Soda Vending Machine Repair

Complete Soda Vending Machine Repair

Soda vending machine repair can be a difficult task some times. A lot of people think that they only have one thing broken, or wrong with their soda machine. The odds of that being accurate are not very good. The majority of soda machine owners neglect their machines due to ignorance. They just didn't realize the machine can still work under most conditions, even if numerous components are not functioning properly.

Common Soda Vending Machine Problems

Bill Acceptors & Coin Mechs

The most common soda machine problems have to do with the bill acceptor and coin mechs. I will cover this in the Bill Validator & Coin Mechanism Repair section.

Burned Out Motor

Misloading the machine, not closing the internal gate, using the wrong size bottles/cans are mostly the cause of burned out soda machine motors. Testing a suspected motor is normally pretty easy. Most newer soda machines have a selection mode to test all, or just one motor. To see if your machine has this function, check your soda machines manual. If it does not have that option, it's a little more difficult. Testing vending motors will be in a future article.

Bad Micro-Switch

Most soda machines have three micro-switches per flavor selection. One is the "sold out" micro-switch. Another is the selection button micro-switch. The last is the micro-switch that tells the vending motor to run, or not. Test a micro-switch with a multimeter using the resistance option.

No/Low Refrigerant or Bad Thermostat

You might be low or out of refrigerant if your soda machine refrigeration compressor is always running, or never running. This could also be a problem with the thermostat. Try adjusting the thermostat knob and see if the compressor unit turns on/off. If the compressor does not turn off after altering the position of the thermostat, call a professional to check the amount of refrigeration in your system. It probably has a leak somewhere and has little to no refrigerant remaining. If it did turn on, you probably just had the thermostat turned off.

Choosing A Soda Machine Repair Professional

This covers the majority of the soda machine problems that I come across. About 90% of malfunctions can be related to the above problems. If this does not cover your problem, it's time to call a professional. A good vending repair professional will tell you not only the minimum it will take, but everything it to get your machine running like new. When your soda machine runs and looks good, it makes the most money.