Dixie narco 501E not getting cold

[RBEvending]

Hey all,

 

 New to the vending biz but learning as much as I can on the go. I have a dixie narco 501e that is not cooling. It seems to get a little cold but definitly not normal temp. I did as much reading as I can on this topic. Both inside fans are running, Compressor is hot to the touch and vibrating so i assume its working, and coils are not frozen but are cold to the touch. I tried to turn the thermostat up to see if that helped but it didnt, And when I turned it all the way down the it turned off the fan (and i think compressor also) so I was thinking that is not the problem. All the reading has lead me to believe that there is a leak, and it needs to be fixed and freon added.

 

So I was if you guys agree to the problem or if theres anything else I should check.

Also if the leak is the issue,  vending machine repairman have quoted $240-$300 to fix if it is a leak, But online you can purchase a refub deck for $320 shipped which is something id rather do unless you guys think thats not the best route.

 

Sorry for the long post, wanted to give as much info as poss, Thanks for the help!!

[AZVendor]

Sorry for the late response but your post just made it to the forum. Your symptoms are of a compressor low on freon. There's no need to look for a leak yet because you don't yet know if it has one. Freon often just leaks out naturally from joints or porous lines and that can take years to leak down. I always recharge first, watching for any signs of a leak, and as long as it behaves correctly it's left to run. If the unit leaks down in less than 6 months then there is a leak that's easy to find. The longer it goes beyond 6 months the smaller and harder it is to find any leak, often requiring UV dye to be injected to help find it. Basically, most machines will run for a couple of years or more before needing another recharge so that's the way to go first.

[RBEvending]

Thanks for the reply! I ended up getting a refurb deck cause I was in a rush to get the machine onto location and figured it would be good to have an extra on hand anyway. The vending repair guys here (Long Island) kept telling me the only way they can get low on freon is a leak, so thats why I thought it had one. But now I'm going to try to find a place I can bring it to have it recharged and pray it holds.