my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Ground Level   » Popper Heat Issue

Author Topic: Popper Heat Issue Connor Kirkwood Film Handler Posts: 25 From: Portland, OR, USA Registered: Jul 2009 posted 05-09-2010 04:27 PM                     Hey all. Just noticed a cold spot on the "cornditioner" of our Cretor's Diplomat popcorn popper. It's isolated to one quadrant of the warming surface. Anyone had this happen? Can I expect the rest of the warming mechanism to crap out soon? Any quick fix ideas that anyone can share?  |  IP: Logged Jerome Holmes Film Handler Posts: 35 From: San Jose, Ca Registered: Nov 2008 posted 05-09-2010 05:14 PM                     The "cornditioner" button on ours heats the surface of the popping shelf, not the popper itself. Are you talking about the coils that heat the kettle to pop, or a heater that keeps the popcorn warm?  |  IP: Logged Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 05-09-2010 05:14 PM                        The Cornditioner is basically an open coil heater in front of a fan. It sits on the outside of the chute where popcorn crumbs fall under the popcorn shelf and blows in through a hole in the chute. You should be able to take the entire unit off by removing the 3 wing nuts down inside the chute where popcorn crumbs fall. It's very possible the screen over the fan has a build up of oil which is blocking air flow or there might be popcorn crumbs inside the fan. Either way, taking it apart and cleaning may fix your problem.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 05-09-2010 05:26 PM                     With those "Cornditioner" units, the big thing is to keep the air input of the squirel cage fan cleaned at all times. The blower wheel really gets nasty full of crud, thus one needs to take that blower wheel out of the cage and give it a thorough cleaning by soaking in degreaser and scrubbing it down to make it look new again. If you have the older Diplomat that uses a screw-in-a-socket "glow coil" and with the blower wheel all full of crud,all of the heat will reside in the heating area and not blow out throughout the entire grid area very well. You also need to clean the cage out that the glow coil resides in. Good luck - Monte  |  IP: Logged Connor Kirkwood Film Handler Posts: 25 From: Portland, OR, USA Registered: Jul 2009 posted 05-09-2010 05:47 PM                     Thanks, Justin. We'll give that a shot.  |  IP: Logged Bruce McGee Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1776 From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular. Registered: Aug 1999 posted 05-13-2010 06:21 PM                     I clean the blower wheels on all of our poppers and cornditioners, and warming bins twice a year. Amazing what comes off of the fans... Are we breathing this air?  |  IP: Logged Connor Kirkwood Film Handler Posts: 25 From: Portland, OR, USA Registered: Jul 2009 posted 05-16-2010 07:06 PM                     So I took off the panel and cleaned all around the blower, to no avail. We continued to have the cold spot on the warmer. A few days later, the entire warmer failed, so our popcorn is sitting on a cold metal grate. No good. Seems like I might have to call a technician. I'd inspect further, but I'm not sure which part of the unit I'm supposed to disassemble and clean. Anyone dealt with this kind of fan before?  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 05-26-2010 08:05 PM                     quote: Connor Kirkwood Seems like I might have to call a technician. I'd inspect further, but I'm not sure which part of the unit I'm supposed to disassemble and clean. Anyone dealt with this kind of fan before? Unplug the unit, first off. The blower assembly is attached by the three bolts that holds up the blower cage, which you'll have to access the bolts by taking off the end plate where the ceramic socket you see there at the end of the heater box. Then, you take an allen wrench, or it might be a T-10 or 15 TORX screwdriver blade to loosen the set screw on the blower wheel. Then you can take the blower wheel off and give it a good cleaning and also clean the wheel housing. Also, while you got that motor off, it could use a good oiling. There are two small open areas on each end of the motor where you put a few drops of projector oil (or sewing machine oil-something light..) in each of these holes. While you got the blower off, then you can clean out the inside of the heating element area. Good luck - monte  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 05-27-2010 06:25 AM                        Easy to call Cretors (800-228-1885) to determine who the dealer is in your area. He is required to have technicians available to repair units as a condition of his dealership. IF you supply the model number, voltage, and serial number, you could purchase whatever parts you need. Very good service support. There is, however, a minimum order amount. Any Cretors dealer could help. Hadden is such a dealer. Louis  |  IP: Logged Richard Hamilton Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1341 From: Evansville, Indiana Registered: Jan 2000 posted 05-27-2010 11:06 AM                     Could be a bad thermal switch also. I'm not familiar with that model Cretors, but I've replaced quite a few thermal switches in different warmers. Rick  |  IP: Logged Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 05-27-2010 01:16 PM                     In line with what Rick just said, Connor are you SURE the blower is even working at all or turning at full speed? If it's not, that would explain the cold spot and now the total failure of heat. You're gonna need a new screw-in element at least, and if the blower can't be cleaned and oiled as Monte instructed you'll need to replace the blower as well.  |  IP: Logged Bruce McGee Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1776 From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular. Registered: Aug 1999 posted 05-27-2010 05:09 PM                     We bought our last blower motors from WW Grainger. Since I started cleaning and oiling every 6 months, we havent had a motor fail. The heat thermostats on all of our cornditioners are 140 degree types.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 05-27-2010 07:49 PM                     quote: Louis Bornwasser Easy to call Cretors (800-228-1885) ..and ask for Jerry in the Parts Dept. .. - Monte  |  IP: Logged Richard Hamilton Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1341 From: Evansville, Indiana Registered: Jan 2000 posted 06-02-2010 12:15 PM                     so Conner, Any luck?  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.