Owning an ATM machine is great because is requires little work and can provide a solid income. Once installed in the location the ATM does most of the work for you. And with the online monitoring option you can remotely view all the action on your machine. But there is some upkeep that needs to be done on your ATM just like you would a car. Every now and then you need an oil change or need to rotate the tires. Same thing for your ATM. There are a bunch of working parts inside the ATM and they need to be maintained in order for the machine to continue functioning properly.
Before you start cleaning parts, it would be a good idea to look through your Journal once a month. You can access the Journal log by selecting “Journal” in the Operation Functions and then choosing “View Journal”. Scroll through the journal log looking at each transaction. Sometimes the communication can cut out during a transaction causing the transaction to not go through. You want to look for Normal Transaction meaning that there was no problem with the transaction and it went through correctly. A common problem could be a communication error. Usually with the error code D1705 or D1706. You can also refer to the Error Codes section in our blog to help determine the problem and to help you troubleshoot. As you’re scrolling through the journal you will probably see a few error codes that involve the letter “DA”. Do not be alarmed, those indicate a ‘user error’ which could be something like insufficient funds or invalid pin number. That is nothing to worry about as the ATM owner.
Now to the cleaning part. There are two components of the ATM that need to be cleaned every 4-6 months. The first one being the dispenser. As you know, money is very dirty. And as the money is disposed through the dispenser over and over, it creates dirt in the belt system. An easy way to clean the dispenser is to buy a can of air spray like you would use on the keyboard of your computer or laptop. As you open up the vault door look under the metal dispenser tray and you will find a tiny screw on the left-hand side. Undue the screw and pull out the tray. Make sure the machine is powered off first then spray the whole dispenser including the tiny black sensors that are spread throughout the belt system. It also might be a good idea to have a can of rubber cleaner. If you look on the side of the dispenser you will find a knob. Turn the knob and the belts will start moving. Clean the belts as best you can with the rubber cleaner on a clean rag. This process shouldn’t take you very long and will help save headaches or after-hour trips to your location in case a bill gets jammed.
Another part on the machine that will need some regular attention is the card reader. Just like the dispenser the card reader will accumulate dust and dirt from constant usage. We sell card reader wipes that are the size of a credit card but have a cleaning substance on them. We recommend doing this every few months and it will only take you a few seconds. Also, look out for ATM skimmers on your card reader. These pop up from time to time mostly on bank machines but it would be a good idea to tug on your card reader every time you fill the machine just to make sure there isn’t a skimmer.
These few things will help prevent problems you may have down the road. Maintaining your ATM is very easy. It just takes a little cleaning every now and then. Make sure to check these things and the life of your ATM machine will extend to upwards of 8-10 years.
