Frymaster built in filter

[FRYERGUY]

A quick simple thing to check that I’ve seen cause that a bunch of times is there’s a little perforated screen in the bottom of the filter pan and it looks like it should go in so it doesn’t rock but it needs to rock or it’ll suffocate itself if that’s completely flat no matter what side you put it in either add a bend or buy a new one…

[ectofix]

I’m not sure what you’re talking about, since the filter screen in Frymasters aren’t “small”. THOSE cover the majority of the bottom of a filter pan under the filter paper.

But, the placement and integrity of that filter screen IS very crucial for proper oil flow from the pan to the pump. Otherwise, the pump would be sucking on a restricted point measuring only a mere 1″ in diameter versus the entire span (12″ x 18″, let’s say) of the a properly placed filter screen.

[ectofix]

Thanks, fixbear. However, PartsTown’s edition of the S&P manual is a bit dated. Much has changed over the past seven years. From a new logo (ridding of the old Enodis/Manitowoc HALO logo to present Welbilt’s newest one with a sideways triangle with a W in it) and to offer reference to some new part numbers (for the filter pump, the ignition modules and other stuff).

Here’s their newest manual published 02/2020:

Oil Conserving Fryer (OCF30)™GAS FRYERS Service & Parts Manual

The operators manual:

Oil Conserving Fryer (OCF)™FPGL30 Gas Fryer Installation, Operation and Maintenance Manual

…and, FWIW, their training manual. Along with some basics in all of their fryers, It goes R-E-A-L-L-Y deep into the automatic filtering unit:

Frymaster Tech Reference

marketingtomaintenance, I posted those graphics so you’d know what all is in the system. From my being a former Frymaster-trained field service tech (early 2000s), I’ve found Frymaster’s Tech Reference Manual somewhat lacking in offering better clarity of their basic filtration system. I made those graphics from needing to get my in-house co-workers up-to-speed on the inner workings within our thirty-eight Frymaster fryers in our “house”.

I made those graphics myself. They appear to hold true to your OCF fryers since those lack all of that fancy, motorized stuff for draining and filtering the oil that’s so prominent in the LOV and FilterQuick models.

So, back to your question:

You asked me if air could possibly leak into the return oil line if the vacuum-breaking solenoid valve (as I call it) is stuck open. In my thinking – NO. Since it is on the discharge side of the pump, I think that if that were stuck open, it would route oil through the Teflon tube and back into the drain manifold. I’m certain they did it that so if the valve were to fail, hot oil would have a safe place to go.

I’d be more inclined to think that if the OTHER solenoid valve (the one to the right of the pump) serving to drain oil back to the pan…could be an issue if it were to stick open (so that return oil would feed back into the pump’s suction side).

I’ve never actually seen either of those two valves fail…but you never know. I’m merely offering some possibilities. AGAIN…it seems that your problem might be isolated nearer to the pump since the problem comes-and-goes from one vat to another. If you get in there and cap the valves off with something (pipe cap and a pipe plug) to eliminate them from the “oil flow” plumbing, maybe you could eliminate the valves as the problem.

[FRYERGUY]

when i said small I was referring to it being the smallest piece of the assy…. lol i know how big it is ive been doing this for 20 years… and is usually the problem when i hear that complaint…

[bradh]

I have had issues with the Frymaster units not returning oil at the same rate in various vats due to a blockage in the return line for the vat. Other vats return all ok but you will get a vat that just suddenly takes a while to return all the oil, or just dribbles out with no force.

Sometimes you can get what other people have mentioned in this thread about blockages in the return line. If there is orange heater tape/wire on the return line and the customer is using liquid oil you can find that the crumbs start to burn on the inside of the hose, after a while this starts to build up and cause blockages as the debris burns. If this happens you disconnect the hose and insert a wire coathanger and a small 90degree bend in the tip and circle it around the inside of the metal corrugated hose. Crumbs will start to drop out and do the same on the outlet in the fryer vat. Once clear you will get a spattering of crumbs blow out with the oil. In some instances i have disconnected the heater tape to stop this from happening.

Sounds like a symptom of what you are experiencing but i am not saying his will be your issue.

[fixbear]

I like to use a Bunn scale cleaning spring. But have also used speedometer cables with a drill in the past.

Another handy, multipurpose item gone from the digital age.

[marketingtomaintenance]

This thing is really throwing me for a loop. It only happened once all last week and was resolved by pulling the filter box out and turning the pump on for two seconds, just to see what it would do which was nothing that I could tell, and then it ran perfectly.