Author: cwguy

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How to reset your Hamilton Changer C2000 controller


This is for a Hamilton C2000 controller
Assuming you have an issue with your bill changer….

1)  You should find the error code.  This is a code coming from your C2000 controller not your bill acceptor.  (This  light is indicated with the blue arrow.)  The code has 2 flash patterns and a pause in between the flashes  (I included the error chart to help).

  • (In normal operation the light should be green.  Green is the only color the light can be.  🙂 )

2)  Next you fixed the code issue….  Add coins, fix something!  🙂

3)  Push the reset button if required.  The reset button is indicated by the red arrow.

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Inflation is a little ridiculous….. I will try this at my business! LOL :)


This might explain why the traffic has reduced at the PO Box! LOL 🙂

So my PO Box started out at $62 a year…. Then $70 a year…. Then $76 a year…. Now it is $84 a year? So from 2015 – 2018 it has gone up $22? (This was just when I switched to the USPS website.)  This is an Alabama USPS PO Box yearly price.

My serious question is…. Why do so many USPS carriers drive through our hood now?  So they can burn more gas (for the environment)? I might support it then. 🙂 To many packages in March? I honestly do not understand? Today a USPS van delivered a 14″x4″x6″ package (estimated size)…. An hour later our random mail carrier came?  Sometimes someone will deliver mail or packages randomly in the morning then 6-8 hours later someone will deliver more mail?  Seems silly?  Sunday seems silly also…. But I do not judge.

I know someone that delivers for UPS and if his route has to much mail…. They just stuff the truck with more mail. In busy months like March…. JK December they do hire a helper but USPS I believe did not? USPS did delivered mail super late at night in December though…. I also did not feel sorry for the USPS drivers…. They get overtime and probably double their salary around December? I would deliver in my hood if I could never get fired…. I would like to add no transferring either. That is how they try and get rid of losers…. Not saying I would be a loser…. Or am I? LOL 🙂

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How to troubleshoot not getting any water from your high pressure pump! Part 2

Here is PART 1 on troubleshooting a high pressure pump.  LINK

This problem I believe depended on the time a customer allowed the bay to unload the high pressure.  Which varies greatly and would make this problem almost seem random.  You would also need to pay close attention which I did not…. This would be no problem if you only have one pump or one bay.  🙂  (I checked this pump around 3-4 time…. Sad to say.  The problem is the pump actually works completely fine.  Like video below…. Pressure just seemed high.)


In retrospect after fixing the v-belt on the cat pump…. I remember previous issues I have had.  I had to reset my motor started for some reason?  Now I know why.

At the time I tested the bay and everything was fine…. I thought. I believe now I did not test the gun like the video. I do remember thinking it had high water pressure and I needed to turn it down though.

After I fixed the belt and I thought I was finished with my repair…. I tested the bay.  The bay then popped the breaker.

Which was a surprise…. Usually when repairing one problem it fixes the problem! 🙂 This meant there was obviously another issue.

So I reset the breaker and this time watched and payed attention to how the high purchase gun was working. (Like the video above.) After looking at the pressure problem again it seemed like it had to be the unloader.

I replaced the unloader and the unloader fixed the problem.

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Tools used when repairing the high pressure pump yesterday.


When I was repairing the broken v belt from yesterday these were the tools I used.

I really like the Milwaukee 2457-20 M12 ratchet Greg told me about…. I thought it was completely worthless also but it is a great tool.  I really wanted a 1/2 air Aircat 805-HT-5 High Torque Ratchet…. with 130 ft lbs of torque!  But someone talked to out of it.  🙂  I really did not want to purchase a set of 3/8 sockets…. I ended up purchasing the Tekton 3/8″ shallow impact sockets 47915 which are pretty cheap in metric and even normal measurements.  LOL 🙂  I purchased metric for an American car I was working on?  Also I used a random Crescent wrench….  but my favorite adjustable wrench is probably my Klein Tools D50712 Adjustable Wrench with Extra Capacity 12-Inch (I believe)…. with the dipped handle.  It is just nice…. I should probably purchase smaller sizes?

Later I used my Tekton WRN53091 Ratcheting Combination Wrench Set which I really like the ratcheting aspect.

Original post:  LINK

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How to troubleshoot not getting any water from your high pressure pump!

Today, I had a high pressure pump not delivering water! The official complaint was: “I am here with a Coleman rep and we can not figure out what is wrong with all the bays! All the bays do not have high pressure rinse.” I asked are you sure it is all the bays…. But what do you expect?  LOL 🙂 This Coleman rep should also quit…. He allegedly owns a self serve car wash also? I do not believe it. 🙂  He also asked me know to use a Dixmore remote control…. But it is actually not an official remote.  But it is actually worse I believe…. I wrote the directions on how to use the remote on the remote.  Maybe I am to harsh?  🙂

So obviously you can do your troubleshooting in whatever order you want. I try to do the easy stuff first.  Most of the time I like to go straight to the hardest…. But let’s be honest…. That is the dumbest method!

There are quick disconnects in the bays so by removing the gun I can test if there is a clog in the nozzle.
1) Check the nozzle / gun for clogs. Remember a very small amount of dirt or debris can cause the system to not work.


Check your water source to make should you or some random person did not turn it off. I have had this happen before…. By some random person that is…. But I might have done it also? The random person also broken my weep system at least twice. Almost like the random person could care less about my stuff? LOL 🙂
2) Check your water source.


To verify the flow I removed the high pressure hose from the Cat pump…. Then I used the motor starter to see if this fixed the problem.
3) Verify if you are getting high pressure out of the pump.


Verify if the water is getting to the pump.  (Water should come out of the hose when removed.)  I removed the water supply line form the Cat pump to verify this…. I was getting water.
4) Verify if the supply line water is getting to the high pressure pump.


