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  • Ice-O_Matic ICE1406 water distribution tube question.

    Posted by guest on December 3, 2016 at 12:00 am

    Have a build up of white crystals and trying to clean these puppies out. Both ends of the tube twist, but I cannot seem to figure out if the twisting is an adjustment of some kind or a means to disassemble. Should this tube assembly be able to be taken apart or do I just use a long bottle brush to reach inside?

    davejohnsonnola replied 7 years, 3 months ago 1 Member · 10 Replies
  • 10 Replies
  • fixbear

    Member
    December 3, 2016 at 1:37 pm

    Is this machine on a water softened system?  Possible salt carry over from poor adjustment.

       Is the supply have a Maintained water filter? This will prevent that formation and give a clearer ice.

        Have you done a cleaning with ice machine cleaner? Loosens the calcium and makes hard stuff come out easy. The spray bar is made of a special plastic to prevent accumulation, but large foreign body’s tent to get trapped in the bar.Most bars come apart so you can tap on the table-sink to rinse them out. Some also have removable plugs in the end. Ice-O-Matic recommends the following; 

    If necessary, remove and clean the water trough thoroughly to remove all scale or slime build- up, remove the water distribution tube, disassemble and clean with a bottlebrush. Reassemble all components and repeat steps 2 through 5 as required to remove any remaining residue. I seem to remember that the tube splits in the middle, but it been a few years since I worked on that model.
  • davejohnsonnola

    Member
    December 3, 2016 at 2:44 pm

    System does use water softener.

    Filter is regularly changed.

     

    Supposedly our refrigeration professionals cleaned and sanitized three weeks ago before we opened for the season, but judging by the amount of crud I found in the upper distribution tubes I have my doubts that they did it well. They didn’t route one of the flexible hoses correctly, it was keeping one of the curtains open just enough to have a spray of water into the bin below melting the ice, but not so open that the curtain switch turned off the machine.

     

    My concern was with trying to see if that tube comes apart for cleaning or just rotates the angle of the spray pattern.

     

    Ice O Matic 2041338-01 TUBE ASSY WATER DIST | Parts Town 

     

    Didn’t want to force it and break if it is not meant to come apart.

  • john

    Member
    December 5, 2016 at 8:35 am

    Hi davejohnsonnola,

     

    I can confirm that Ice O Matic 2041338-01 TUBE ASSY WATER DIST | Parts Town 

    disassembles for cleaning. Each end rotates counter-clockwise and can be pulled out. Yours might require a little more elbow grease than mine did. 

     

    Before/after rotation:

    I’m curious to see how yours looks inside with all that buildup. If you’re able to snap a photo, I’d be interested to see it. 

     

    -John

  • davejohnsonnola

    Member
    December 5, 2016 at 9:54 am

    Muchisimas gracias! Thanks for that. Great fotos. 

    Feel much better about applying some more force to open them next time I’m in that machine.

  • fixbear

    Member
    December 7, 2016 at 10:10 am

    You didn’t state that it was a seasonal install. This make a big difference, as if it wasn’t cleaned at shutdown it will get a build-up of mold inside the tubes.  Makes start-up a much more difficult deal as you can see.

       The salt crystals are because the adjustment of the softener is out of calibration for the usage. or it is regenerating in operational hours. with that big of a ice machine you want the softener to regen after the bin is full at night, early morning when the machine is shut down. Every time there is a power outage or Generator test the timer will need to be checked unless it has a battery back-up.

       Normally that head is on a 750 or 1000 lb bin and the head makes 1400 pounds per day to make calculating fill time a bit easier.

  • davejohnsonnola

    Member
    December 7, 2016 at 11:07 am

    The softener as I understand is on the entire building’s system and the filter at the ice machine is just a crud remover. Not sure about the term regeneration.

     

    Have read the discussion about seasonal shut downs of reach ins and walk ins, consensus seems to be aside from operating cost, better to let older equipment running rather than shut down. Same applies to ice machines? Better to do the cleaning before the down season rather that right before the season restarts?

     

    This facility did no maintenance for years. The only called service company when things broke down. I have been able to get the boss to approve regular condenser cleaning and ice machine cleaning only in the past year.

  • davejohnsonnola

    Member
    December 7, 2016 at 11:10 am

    As I am only here six months out of the year, sometimes upon return I find areas turned off and other areas that were left running.

  • davejohnsonnola

    Member
    December 7, 2016 at 11:22 am

    I am not employed as a tech, but I am the first person called when something stops working. My gig is inventory control and F&B operations, but have a mechanical and a/c background. Have not a lot of practice but it is something that interests me. I do a lot of triage, trying to eliminate “operator error” from the equation before calling out the service company and coordinating with our minimum wage users and outside service techs once they are on site.

     

    On this machine however, I did save the boss a few C-notes by replacing the pump motor with a practically new one that I had salvaged from a an older machine that was finally 86’d due to the evaporator fins coming loose.

  • fixbear

    Member
    December 7, 2016 at 3:12 pm

    regarding the softener, They use a salt brine to regenerate the softening media that absorbs calcium and carbonates. the salt is them rinsed out of the media and goes back to softening (removing water hardness)

     

       As for the ice machine filter, it is more than a particulate filter. it also adds a chemical to the water for clear ice and helps in the harvest.

     

    Now back to the original problem. You stated that the water was spraying out from under the cover. This is common if the pump is not the proper one for the machine. If it has to much volume or pressure for the spray-bar design. Every brand has a different pump capacity and spec even though they all look alike and are made by the same manufacturers. That’s why aftermarket generic pumps are such a problem in this industry I have followed other service techs on mostly Scotsman and had to replace a new pump just for that reason..frustrating for me and the customer. Understand the want to have a pump on the truck, as I work in the Adirondacks, and parts are hours away. but the changeable don’t always balance well. I carry a universal but also have a adjustable hose clamp to get thru till I get the right pump.

       This being said, if you watch the spray-bar on to the landing area there should not be any splatter or spray, just a ample flow to cover all the grid..All holes must be flowing on both plates equally. If it is splattering all over it will build up scale where you don’t want it and cause a loss of production. This is from a pump of to high a pressure.  Just dribbling down part of the plates is a pump without enough flow capacity.

  • davejohnsonnola

    Member
    December 7, 2016 at 3:24 pm

    Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge. Great that you and others are willing to put out the effort.

    Muchisimas gracias!

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