Ice Cold Beer Fix

by Bob Roberts

Here's one that comes up every 2 months without fail...where do I get replacement belts for my Ice Cold Beer?

I tried everything under the sun on these type machines in the beginning, and the best replacement I found, that is permanent, can be found at any corner auto parts store & many Wal*Marts & other discount stores. The last one I did myself, was on location about 10 years ago. They were all stretched out & unusable, so knowing the answer I just cut the belt on one side...the barmaid almost passes out...and I ran it across the street to an auto parts store & picked up 2 pieces of windshield washer tubing the same diameter & length as the piece I had cut off, plus a blister pack of 4 plastic ribbed couplers. Walked it back across the street & installed the new ones in about 5 minutes. If memory serves me right, I think I got change back from a five dollar bill. I remember it as being real inexpensive, at the time.

The last time this came up, about 6 weeks ago, I called the location to ask how the machine was holding up...the reply was just fine & never another problem with it. I asked the owner if he had to readjust them any over the years, and he said he hadn't touched it. The reason that this is so permanent, is that if they were to stretch again, you simply pull the union apart & snip off a half inch & put it back together.

I've repaired many of them before that time & many after by proxy here locally. Not as many or as often as in the NG, but at least once a year someone will still call or drop by and ask me for the belts, giving me the opportunity to explain how windshield washer tubing works. I've never had a repeat customer with that complaint.

Happy Gaming...........