////// Problem with Crane National 797 combo machine //////

[andyinchville]

HI All,

 

I have a Crane National 797 combo machine (snacks and drinks) that has seemingly been plagued with problems since installing it a local department store ( I would have preferred 2 full sized separate machines BUT the management contract called for a "Combo" machine). 

 

Anyways, the first problem was that the entire bottom row of drinks stopped feeding....i.e. for whatever reason the cans are not rolling forward enough to make it to the little black "gate" that opens to allow the selection to push the main door open.....

 

I have no idea why the cans stopped making it to the front of the track to get ready to feed out when selected.....When I put the cans in the cans were in good shape....dent free and no bulged ends....later (and still now) the cans feel very "tight" in the track and I cannot figure how to even get them out since the tracks are relatively inaccessible ( I miss the "openess"  of the standard full sized drink machines!).....The drinks don't seem to be overly cold so I am ruling out bulged cans from freezing up....How do I get the cans out?...what caused this to happen? Is there some mechanism that is holding them up and not allowing them to roll forward (perhaps a temp sensor since I did note at one time the temp error was showing in the diagnostics (that was caused by problem #2 below) BUT I believe I solved the temp issue...

 

Secondly, (and more recently), one of the black "ejecting flaps" seems to have become "loose"  and simply "flopping" open allowing all the drinks in the selection to roll out and ultimately hold the large "door" that holds the cold air in the soda section open.....this caused all the drinks to be warm until I simply unloaded the one selection with the flapping door...I am assuming that some pin or connection broke or fell out.....How do I take that out to potentially fix / buy new parts?

 

I've searched high and low but cannot seem to find any service manuals for the Crane 797 can cooler unit itself (I did see a set up manual and a parts manual but no explanation for the first issue).

 

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

 

Andrew

[moondog]

HI All,

 

I have a Crane National 797 combo machine (snacks and drinks) that has seemingly been plagued with problems since installing it a local department store ( I would have preferred 2 full sized separate machines BUT the management contract called for a "Combo" machine). 

 

Anyways, the first problem was that the entire bottom row of drinks stopped feeding....i.e. for whatever reason the cans are not rolling forward enough to make it to the little black "gate" that opens to allow the selection to push the main door open.....

 

I have no idea why the cans stopped making it to the front of the track to get ready to feed out when selected.....When I put the cans in the cans were in good shape....dent free and no bulged ends....later (and still now) the cans feel very "tight" in the track and I cannot figure how to even get them out since the tracks are relatively inaccessible ( I miss the "openess"  of the standard full sized drink machines!).....The drinks don't seem to be overly cold so I am ruling out bulged cans from freezing up....How do I get the cans out?...what caused this to happen? Is there some mechanism that is holding them up and not allowing them to roll forward (perhaps a temp sensor since I did note at one time the temp error was showing in the diagnostics (that was caused by problem #2 below) BUT I believe I solved the temp issue...

 

Secondly, (and more recently), one of the black "ejecting flaps" seems to have become "loose"  and simply "flopping" open allowing all the drinks in the selection to roll out and ultimately hold the large "door" that holds the cold air in the soda section open.....this caused all the drinks to be warm until I simply unloaded the one selection with the flapping door...I am assuming that some pin or connection broke or fell out.....How do I take that out to potentially fix / buy new parts?

 

I've searched high and low but cannot seem to find any service manuals for the Crane 797 can cooler unit itself (I did see a set up manual and a parts manual but no explanation for the first issue).

 

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

 

Andrew

 

Here's the manual http://www.dsvendinginc.com/pdf-manuals/nv18.pdf.  I have the 474 series but the can section looks to be the same. You need to pull the front off of the unit so you can access the plastic ejector mechanisms.  I've replaced several of these and it's not that complicated.  Crane National has service centers for National machines only (not GPL or AP) throughout the country that can supply the parts - this shouldn't be an expensive fix but it might take you a couple of hours.

[chris in bc]

1)Do you have ICE building up inside the serpentine tracks of the can section?

2)Do you suspect a can blew up or was punctured someway?

3) Did you transport this machine with the can section full?

4)Is the black foam saturated or damp to the touch?

5) What is the temp of the machine?

6) Did you call crane tech support?

[AZVendor]

It sounds like Chrisinbc is correct with his first question.  I believe you have a large block of ice built up on your evaporator.  If this ice grows large enough it will interfere with the cans rolling down the lower rack and the ice could possibly put pressure on the tracks and deform them, making them tighter for the cans.  This will effect the inner tracks more than the outer tracks I would think.  I also wonder if the machine was transported with the can module loaded with cans.  You can not move one of these with product in it or you will damage it.  The broken gate can be repaired, though it's a difficult repair for someone who hasn't done one before.  Unless you are experienced with repairs, you might want to farm this out to a local repair tech who has experience on National equipment.

 

If a frozen evaporator is the cause of the cans not rolling down then you probably have low freon in the compressor since it sounds like the problem began before you had the broken gate holding the door open.  You will need a qualified vending refrigeration tech to come out for a recharge anyway, so you should also have them repair your broken gate.  The broken gate could be caused by any one or more of several parts that operate the gate being broken, so you can't order any parts until it is inspected.  The only way to see the gate properly is with the front of the module removed.

 

You can remove the front door by removing the candy shelf above it then removing the screws that hold the top of the door in place.  Note which screws came from which holes as they will be different if you also need to loosen the door brackets from the side wall.  Tilt the door toward you and carefully work it free at the bottom as the door seal may be stuck to the bottom track.  When the door is off you can look into the bottom of the module and see if the evaporator is frozen.  If it is frozen you need to defrost it and inspect it after it's defrosted to verify that the evaporator fan motor runs.  You could have had a can(s) fall onto the fan and jam it.  The only way to melt the ice is to turn the machine off overnight and, since the ice will need to be melted in order to recharge the unit, you should do this before you have a repair tech look at it (be prepared to tell them how much ice was built up).  I think it can be recharged by removing the back vent screen and accessing the low side line there.

 

When you first remove the door, inspect the lower tracks to see if they are deformed by the ice.  Then inspect them again after the ice is melted to see if your cans are freed up to roll.

[andyinchville]

HI,

 

Thanks for the info and advice....I'll take a flashlight and tools w/ me and see if there is a block of ice growing somewhere that is somehow deforming the tracks and "pinching" the cans in place....that seems to make sense because at first it didn't make sense to me how the entire bottom row of cans was not moving or free to move inside the tracks.

 

I did have a repair tech look at another machine of mine before (a DN 501)....it too had an ice build up problem but in that case I could easily see the ice since the machine and its components were more open....in that case the block of ice was melted by the tech using a heat gun and the repair was as simple as readjusting the thermostat to a lower (but still cold for drink purposes)....I hope this fix can be that simple!

 

Thanks again for the input and help.....I'll try to look at the machine later today or tomorrow.

 

Andrew