OK, picked up a Vendo 81D, not cooling properly.

[Bruce]

Many answers and solutions can be found using the search tool. Not that difficult to master.

I just saw this, I was apparently writing my last post when it was added.

I looked at T-Stat posts a night or two ago, although admittedly I was concentrating on the cut-in/cut-out aspects of them, and procedures on how to adjust them.

I'll search some more, thank you.

Bruce

[jholmgren]

      Yup! Tie those 2 wires together and let the machine run all night.

      If the compressor is working properly it will now never shut off............... but hey, that's another way to keep ice cream frozen! 

Go with this as step 1 - it will rule out your thermostat with little to no effort or impact.

Jim

[Bruce]

Quick question.

If I do temp test it with the T-Stat jumped, how quickly "should" I expect to see some evidence of cooling?

I've been searching some threads, in one someone mentioned his unit got down to 39 in 4 hours, in one I was just in "globalcompressors" recommended that the machine be run for 24 hours.

Obviously these are for different machines having different issues, but was just looking for a ballpark figure.

Bruce

[jholmgren]

I have one of those infrared thermometers so I check multiple points during the process. 

Depending on the size and type of machine and the ambient temperature you should see temps dropping within the first hour or two.  Still not a bad idea to let it run for a full 24 hours - if it isn't ice cold by then, you know for sure there are issues. 

If Eric (globalcompressors) says to give it 24 hours - you can take that to the bank.

JIm

[MoonDawg]

        If I had a machine that couldn't pull down to the freezing point within an hour......I would be concerned. 

[Bruce]

Thanks all, for your thoughts and inputs.

I went ahead and bypassed the T-Stat, still no cooling, as suspected. I let it run for a little over 4 hours, (I didn't want to run it all night, with it not even putting up a fight and trying to cool, I read here somewhere that you can possibly burn out a compressor low on coolant) it stayed at room temp (76-ish) for an hour or so, and then started to creep up all the way to probably 90. I believe it was just taking the heat that the two fan motors and the compressor was dishing out.

I guess it's a win in that I don't have to shell out $50 for a T-Stat. I guess that's something.....

Now I need to find somebody down here reputable and willing to work old school stuff. (Maybe find someone wanting to see the sweet machine and who wants to see it in person, you know, a housecall at no extra charge. Right, probably not .....)

The first few places I called a few days ago weren't interested, although there are more to call.

Jim, I also have been using one of the infrared thermometers, and have been doing the same. (I now also have a conventional cabinet one). The compressor was at 99.8 right before I shut everything down. The rest, including the evap was in the high 80's.

Glen, I'm officially concerned. 

[jholmgren]

Where are you located Bruce?

[MoonDawg]

        If you can locate a working squaretop Vendo 63 / 90 or larger, you can use the compressor for your machine.
        They interchange easily. It won't be original to the 81 but neither is the one you have now.

[Bruce]

Where are you located Bruce?

I'm in the Panhandle of Florida, the Eglin AFB/Ft Walton Beach area.

[Bruce]

        If you can locate a working squaretop Vendo 63 / 90 or larger, you can use the compressor for your machine.
        They interchange easily. It won't be original to the 81 but neither is the one you have now.

I'm going with the assumption that the unit is low of coolant at the moment. The issue (and again, I'm very early in the search) I'm having is finding someone who works on these, to add a tap, check the level and find the leak/repair/top-off.

Now, the compressor very well may be bad, (only 5 years old, but anything's possible) but if it is and I have to go that route, same issue, finding someone to install/service it up.