Check to make sure the belt for the motor and high pressure pump is working correctly. This appeared to be my problem…. It actually was not though.  I had a different problem which caused this problem.  But this will help you troubleshoot most of your high pressure pump problems.
5) Verify that the belt for the motor and high pressure pump are at the correct tension and working correctly.


Also when installing a new belt…. I installed mine without removing anything.  Try putting the belt on the small pulley and then turning the belt onto the larger pulley.
6) Size matters….  Do not just slam it in there it will not work!  Be slow, use your hands and be gentle.  This might be something for a different post?  🙂

 

This would also cover troubleshooting pressure washers.

Tools I used for this repair:  LINK
Here is PART 2 on troubleshooting a high pressure pump. LINK

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So I Wanted a Stripper…. Then I Got the Phone Call!


So I have liked strippers for the past 30 years.  My first stripper I purchased from Kmart (of all places) when they had employee appreciation day and I got 20% off (my first job…. I told them our Kmart store was going to close after WalMart opened btw…. It did.)  My first yellow stripper lasted the longest until the blade fell off somewhere.  My second red Neiko 01924A lasted almost 5 years.  My Neiko’s plastic red handle would keep falling off.  (I guess I could have epoxied it or duct taped it? or #$@% it…. This tool just got super annoying to use…. sorry for the language!  LOL 🙂  The handle is cheap and just not ergonomic. )  Today I got a tip from Greg about strippers…. About the Klein Tools 11061 stripper.  So I purchase the Klein as my replacement…. Maybe it will last 5-25 years?  🙂

BTW The Klein 11061 cost $22.05 and the Neiko 01924A cost $16.58…. So it is really not worth getting a cheaper version if you plan on using the tool.

This is a really great type to have if you ever have to strip lots of cables…. Alone with a good pair of wire cutters (The built in cutters on these strippers are annoying to use more then once and because this tool is really used for lots of cable cutting do not think about it.  🙂 )  Great stripper design though.

I do have different style wire strippers in my bag.  These are better for working on less wires.  These are Klein Tools 11055…. I also have a smaller style and a couple different brands actually.  I believe I have 2 of the Klein actually?  🙂

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My Article in the Fall SSCWN Magazine

I always loved the old Self Serve Car Wash New Magazine run by JJJ / Jarret J. Jakubowski.  I remember waiting for the magazine to show up at my house.  I also remember asking my Dad why it did not show up on a regular basis.  🙂  Apparently he wanted good content in his magazine and it always appeared in a large newspaper print form of a magazine…. Very unique.

Well things change…. I also wrote an article in the Fall 2017 edition of the new SSCWN magazine.  LINK to Article

 

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At least I am embarrassed for Rowe and their die hard customers.

So the “new” award winning Rowe changers are made by Triad Design.  Website I never thought of this…. Basically because the chargers were not impressive using off the shelf parts.  I just expected the changer to be built by Rowe?  Why not?  I was kind of surprised to be honest. The other Rowe chargers used Rowe parts? Good or Bad! 🙂

Rowe wins an Innovative Award and not MEI? 20130803

But you would think a company like Rowe would force a non-compete or no talkee contract with a company like Triad Design.  (Also all the companies do it (I assume) so I am not just singling out Rowe.  Jim Coleman for sure…. and I know at least one product from Hamilton (probably others or all of them?) that had another companies name on the circuit boards.)  To me it just seems like a bad business plan…. Why not employee your own development team (2 guys probably, in this case with Triad which probably only has/had 6 employees supposally).  If Rowe honestly hired 2 employees then they could constantly have new updated products?  What good it that?  Give honest tech support from techs that worked on the actual product design?  Not needed at all?  Keep an updated product line on the market?  Why not lag decades behind it is the norm?  Have more technologically advanced products on the market than any other company?  What makes you so smart…. smarty pants? 

Honestly what makes any of the major car wash companies in a good competitive position?  Honestly the only reason any major company is in any position is because of a repetition. What reputation? Old broken products that need to be replaced?  Car wash owners as a whole do not know anything.  Sorry!  🙂  I talking to a operator and I wanted him to try a Dixmor timer in his Coleman bay.  He swore I was trying to blow up his bay!  Well the Dixmor timer was going to short or everything.  Bottom like there is no amount of marketing that Dixmor can do to undo uneducated owners.  Plus if owers love Coleman timers…. Well I believe Coleman might have even switched by now?  Bad example…. But hopefully you get my point.  LOL 🙂  Customers are trusting companies and techs that never worked at the company in the first place.  Just finding compatible parts from the old Manufactures…. Lets be honest no one wants a Timemaster Bay Timer (Well you should not want one!  🙂 )  All these companies need new leadership…. All need better goals…. Working off your old book of business is okay until some other major company gets real leadership and kills all the competition.

Another thing to check out…. Triad website…. I honestly would not purchase anything from them after looking at their website. (Rowe’s website is really not that much better.  Well unless there product is really cheap.  Support might be important on a no name changer?  Not sure?)  Triad’s website looks like something I would not even have done 20 years ago.

3 website hints PLEASE NEVER DO if you take your company seriously.
1) NEVER use a free hosting service…. It is really never okay to have the words “Free Hosting” (GoDaddy or whatever) on any page.
2) NEVER use an email address like @aol or @verizon etc. so your customers can see how low budget your company is.
3) I believe you should have a PO Box and never use your address. But you can use your business address. But NEVER use your home address for lots of reasons! (Also on business cards!)
4) BONUS people argue using an 800 number. But the other points look a lot worse. 800 numbers are cheap…. So whatever people expect I guess?

Interesting search when you search this company (I have no clue about any links or information on this page) Triad, Massachusetts appears to have filed Chapter 11 in Texas where Rowe is located? Weird?