Restored Vendo 6 Case Vertical Concerns

[chuggybear]

Hello Everyone,

I recently purchased this “restored” Vendo 6 Case Vertical and I have a few concerns with it.  I was hoping I could get some advice on how to correct the issues I see.  I bought the machine without seeing it in person and only using photos provided by the seller.  The seller told me that all that was wrong with it was a missing cap catcher that I could purchase online.  Other than that, it was said to be in great working condition.



First, the lower right door panel does not sit flush against the machine.  The left side will sit flush if I push it.  The left side seems to be getting caught on the kick plate when closing.  If I push it towards the machine, it corrects it.  I am wondering if the door is sagging?  Is there anyway to adjust the hinges to line it up better so it doesn’t touch it upon closing.  







Second, it looks like the cabinet breaker trim was installed poorly.  It doesn't line up at some corners and overlaps at others.  It also appears as if an oval washer is missing from the corners that aid in lining up the pieces.  This is especially concerning at the lower front left of the machine as it causes a gap in the gasket, which I believe is contributing to a condensation problem that I will discuss further on.  The 4th picture is a comparison picture of a restored machine by another individual that shows the breaker strips correctly lined up and the oval washer.  Does anyone know what type of washer this requires and where I can purchase it from?





COMPARISON PICTURE


Third, it appears to be missing a plastic breaker strip that should cover this exposed wood behind the bottle door. Also, I am seeing a lot of missing screws here.  Does anyone know where I can purchase this breaker strip and the screws required?  Or if someone can provide the screw type and I can purchase at Home Depot.




Fourth, I am getting a lot of condensation on the bottle door and bottle door gasket.  Is there supposed to be some foam in between the two plates of glass to insulate it?  The current foam between the glass doors is sporadically placed and not continuous.  You can see this in the picture where you can see the white plastic backing on the foam.  As I move my hand from the top of the bottle door to the bottom, I feel the glass get increasingly colder.






Foam stripping with white backing that is not continuous.  


Wood bottle door frame not touching flush at top.


Bottle door hinge missing screw.  Again, if anyone can provide the type of screw needed and dimensions.


Fifth, this Tupperware container is my condensate pan.  I know most of these machines use a bell jar latched by a bracket in the corner of the machine.  I am ok with the Tupperware, but it is filling up completely after 2 days.  The machine is in my garage in Arkansas with a humid climate. However, I have other machines that never require emptying the condensate pan.  I feel as if the main door and bottle door gasket isn’t sealing properly and causing cold and hot air to mix more frequently resulting in more condensate.



Sixth, I am getting frosting on my pipes.  Again, I believe due to improper door seal.





Seventh, based off the previous comparison photo above, I think this door gasket should have been cut out at the hinges.  If so, I think it might improve the door seal and maybe help with the door sag.  I am hoping someone can tell me if this is correct before I cut it out.



Eighth, I can feel cold air leaking from the machine where this gasket isn’t sitting flush.  Also, the bottom of the door panel isn’t flush with the machine as mentioned earlier.  Is there anyway to improve this?



Finally, the bottle door is getting scratched by the head of the screws in the chrome trim.  Is there anything I can do to prevent this from getting worse?  Different screws with flat heads?  





Thanks for any and all help that you can provide me with!  I would love to get the door gasket to seal better, find the breaker trim required, and replace all the missing screws.  Any links anybody can provide to help be buy these things would be fantastic.  

[SIGNGUY]

I see no on replied to your issues, and probably cause a lot to diagnose and hard to just through a webchat.

the screws your missing are just a matter of matching up whats there or finding something that works, there are kits you can buy with the right screws but you'd be wasting a lot of them., I'd just match up , compare and trial and error to see what works.
for example the ones scratching the bottle door, you answered your own question, use a flat top screw, not a round top screw.

as far as your condensation issues, frosting ..yes you have to much air getting into the cooling area, causing the issues.. you most likely have several air leaks..
some ways of detecting this, are in the dark, put a light inside and see where light is coming from.. or when it's running (with fan blowing inside, take a small piece of tissue paper or toilet papper and hold it around the permeter and you'll see where air is coming out...
then once you find those areas, get some foam weather stripping and run it along the inside edge of the machine and in your bottle door opening and see if this helps.

