An Opportunity

Fucking classic. I LOL'd. Literally.

 

Yankee, nice gesture and it sounds like it might help some people here.

But I couldn't help but be reminded of Parenthood.

Yankee Fan: I'm gonna help you. Now, we see these gangsters. We agree to pay them a thousand dollars a month. They're businessmen, they'll see that something is better than nothing. Then Monday morning, you come to work with me at my place. I'm going to teach you the business.

BYH: Coffee machine repair.

Yankee Fan: In a few years, I'll retire and you'll take over. Meanwhile, as long as you're working, and if you agree to go to Sports Journalists Anonymous, I'll keep paying your debt. That's it.

BYH: Let me just add a wrinkle. About an hour ago, l got a phone call from an associate in Chile. Big opportunity. TheSD. Why don´t l just toddle off over there for a few months, see if it pans out? lf it does, great. lf not...we put the Yankee Fan plan into effect. Sound good?

Yankee Fan: Sure.

BYH: Great. l could use a little...

Yankee Fan: Two thousand posts enough?

BYH: Ample. Ample. Well, better pack.

Yankee Fan: What about IJAG?

BYH: What? Oh, Jesus, that's a tough one. This is not really the kind of trip that a girl...

Yankee Fan: Don't worry about it.

 

OK, so we've had a few snarky comments & some good natured ribbing.

But I've also received a number of encouraging PMs, and the thread has a high Page Views to Posts ratio, so I'm going to plow ahead.

Today, let's talk about how a coffee machine heats.

OK, so as we discussed yesterday, the coffee brewer won't heat unless it has water in it and the probe has grounded out.

Once that happens, the temperature is regulated by a temperature probe and a thermostat.

The machine will turn on its heating element(s) until the desired brew temperature is reached. At that point, it will turn off the heating element(s).

If the machine sits unused, the element(s) will cycle on and off as necessary to maintain the brew temp.

When you brew, cold water enters the tank as the hot water is dispensed. This will also cause the element(s) to kick on.

So, how does the machine turn on the element(s)?

Well, as we discussed, when we install a machine, we attach a power cord and plug to the machine. This brings power to it. The power cord is attached to a terminal block.

From the terminal block, wiring leads to a contactor or a relay. From there, the wiring leads to the heating element.

The default setting for the contactor or relay is open -- meaning that the electrical current is interrupted. Only once it closes will the power flow through the contactor onto the heating element(s).

The way the contactor or relay works is that 110V of power will be sent to it from the board when the temperature is below the brew temp. Depending on the kind of contactor or relay, this will allow the power to flow through it and on to the heating element.

American Metal Ware uses a mechanical contactor like this:



When it is energized, a magnet brings the two sides together and power can travel across it.

Depending on how old a FETCO is, it will either use a mercury relay like this:



or a solid state relay like this:



It's the same concept. When the temp is below the brew temp, power is supplied to the heating element(s).

Now, as a practical matter, here is how it works.

If I get a call that a machine isn't heating, what is the problem?

Well, the most obvious thought may be a bad heating element. But, in my experience, it almost never is. I think I've replaced one or two coffee brewer heating elements ever.

On the American Metal Ware machines, the most likely cause is the level probe. If it's dirty (with hard water build up) it won't work and the machine won't heat.

If it's not that, the next most likely cause is the contactor. For whatever reason, I've had to change quite a few contactors on AMW machines. I had to change one today.

You will learn how to use a voltmeter to test if electricity is at a component. You will also learn how to check to see if the component is still good with your voltmeter.

(For me, this was the most intimidating part. I had never used a voltmeter and didn't understand it. It's not that hard. You'll learn. And if you need help, you can call the manufacturer for tech support. I called a lot at the beginning.)

Sometimes, you don't need to even use the voltmeter. It's obvious.

I've only ever had to change a temp probe/thermostat on an AMW machine a couple of times.

On the FETCO machines, I rarely have had to replace the relay -- only two or three times ever.

But, I've had to replace the temp probe and the thermostat a number of times.

It will not be the level probe on a FETCO. If the probe fails on a FETCO, it will flood.

About the only other reason the machine will not heat will be if there's a problem with the outlet or the plug.

I've seen electrical surges damage both.

I carry extra plugs and can put a new on on the machine. It's pretty easy.

I actually carry outlets/receptacles, but I won't install them. They need to call an electrician for that. I take care of everything after the receptacle.

So, why do I carry receptacles? Because electricians often don't have the one that is needed. Lot's of times I'll be doing an install and they will have installed the wrong receptacle.

Do save time and bother, I have them with me. I'll give it to the electrician to install and will bill the customer for the part.

