Troubleshooting Commercial Trash Compactors

Commercial trash compactors are a great investment, they allow for efficient waste disposal of compressed trash. A self-contained trash compactor provides sanitary trash disposal of wet waste in a fully contained unit, keeping businesses cleaner and healthier. When your trash compactor is on the fritz, businesses can suffer in many ways with a tarnished image and unsafe conditions for visitors or employees.

How to Troubleshoot Your Trash Compactor

If your commercial or industrial trash compactor isn’t working, here are some tips to follow to solve the most common problems:

 

1)    Check the power - while it may seem obvious, always check the power connection. A loose power cord is one of the most common reasons that a compactor will not turn on. Check the electrical disconnect and make sure it’s in the right position. You may need to reset the power if there has been a power outage.

2)    Check all hoses – a self-contained compactor will not work properly if hoses are damaged or loose.  Check all hoses and tighten or reconnect them if needed.

3)    Check all doors – if a door is not completely closed, your compactor will not work. Open and close them to make sure they’re sealed and check any locking switches.

4)    Check the emergency button - make sure the emergency button was not engaged by a coworker and not returned to a normal operating state.

5)    Check the Driver’s Green Light - if your compactor was recently serviced, if the driver's Green light is not lit it could mean that it was not correctly placed when returned.

6)    Check lubrication if noisy - if your compactor is making unusually loud noises, it could be low on lubrication.

7)    Check for debris - if your compactor is working but not compressing properly, there could be debris stuck in the machinery for the hydraulic ram may be stuck.

8)    Faulty drive gear - if the motor is working fine but did drive ram is not activating you could have a faulty drive gear.

 

Some of these issues you can check yourself and others you may want to contact your trash compactor service company.  You can protect your compactor against serious damage by installing the Compactor Break Away Safety System, C-BASS.

Stucchi’s C-BASS Protects Self-Contained Trash Compactors

Stucchi’s C-BASS protects against some of the most serious damage that occurs to self-contained trash compactors and is caused by driver error. Your self-contained trash compactor is picked up regularly, taken to the dump, and returned ready for usage. Waste hauler drivers must follow a rigid set of procedures when servicing your compactor and oftentimes, forgetting one little task can create thousands of dollars in damage and create several safety hazards.

Waste hauler drivers are only human, and when they forget to disconnect the hydraulic hoses before driving off with your compactor, this has been proven to cause serious problems which include:

 

●       Damage to the compactor’s hydraulic circuit

●       Damage to the electrical power system

●       Hydraulic power units can be dragged behind the truck like a dangerous projectile

●       Hydraulic fluid spilling all over the company’s premises causing environmental damage

●       Hydraulic fluid leaks cause dangerous exposure to drivers and anyone in the vicinity

 Stucchi’s C-BASS provides a much safer environment for your business and mitigates risk in all of these instances. We were approached by businesses in the trash compactor industry to develop a solution as they discovered this error happens more often than recognized and can cost up to several thousand dollars in damages and repairs. Development of the C-BASS was a direct result of our hydraulic specialists providing a customized solution to meet industry demand.

Learn more by watching this video to see the damage that can occur with C-BASS, and check out other resources like a proven case study and free guide to help you understand the benefits of the C-BASS solution.

Stucchi has been a leading global supplier of hydraulic solutions for more than 60 years, offering quick connect and disconnect products customized to meet application requirements. Contact us to learn more about protecting your business, people, the environment, and your reputation by protecting your compactor with the C-BASS solution.

This article was previously published at: https://cbass.info/blog/blog/troubleshooting-commercial-trash-compactors/