I just used my CocoaTown ECGC-65A for the first time last week and ended up with black powder all over the floor and under the bowl that appears to be shredded rubber from the belt. I pre-ground the nibs and it was a very small batch, less than 15 lbs so there should not have been any undue stress on the belt.

When I called CocoaTown they told me it was because the room temperature in my facility is too cold (65-68F) and needs to be at least 80 degrees F. Is this true? If so, you obviously would need to have a separate heated room for the melanger.

Any insight at all would be greatly appreciated as I am so very frustrated with their customer service!

Thank you!

Nichole Warner

Just Good Chocolate

updated by @nichole-warner: 04/09/15 12:15:24

This same thing happened to me after just a handful of batches. Its my experience that the folks at CocoaTown will do and say anything to not have to replace the belts on their machines. I ended up buying replacements from http://www.royalsupply.com/store/pc/viewcategories.asp (you will need to get the number off your belt to make sure you get the right size).

Good Luck!

That is the craziest thing I have heard in a long time. Any good V-Belt can handle a wide temperature range. My car back in Canada would not shred belts at -40. It seems that the alignment is not correct. I would also recommend using link belts.

Paul

Thanks, you guys - I will definitely look into getting a different belt. Moral of the story being, once you buy a CocoaTown don't plan on utilizing their customer service :)

As has been suggested by Paul and in other discussions here on TCL, take a look at Power Twist fiberglass link belts. They don't stretch and seem to last forever. I used 3 small cocoatown melangers for a few years without having to change or even tighten the belt.

As far as I know, they don't make the power twist in the size required by the ECGC-65 (at least they didn't when I bought my replacement belts).

I concur though that for the santha's they are a must.

What size belt does it use?

My friend had this same problem, and the first time she cleaned her cocoa town, the adhesive which binds the stone to the cylinder disintegrated and it virtually fell apart. She also didn't receive great customer service. She just had a local engineer fix it for her. I'm looking at one myself, but am apprehensive. Would you recommend one other than this hiccough?

That sounds awful! I haven't used it enough to be able to recommend or not recommend, but the chocolate I have been making so far has turned out really good. I have to say, if I felt like there was an alternative I would certainly purchase from someone else.