as far as door sags, yes you have this issue, and the only real fix is to replace all the wood inside the door, big project, but really the only way to fix it... or if don't want to dry that, you could try some washers on the hinges to see if that raises it up enough so it does not rub on kick plate..

these are just some starters to try..

best of luck

[chuggybear]

I see no on replied to your issues, and probably cause a lot to diagnose and hard to just through a webchat.

the screws your missing are just a matter of matching up whats there or finding something that works, there are kits you can buy with the right screws but you'd be wasting a lot of them., I'd just match up , compare and trial and error to see what works.
for example the ones scratching the bottle door, you answered your own question, use a flat top screw, not a round top screw.

as far as your condensation issues, frosting ..yes you have to much air getting into the cooling area, causing the issues.. you most likely have several air leaks..
some ways of detecting this, are in the dark, put a light inside and see where light is coming from.. or when it's running (with fan blowing inside, take a small piece of tissue paper or toilet papper and hold it around the permeter and you'll see where air is coming out...
then once you find those areas, get some foam weather stripping and run it along the inside edge of the machine and in your bottle door opening and see if this helps.

as far as door sags, yes you have this issue, and the only real fix is to replace all the wood inside the door, big project, but really the only way to fix it... or if don't want to dry that, you could try some washers on the hinges to see if that raises it up enough so it does not rub on kick plate..

these are just some starters to try..

best of luck

Thank you for your reply!  Can you go into detail about the washers on the door to help with the sag?  Do you put them on all hinges? And at the top/middle/bottom? 

Thanks again!

[coke_and_stuff]

Where at in Arkansas are you located?

[chuggybear]

Where at in Arkansas are you located?

Jonesboro

[Marvin]

The door is sagging from the wood being rotted and soft on the inside. The doors are heavy on those machines.  Like Signguy said, it is a big job but necessary on those machines. 

A good friend once told me there is a big difference in "working on" something and "restoring" something.

That machine looks like it was "freshened" up, not restored.  I hope you didn't buy from a professional restorer. I'd be embarrassed to send something like that out the door.   

[chuggybear]

The door is sagging from the wood being rotted and soft on the inside. The doors are heavy on those machines.  Like Signguy said, it is a big job but necessary on those machines. 

A good friend once told me there is a big difference in "working on" something and "restoring" something.

That machine looks like it was "freshened" up, not restored.  I hope you didn't buy from a professional restorer. I'd be embarrassed to send something like that out the door.   

Unfortunately, yes. The guy’s website claims him to be a professional restorer. He is also a member of this site that posts frequently.  I bought it sight unseen except for a few photos.  I took him at his word for it. Lesson learned.

[mygoose101]

Many gray areas here. I restore golf carts as a side business/hobby. Do I call myself a professional, no but I know I do very nice work.

Typically one of my fully restored carts sell for about $8,000 on average. This includes many new components including new paint, batteries, wheels & tires and so on. Now, sometimes I sell a clean original cart for a fraction of the cost or even just paint a cart but everything else remains untouched. My point is not everyone can afford $8,000 or just don't want to spend that kind of money. To them $4,000-$5,000 sounds more reasonable even though they know their cart will not be fully redone. My worst nightmare is a customer expecting a $8,000 cart for $4,000 so when I'm making a deal I'm very clear what is to be expected. 

If someone is a professional restorer they don't always sell items that are professionally restored as their customers have different budgets.

I personally would never restore a small door Vendo 110 to a grade 1 restoration because the restoration cost would exceed the value of the machine. To me that's not smart business. I don't know what the buyer paid for the machine as I'm not going to go back and read the entire first post again but usually a unrestored 110 is worth about $800-$1000. A fully restored one would probably be around the same as a Vendo 81, $6,000-$7,500. I'm not saying they are worth that but the restoration cost would be the same, maybe even a little more because you have to deal with that wood inside. Does this 110 have some issues, looks that way but we don't know how it was presented.

I see many machines on ebay or Craigslist that say, "fully restored". Looking at their pictures, it's a painted machine only as the inside is untouched. A painted machine does not equal "fully restored". Many variables here.