repair report
Repair report as promised.
The Broan power pack arrived in a sturdy wooden crate via UPS. Inside I found the entire workings of the compactor, less the cabinet and drawer, all combined into a single unit called the power pack.
The Broan service manual correctly points to four bolts to be removed, however the socket size is 1/2" not 5/32".
A box is required to slip under the packing ram so that the ram can be lowered to take the weight off the four bolts. I found that a TidyCat 40lb kittylitter box worked perfectly.
I removed the four bolts, then slid the power pack out of the cabinet. Installation of the new pack was simple, the entire job took around two hours start to finish with the help of a couple cats. There were no wires to reconnect, except for the cabinet ground wire, which did require the 5/32" socket.
While inspecting my work, I found that I did need to remove the black compacting head from the old unit and mount it to the compacting ram. It is a square piece of steel, shaped like a box, that is what comes in contact with the trash.
I also compared the two power packs to determine the actual cause of failure. Turns out the old pack's chain was way too loose, like it had an extra link or two. The new chain had zero slack, old chain had about 1/3" travel.
For all my work on this brand new unit, I now have a lifetime supply of replacement parts on hand (motor, switches, sprockets, etc.) Broan also comes out ahead, as technicians charge about $1 per mile including return trip to drive the 300mi to where I live (600mi x $1 = new unit.)
Hope this helps the next person, Broan was extremely helpful, sympathetic, and courteous.
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