Quarters Clogged in Round Safe

[NessaForever]

We inherited a car wash that has 6 bays with the round major/star safes in the walls below the meter boxes facing the front of the wash. Bays 2&3 and 4&5 share the same safe. The quarters travel down an angled pvc pipe into the safes from the meter boxes.
The issue we are constantly having is the quarters get clogged and won’t drop all the way down into the trays in the safes. Even when the trays are empty. We constantly have to open them and using flexible hose to insert and knock the quarters lose.
When this happens, the bays won’t accept any more quarters and just return them to the customer because they won’t drop far enough to fully trigger the micro switch.
Anyone else have an idea on how to fix this other than cutting out the brick and running new pvc?

 

[Rfreeman]

Last car wash I bought had the same problem. You need to first identify the cause....is the drop completely disconnected? Bad angle of drop on the pvc? Trash in the drop? Or what?

I called a plumber friend of mine and he let me borrow for free his drain camera. This was a small unit not the large one they would use on a main sewer line. When I ran the camera down the chute I discovered the pvc was disconnected from the vault. I removed enough bricks to reconnect it problem solved.

Like you I didn't want to just go in blind and cut the brick out to discover what the issue was. Best of luck.

 

[NessaForever]

Thank you for the feedback. That’s a good idea. There looks like a little crack the holds them up but a camera will be able to tell me for sure. I think I know someone that has one. I appreciate it.

Last car wash I bought had the same problem. You need to first identify the cause....is the drop completely disconnected? Bad angle of drop on the pvc? Trash in the drop? Or what?

I called a plumber friend of mine and he let me borrow for free his drain camera. This was a small unit not the large one they would use on a main sewer line. When I ran the camera down the chute I discovered the pvc was disconnected from the vault. I removed enough bricks to reconnect it problem solved.

Like you I didn't want to just go in blind and cut the brick out to discover what the issue was. Best of luck.

 

[Randy]

You can get pretty inexpensive inspection camera on EBay that connects to your smart phone. When we installed our coin vault safes we heated the PVC pipe and bent it to fit so there is no seams or joints in to pipe.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Not sure the diameter of your tube but there is something often referred to as "Smurf Tube" It is used for running Sound and Cat 5 in walls. . Perhaps the right diameter could slide into the existing tube and solve issues where any cracks cause quarters to hang up. It would be a simple and cheap experiment providing you can get the right diameter and it slides in.

 

[Rudy]

That can also happen when it's cold due to ice. Doe's this happen when it's above freezing, or only when it's cold?

 

[Bricks]

I had to cut out one block. Ripped out the pvc and connected long sweep 90 degree rubber ferncos to the threads on the coin boxes. Then used small sections (2 per chute) of exhaust from the auto parts store that slid together, one inside the other. It’s only been 9 months but it works perfectly. I put a shim underneath the block when I reinstalled it, then used silicone instead of mortar around the block. I touched it up with paint and you can’t even tell. Before this repair it had to be drain snaked daily. Someone tried to redo the pvc before but the elevation wasn’t enough. The fernco coupled with the telescoping ability of the pipes did the trick.

 

[David Rolf]

Over the past two weeks, something has changed with one of my coin chutes in one bay. The quarters are not dropping from the meter box to the vault. Just a few get caught up and cause a blockage over time. I can see the area with a snake camera, but getting to it will prove difficult. I saw this post and was curious if anyone has any new ideas to re-sleeve the tube to avoid ripping out the concrete.

 

[Randy]

Over the past two weeks, something has changed with one of my coin chutes in one bay. The quarters are not dropping from the meter box to the vault. Just a few get caught up and cause a blockage over time. I can see the area with a snake camera, but getting to it will prove difficult. I saw this post and was curious if anyone has any new ideas to re-sleeve the tube to avoid ripping out the concrete.

What are the coins hanging up on? What size tube do you have now?

 

[HeyVern]

You could talk to somebody that puts liners in old sewer lines, they might be able to do something.

 

[MEP001]

Quarters will run through a thin wall 1 1/4" tube if you can get it down through the existing pipe.

 

[tdlconceptsllc]

Whatever you do DONT JAM the from the Top down! Unclogg from inside the safe up more than likely you still have quarters in the tube that never released 100%. A electrical snake or insulation hangers work perfect flexible and strong to push hard.

 

[MEP001]

I use a piece of 3/8" tubing.

 

[David Rolf]

What are the coins hanging up on? What size tube do you have now?

Randy,

I'll be by the wash tomorrow and check the inside diameter. Part of the problem is the camera I bought is pretty cheap and can't see it really good.

 

[Randy]

I use a piece of 3/8" tubing.

You never want to use any hose or tubing to try and get the coin clog unclogged. If the coins fall in around the hose or tubing they’ll act like a pair of Chinese fingers and the hose or tubing will get stuck. We use a electrical snake with the curled end cut off. I once had a customer who tried to clear coin clog with a piece 3/8” hose and it got stuck. It took him 3 or 4 days the get it out and clear the clog.

 

[MEP001]

You never want to use any hose or tubing to try and get the coin clog unclogged.

Nylon tubing, I've done it at least a hundred times and never had it get stuck.

 

[Earl Weiss]

You never want to use any hose or tubing to try and get the coin clog unclogged.

I use an old car antennae.

 

[Randy]

Nylon tubing, I've done it at least a hundred times and never had it get stuck.

I'd have to say you've been pretty lucky

 

[MEP001]

I use an old car antennae.

I'll try to remember to keep the next one I find. I don't know why I find one on the ground probably once a week, maybe they replace them with the short rubber ones.

 

[Rfreeman]

So I found this early in the year. The chute got disconnected and I was too busy to get out there with my guys to knock the bricks out. Needless to say...hit the jackpot