KernCountyVending Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Hello, All! I have recently taken up the project of providing vending services to my area. I purchased my first machine, knowing it had the issue of getting cold, after ~1 1/2 months, trying various techniques I have found online, such as unplugging the cooling deck from the vending machine itself and directly into the wall, allowing it to sit for a while, that didn't show the results that it was supposed to. I tinkered around with the thermostat, nothing changed from that, but truthfully the thermostat could still be an issue to look at with better guidance. Lastly, I got a bottle of R-134A and a refrigerant gauge system to attempt to fill it with refrigerant myself, after getting the machine from 0PSI to ~50PSI, we could not manage to get it any further, and it would leak down to ~40PSI. I have heard somewhere that we might need a vacuum pump to properly fill the machine, but before going out and purchasing more stuff I wanted to seek help from a community. If there is any more information I need to provide I am happy to do so, Thank you for your time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYCandyMaN Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 ok, so you have some know how, but not enough to play with fire, the compressor should say how many pounds it should take, 50lbs is super high! you're digging around all over the place to try to fix this thing, since you already have it out of the machine (i suppose) take it to an a/c shop and have them check it out. but lets start from the beginning... its not cooling or just not getting cold enough for you? do you have a portable thermometer? start carrying one for each machine you own, ill let you send me your thank you gifts to me later, super cheap and you can get them for $22 for 4, cant go wrong! when you tinkered with the thermostat, what did you find out? probably nothing, as most compressors have a safety on when you plug them in, so no matter how many times you tinker with it, it aint gonna work until the safety goes off! yes safety, programmed by the capacitator for about the 1st 3 to 5min after plugging in, so when you had it connected to the machine, the only way the compressor would start is if the door switch was in the closed position for 3 to 5min and then you would hear it go on, i am guessing you were so busy flying all over the place that you forgot to stop and listen to the 50LB bomb you just pumped up! he he once you've gone though all that good stuff, maybe you wouldn't need a charge at all! if you hear the compressor kick on, and stay on, then you're good, but if it turns on and then off after a few minutes and doesn't get cold, it cold be the capacitator, if it turns on, and stays on but doesn't get too cold, then you can tinker with the thermostat and maybe a possible fill, but since you already passed all those steps, you can guess what im about to say... yep do it again the right way! there's a way of doing things, and there's a way of doing things right! not saying you were wrong, but maybe didn't know enough to do what's right, ill send you a bill later! did i miss anything guys? correct me if im wrong that damn CandyMan! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Vendo Mike Posted January 5, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted January 5, 2022 Definitely take it to a licensed refrigeration tech (or have one visit the machine). Beyond the possibility of doing more harm than good, this can be a dangerous component to work on if you aren't trained. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 Stupid moves without asking first. The low side should be 18 - 20 lbs with all fans working and the door closed. The machine might not even have R134a in it and you have contaminated it. The thermostat should be set to the double hash mark. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KernCountyVending Posted January 6, 2022 Author Share Posted January 6, 2022 (edited) 17 hours ago, NYCandyMaN said: ok, so you have some know how, but not enough to play with fire, the compressor should say how many pounds it should take, 50lbs is super high! you're digging around all over the place to try to fix this thing, since you already have it out of the machine (i suppose) take it to an a/c shop and have them check it out. but lets start from the beginning... its not cooling or just not getting cold enough for you? do you have a portable thermometer? start carrying one for each machine you own, ill let you send me your thank you gifts to me later, super cheap and you can get them for $22 for 4, cant go wrong! when you tinkered with the thermostat, what did you find out? probably nothing, as most compressors have a safety on when you plug them in, so no matter how many times you tinker with it, it aint gonna work until the safety goes off! yes safety, programmed by the capacitator for about the 1st 3 to 5min after plugging in, so when you had it connected to the machine, the only way the compressor would start is if the door switch was in the closed position for 3 to 5min and then you would hear it go on, i am guessing you were so busy flying all over the place that you forgot to stop and listen to the 50LB bomb you just pumped up! he he once you've gone though all that good stuff, maybe you wouldn't need a charge at all! if you hear the compressor kick on, and stay on, then you're good, but if it turns on and then off after a few minutes and doesn't get cold, it cold be the capacitator, if it turns on, and stays on but doesn't get too cold, then you can tinker with the thermostat and maybe a possible fill, but since you already passed all those steps, you can guess what im about to say... yep do it again the right way! there's a way of doing things, and there's a way of doing things right! not saying you were wrong, but maybe didn't know enough to do what's right, ill send you a bill later! did i miss anything guys? correct me if im wrong that damn CandyMan! Thank you for this response! I seem to have misread, I thought on the side of the machine it stated that 140-375 was the appropriate PSI level of the machine. I am definitely under educated in this department, but have had much fun learning it all. The has constantly been that the machine will not chill at all, I would leave it on for roughly an hour, come back and check the copper pipes and none of them were any colder than room temp. This machine is currently in my hometown, which I am 3 hours from for work until this weekend, but I will surely look back at this once I am home, and apply this newly found knowledge, I appreciate it. To answer the questions you asked: The cooling deck is still in the machine. I do not have any portable thermostats, but will most likely be one of my next purchases (thank you. ;)). I could not really find out much with the thermostat, all the information I found online was quite unhelpful. As for the door switch, I completely overlooked that aspect of the machine, and learned more about that through videos this week, and will definitely take that into consideration this weekend. As for the compressor, that fan kicks on very well, and is the only cold part of the machine, I never hear any clicking(I admit I haven't listened for them), but the compressor runs the entire time, and is quite noisy in the process. Once again, I appreciate your response! Edited January 6, 2022 by KernCountyVending Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KernCountyVending Posted January 6, 2022 Author Share Posted January 6, 2022 4 hours ago, Vendo Mike said: Definitely take it to a licensed refrigeration tech (or have one visit the machine). Beyond the possibility of doing more harm than good, this can be a dangerous component to work on if you aren't trained. Thank your for the response! I did decide that I will be calling a technician over to the machine, and learning from them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYCandyMaN Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 36 minutes ago, KernCountyVending said: Thank your for the response! I did decide that I will be calling a technician over to the machine, and learning from them. beware of the crooks that know less than you, that charge by the hour! they will stay as long as you want them to for a fee of course 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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