tedk Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 I went into a very good account yesterday to find they had moved the pop machine so it sits by the snack machine. The place has no electrical capacity left and what is being used is a nightmare. The snack machine is a chilled AMS. I had the two machine separated so they were on different circuits. The customer ran a 50' extention from the pop machine to the other circuit. I understand that I shouldn't use a cord and if I have to it should be as short as possible. What options (if any) do I have, other than insisting the machine be moved back to the original location. The machine is in a truss building plant. It is hot in the summer and it is always dusty. Any help you can offer would be appreciated. This is a very good account and I would like to accomodate them if possible. Thanks, Ted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondog Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 I went into a very good account yesterday to find they had moved the pop machine so it sits by the snack machine. The place has no electrical capacity left and what is being used is a nightmare. The snack machine is a chilled AMS. I had the two machine separated so they were on different circuits. The customer ran a 50' extention from the pop machine to the other circuit. I understand that I shouldn't use a cord and if I have to it should be as short as possible. What options (if any) do I have, other than insisting the machine be moved back to the original location. The machine is in a truss building plant. It is hot in the summer and it is always dusty. Any help you can offer would be appreciated. This is a very good account and I would like to accomodate them if possible. Thanks, Ted Under the circumstances, I'd use a 12/3 cord as opposed to the normal 14/3 cord they are probably using now. The larger wire gauge will maintain better voltage - keep it as short as possible. Short of that you may have to turn off the chill unit in the snack machine - and make sure they didn't cram the soda machine flat against the wall as they probably aren't aware of the airflow requirement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mission vending Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 My first response would be a conversation that goes something like this..... Hey, I noticed you moved the vending machine.... I understand the power problems here but it is not a good idea to draw that kind of power through a extension cord.... Is there a alternative, can we get a new line dropped instead or move the machine back?.... My insurance won't cover the liability in the event of a fire caused by the machine....and see what they say. If that doesn't work then I'd look at moondog's suggestion as a back up plan except I'd look at using a 10 guage wire extension cord, that kind of lenth and guage will probably need to be a special order and be pretty expensive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 I agree with Mission. This needs to be made their problem in a nice way. They need to understand they have created a fire hazard and they probably need to cure that issue for their own sake. If OSHA or especially the fire marshal sees it they will get a violation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedk Posted March 8, 2014 Author Share Posted March 8, 2014 I know they dont have the room in the panel for another circuit. What about asking if their electrician could put in a new receptacle and connect to the old one using conduit to protect the wiring? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mission vending Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 I know they dont have the room in the panel for another circuit. What about asking if their electrician could put in a new receptacle and connect to the old one using conduit to protect the wiring? Not the ideal solution, but its better than the current situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Ted, if you run another outlet from the first through conduit, it will have to be a 20 amp circuit because you will be running two compressors on it. It probably is in a truss plant but you need to insist on it. The longer the run the lower the amperage drop and if that circuit already has something besides your AMS on it you could be in trouble. Another very important thing to do in a dirty location and if you're on the edge of the breaker capacity is to keep the condensers clean on your compressors. There is a vent screen on the bottom of the AMS cabinet that you have to clean off (it doesn't remove easily so rub your hand on the dirt and it should roll off) and you can use a hair comb to drag dirt off the front of the soda compressor. Borrow an air hose and blow the soda compressor out (you can't get to the AMS without taking the machine apart). Keep both machines away from the wall by 4-6" for good airflow, too. This will keep the current draw down and extend the life of you compressors and fan motors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedk Posted March 8, 2014 Author Share Posted March 8, 2014 Thanks Moondog, Mission and AZ. This gives me some ideas to work with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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