdy- new to the forum- picked up one of these sg200e's that was brand new for my Auto shop.

 

I'm having difficulty understanding the dosing procedure. 

 

Does anyone have a generic recipe list for the buttons?

I was going to try and map 

black coffee 

black coffee with creamer

cappachino

espresso

mocha

latte

hot choc

hot water.

 

reading the manual and searching heavily here doesn't help with a few specific things:

so, lets say coffee with creamer 001C

sequence- what you want the machine to dispense on that button, in order. Any reason the soluble comes out last? 

soluble- 1:020 so 20 doses of product

H20 soluble- 1:050 the doses of water for the soluble

motor delay- 1:005- wait time between the coffee and soluble (I think?)

% soluble- 1:120 - I have no idea, and need some clarity here.

H20/coffee- doses of water going thru the coffee

sugar- how much sugar it puts in automatically? (i've never seen it drop the sugar)

 

 

Can ya'll help on what the heck a few of those do?

Better yet, yall have some recipes?

I'm running coffee/creamer/french vanilla/sugar/chocolate

 

Thanks!

[abrhouston]

No love? 

 

I also need to make more product go into the cup- it takes 3-4 cycles of a button to fill a normal coffee cup. Is that changed with H20 soluble and H20/coffee numbers?

[Miroc]

Hi,

I am a newbie here and to the SG200. I just bought several at an unbelievably low price. I had some issues getting the first one going after it had been sitting for a couple of years. I had the same flowmeter error 5 message. I searched far and wide on the internet for the solution but could not find the answer. I replaced the flow meter and upper pump, which I borrowed from one of the other machines (luckily I had others). This did not change a thing. Then it clicked... that I should try the hot chocolate which flowed fine (I should have tried this first if I was really thinking...). The hot chocolate worked fine, so it was obviously not the pump or the flow meter. I turned my attention to the brew unit (I believe that's what the call it). I did clean it initially, but it turns out it need something more thorough. What worked for me was to remove both metal filters (one needs to be removed with the plastic "T" shaped tool, while the other need a Philips screwdriver to remove) and clean them really well with a tooth brush. These filters were so gummed up the water could not get through. Once they were cleaned, everything worked well!!

 

Hurray!!

 

Hope this helps someone else in a similar dilemma...

 

Best of luck