Auto repair malls?

[brendamca]

In my neck of the woods there are lots of auto service "malls" -- 1 smog guy, 1 body shop, 1 oil change, etc., in one location. By themselves, they probably wouldn't justify a soda machine. But with 6-10 of these shops in one place, could it make sense to have one outside that all of the workers can use? I'm worried about the obvious problems -- vandalism, weather, electrical access, etc. Has anyone done this and had success? Are there other factors to consider?

[bostonvendor27]

Just curious. What do you mean by electrical access?

[brendamca]

A power outlet to plug in the machine outdoors.

[bostonvendor27]

There should be outside outlets on the building.  Most likely the building has one owner who rents out the shops.  Each shop would have it's own individual panel but there is also another panel that is for the owners use that he pays for . It would power things like outside lights and outlets. That is where you would probably have to get your power from if there are no outlets available. 

[mission vending]

This could be a decent location with several small shops together. If you find an existing outlet have it checked that it is GFI. If its a fairly new building it ought to be as the electrical code requires it. The GFI will prevent possible electrocution, I would not even consider an outdoor machine without it.

Outdoor machines require more maintenance (cleaning) than inside to keep them reliable and dependable.

Vandalism is always a concern but you can take preventive measures to reduce the chances of it occuring. High security locks, better lighting, CCTV, alarms and additional padlock hasps to name a few.

[coinvestor]

This could be a decent location with several small shops together. If you find an existing outlet have it checked that it is GFI. If its a fairly new building it ought to be as the electrical code requires it. The GFI will prevent possible electrocution, I would not even consider an outdoor machine without it.

Outdoor machines require more maintenance (cleaning) than inside to keep them reliable and dependable.

Vandalism is always a concern but you can take preventive measures to reduce the chances of it occuring. High security locks, better lighting, CCTV, alarms and additional padlock hasps to name a few.

This is good advice. Greenlee makes a combo pack outlet tester and noncontact current checker for about $15 and they are priceless. The one I have will not tell you if the outlet is on a GFI circuit, but it is great for checking ground, polarity, and trouble shooting. You can get ones that check GFI for a couple extra bucks:

http://www.professionalequipment.com/greenlee-gfi-circuit-tester-gt-10gfi/circuit-testers/

JD