///// Washing out a Dixie Narco 501 E ? ////////

[andyinchville]

Hi Guys,

 

I just bought a few Dixie Narco 501 E drink machines from another vendor at a good price BUT the machines were stored outside in his back yard and they are filthy (leaves, mud splash up, pine needles, broken sodas inside (froze in winter and burst) etc...

 

Anyways, I am thinking the fastest and easiest way to clean these machines is to take them outside my house, open the door and spray the whole machine out.

 

Other than obviously avoiding water on the inside door electronics (coin mech  / dollar bill validator) and maybe the vend motors themselves (under the metal cover), is it OK to hose everything else out including the compressor area (is the compressor motor sealed)?

 

I want to clean out the inside and outside of the machine before placing the machine on site.

 

Thanks in advance for cleaning advice!

 

Andrew

[moondog]

Hi Guys,

 

I just bought a few Dixie Narco 501 E drink machines from another vendor at a good price BUT the machines were stored outside in his back yard and they are filthy (leaves, mud splash up, pine needles, broken sodas inside (froze in winter and burst) etc...

 

Anyways, I am thinking the fastest and easiest way to clean these machines is to take them outside my house, open the door and spray the whole machine out.

 

Other than obviously avoiding water on the inside door electronics (coin mech  / dollar bill validator) and maybe the vend motors themselves (under the metal cover), is it OK to hose everything else out including the compressor area (is the compressor motor sealed)?

 

I want to clean out the inside and outside of the machine before placing the machine on site.

 

Thanks in advance for cleaning advice!

 

Andrew

 

Pull the motors and bungee cord the inner door to the outer one - this should protect your electronics.  If you have access to a pressure washer it would be great and use a hair dryer on the motor harness as soon as you're done.  A car buffer works great for the front and a heat gun is a must if you're yanking the graphics.

 

Have fun 

[AZVendor]

If you are not going to need the machine for a week or so, you can hose out the entire machine.  The compressor and motors are okay, just leave the motor cover on.  If you pull the compressor first you can hose it off separately to really clean it well and then also the inside bottom of the cabinet where the compressor was at.

 

In the door, the only things you need to protect are the logic board and the display board.  When I wash out these machines I pull the logic board, display board, coin mech and validator.  Then I hose off everything except the left side of the inside of the door (where the electronics were).  Pay particular to the inside of each column and the rotors since you have had leaking sodas. If you are going to replace your selection buttons, you can wash them off, just don't go any higher than them.  I also remove the drain pan and completely clean it of syrup and I spray down into the drain hose to clear it out.  Then I let is drain outside for a few hours (I have them up on 4x4 blocks so that tipping the machine forward with the door open 90 deg. it will stay leaning forward. 

 

After it drains then I put 3 fans on it: one blowing on the inside of the door, one blowing up high into the cabinet and one blowing low into the cabinet.  After a couple of days of drying, depending on ambient temperature, (we are in the high 90's here now) then take the rubber covered harnesses and dump the water out of them.  You can now wipe down the entire inside of the door, cabinet and any other details and you can begin reassembling the machine.  The machine is outdoor rated, so you can plug the compressor in and it should run fine as will the motors. 

[andyinchville]

HI,

 

Thanks for the input guys....since I only have 1 day before placing one of the machines, I will try to clean it using minimal water and drying as I go along (sponge up excess water paper towels etc....(I also have a back pack blower that puts out serious air so that should take care of things quickly in terms of final drying).

 

The others (since I'll have more time to let dry out),  I think I will have to go all out spraying things clean.

 

Thanks for the help  ;-)

 

Andrew

[moondog]

HI,

 

Thanks for the input guys....since I only have 1 day before placing one of the machines, I will try to clean it using minimal water and drying as I go along (sponge up excess water paper towels etc....(I also have a back pack blower that puts out serious air so that should take care of things quickly in terms of final drying).

 

The others (since I'll have more time to let dry out),  I think I will have to go all out spraying things clean.

 

Thanks for the help  ;-)

 

Andrew

 

If you've got the time on the other ones, pulling the compressor desk and hosing it down thoroughly is a great idea - they're usually easy to pull.  I only mentioned pulling the motors because of all those jammed up cans - I'd clean that whole assembly out real good as it's probably a sticky mess.  Again, a small pressure washer is a great tool to have if you do a fair amount of these.

[The Discount Vending Store]

I have cleaned quite a few full size soda machines and there's nothing that I've found which works as good as elbow grease with a good steal wool pad.  I typically use a pressure washer to start off with on the inside and outside, but if it's a well used machine, it will have a fair amount of hard, carbonized soda inside that will take a good scraping to get off.  I use steel wool for the hard to reach corners and also a metal wire brush drill bit with an electric drill to get the metal looking clean again.  Good luck.