That's about it for the heating.

I hope I've made it easy to digest. The specifics might change from machine to machine, but principles are the same.

Post, PM, or email any comments or questions.

Also, if you are thinking about this, the one class I would recommend is offered by BUNN. I know I haven't talked about them much. None of my big customers use their equipment. But, that's just a fluke.

They are one of the biggest in the business and their machines are everywhere.

They offer a three day class. It's very comprehensive. (As opposed to the one day class most companies offer.)

What's great -- or a pain in the ass depending on how you look at it -- is that they spend a lot of time on the electrical stuff.

They teach you how to use a voltmeter and they teach you all about ohms law which governs the relationship between volts, amps, ohms, etc.

They offer classes around the country. All of their classes are free.

They just posted their schedule for 2011. You can view it here:

http://www.bunn.com/pages/service/serv_train_US.html

The classes will "sell out" so register now if you want to take them.

Seriously, if you think you may ever want to do this -- even down the road -- sign up for this class.

 

For anyone who wants to read ahead, FETCO has a Q/A here about there machines:

http://blog.fetco.com/tags/BxYt5pGF6lXwTKrp4VHdTXyhrtVP-qgK_FEuxMsiNhI=.aspx


To learn about espresso, check out these forums:

http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums

http://www.home-barista.com/forums/

These sites are mostly for "home enthusiasts" so when they talk about machines, they will mostly be talking about home machines.

But their passion and knowledge about espresso is pretty much unmatched.


You can also check this one out:

http://www.specialty-retailing.com/ME2/Apps/DiscussionBoard/login.asp

It's geared towards coffee shop owners. The forum is pretty slow, but if you dig through the archives, you can learn a lot about the industry.

You will need to register to access this forum.

 

FYI, I've got a decent day job so I won't be looking for the NYC territory but I want to commend YankeeFan on a great idea. Very American of you.

 

Thanks Cran. I appreciate the kind words and I appreciate all of the support and interest there has been for this.

Today was a long one. Will be back tomorrow with how coffee machines dispense.

We'll also talk about starting the business & I'll give more specific examples of jobs that I do and what my job is like day to day.

If you're following along with an interest in pursuing this, please also be sure to follow the "unemployment" thread on the Sports & News board. I've talked more about my business there, and don't want to repeat everything here.

 

YF, just signed up for the BUNN class in Atlanta in March.

Really looking forward to this.

 

I second the notion that it's great that you're doing this, YF. (But I have been laughing about the muppet pic for 5 minutes now.)

And YF is also right about the really good coffee. It doesn't need cream or sugar. Most people view coffee as a delivery system for caffeine only, and that's how most of it is marketed.

The good stuff? It's much more of an experience. Can get pricey, but it's worth it.

 

Also agree that this is a great gesture by YF, and that the step-by-step process might encourage some (hell it already has, in bydesign's case) who may have thought there is no way they can handle this gig to instead take the plunge. I know I would have appreciated such a thorough introduction before embarking upon my new gig (please, don't be a new career, pretty please) this year.

 

I agree that this is a very generous effort on YF's part. If I weren't all thumbs when it came to this stuff, I'd be tempted.

I am just glad that YF isn't into spam penile enlargement offers.

 

To Ace and anyone else who finds this intriguing but has similar concerns, keep an open mind and keep following along.

Part of what I'm trying to demonstrate is that this isn't that hard.

Before I go into this, I didn't own a wrench. I was not what you would call handy. I still laugh a little to myself when I think that somewhere an espresso machine has broken down and their reaction is, "call YankeeFan, he'll fix it."

Like I said earlier, these machines are logical. Once you figure out how they work, they're not that hard to fix.

Over 50% of the job is problem solving. You need to diagnosis the problem. If you can so that, and you have the necessary parts & tools, you can fix it.

As a backup, it's nice to have the manual and the phone number for tech support. I had no shame in calling tech support when I started out.

Your "ability" to turn a wrench is not nearly as important as you think

Also, a large part of the job is running the business. Selling yourself to customers, etc.

Also, an educated, well spoken tech who can write will also be an attractive distributor for many of these manufacturers.

There's money to be made in selling machines. In selling coffee, tea, syrups, etc.

Keep thinking about it and keep reading.

I'll have another post up soon. And I'll try to also intersperse my posts with the details of specific jobs so that you get a sense of what I face & how I handle it.

 

I have an offbeat question: You say there's some taste testing involved. If you do a few jobs a day and you have a sample cup at each stop, doesn't that keep you up until 4 in the morning? If I have a drop of caffeine after midday I am up all night.