ClevelandVendor Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I have a Dixie Narco Live Display and since I got it the drain pan has been filling up and overflowing. This is my first machine. Can someone tell me how the evaporator system is supposed to work? Is there always going to be a certain amount of water in the drain pan? I hear there is supposed to be two fans, but I only seem to notice one: the condenser fan. Am I missing a fan or is it not working? Where is it supposed to be? It's my understanding that the evaporator drains into the drain pan, then the fiberglass soakers soak up the water and a fan helps evaporate the water. But there isn't a fan blowing directly on the soakers (the condenser fan blows straight back and the drain pan is on the side), so maybe that is why the pan is filling up? Any help/information would be greatly appreciated! I've attached a picture of the back of my machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Your machine is set up properly, in fact most don't even have the soakers anymore so you're in better shape than most. I don't know where you heard there should be two fans, but on DN machines there is one condenser fan that cools the freon and has some airflow over the drain pan for evaporation and there is one evaporator fan inside the cabinet (some Coke machines with a wide evaporator have two). The primary causes of excess condensation are an air leak from a damaged door gasket, loose door, worn out T-handle or missing parts, missing or broken delivery flap, mis-aligned door that doesn't fit tight all around the edge of the inner door, mis-aligned inner door, very high humidity environment or a compressor issue. Look at the inner door and make sure the lower edge of the gasket isn't sagging below the door. The compressor issues can range from low freon causing excess frost on the evaporator to a short cycling thermostat that doesn't stay turned off for more than a minute or two which can cause excess condensation. I'm betting on one of the air leaks mentioned above. Let us know what you find. If you need any parts for it then send me a PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClevelandVendor Posted March 28, 2014 Author Share Posted March 28, 2014 I wonder if it's worth buying an inexpensive small plug-in fan (maybe 5" diameter) and placing it in the open area next to the drain pan to help with the evaporation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 That would only mask the problem. You need to determine the reason for the excess condensation first. What type of location or environment is this in? If the condensation is environment related you can get a heated condensation pan to evaporate the water faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CajunCandy Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I have soakers in all my cold drink machine and not a one has water over flowing any pans. Outside air must be leaking past a seal or door for product is not sealing properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClevelandVendor Posted April 2, 2014 Author Share Posted April 2, 2014 AZVendor, you are right about that. As for the environment, the machine is indoors in a distribution warehouse in Cleveland, OH. It's been very dry here because of the long winter, but would that have much of an effect on the amount of water in the drain pan? It didn't seem like the temp inside the machine was quite cold enough, so a couple of days ago I turned the thermostat up so it is just about between the third and fourth lines, maybe a little closer to the fourth. It has now gone two days and there is just a little bit of water in the drain pan. Could that have been it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 I don't recall if I mentioned that the door must be good and snug, not overtightened when you turn the T-handle to secure it. There should be no play in the door when it's closed. You should get a thermometer and put it on top of the motor cover so you can confirm the temperature. You are looking for about 38 - 42 deg. at the moment the compressor turns off. The thermostat should be set at 3 1/2 but you should first confirm where OFF is by turning the knob counterclockwise until the it stops turning and the compressor is off. Where ever the word OFF or 0 on the knob is at is the zero point. Mark it on the bracket if not marked already then turn the knob clockwise until that new mark is between 3 and 4 on your knob. You should not need to make any further adjustment to the thermostat, so if you do not reach the proper temperature in the machine you either have a short cycling thermostat or a compressor issue. If the unit is short cycling you will hear the compressor run but turn off before reaching the target temperature. It then stays off only for a short time before coming back on. This series of short cycles can be a cause of excess condensation. What you need to do is wait by the machine and listen to the cooling cycle. If you hear it short cycle and confirm that's what's happening then also check to see if the condensing fan on the bottom of the machine continues to run after the compressor turns off. If the fan is running while the compressor is not then you have a compressor problem. If the compressor and fan are both off then that short cycle is caused by the thermostat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkhusker Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 One other place that will draw air on some Dixie's that I didn't see AZ mention is where the compressor line come in to the right of the delivery tray. That can be resealed with plumber's putty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClevelandVendor Posted July 18, 2014 Author Share Posted July 18, 2014 Quick update...I recently discovered that my problems with the pan overflowing and then the system not getting cold enough does actually come from not getting a tight enough seal. And by not a tight enough seal, I mean a two inch gap at the base of the door! It turns out the shelf that holds the evaporator is recessed and a piece was missing when we bought the machine that fills the gap and creates a seal with the door. After two repairmen failed to notice the problem, and we replaced the cold control as well as the entire refrigeration unit, I finally discovered the issue. I temporarily filled the gap with a piece of u-channel we had in the shop and some double sided sticky tape. So the problem is now fixed and the machine is running nicely. I'm trying to track down the part that was missing. I noticed a screw hold on each side of the frame for the part to screw into. If anyone knows what this part is called or where to find it, please let me know. Thanks for all your advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 I can get you the parts you need for this. They were used on very early E model machines when they first built the extended cabinet but DN decided that the old T-model tank would be used. The missing pieces were what filled the gap you have. The problem was that these pieces had to be removed anytime the compressor was removed and people tended to discard them. PM me if you'd like me to get these for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClevelandVendor Posted July 21, 2014 Author Share Posted July 21, 2014 Thanks AZ! I'll definitely keep that in mind. We may be able to get the parts from the company we bought the machine from, but if that's not the case I'll be contacting you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojorhino Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 I just had a refrigeration issue on one of my 501E's & Pepsi replaced the refrigeration deck. If this part (what this Pepsi repair tech is holding on to) is what you are needing Make sure you get the Styrofoam that goes inside of it also. I meant to get a picture of it (off of the machine) but ran out of time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClevelandVendor Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 That looks like what I need! Thanks for posting the picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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