-
ICEOMATIC ICE0726FR
-
I just taped it- and will remove with acetone or wd40 and alcohol. I usually tape a small plastic bag over the end so the tape isn’t anywhere the brazing will be done.
I still need to figure out how to get inside that 726 to vacuum and leak check before I charge it. I found that the capacitor was bad- and the herm wire was melted and had melted the little plastic guard around the herm (the connector) of the capacitor. I assume from low refrigerant it was turning on and off so much it got hot. Also the cap was only about 12MFD- not 30—I got the best cap I could find—am rad instead of putting some cheap 30mfd cap on it. I also found that by jiggling the low fitting in front- the micron gauge would bounce around—I think I might have a leak under the plastic clamp that holds it to unit===there is a lot of corrosion and green goo. I have seen very tiny splits in copper that still hold pressure unless moved just right- then they slowly leak. this might be one of those.
I am guessing I need to manipulate the liquid line solenoid- with a magnet to open it so that I can get into the system. I guess the fittings (high and low) in front and in back under the line set connections both connect at the output of that thing- so that you have to get past it to get into the system. Maybe I am wasting time—I can fix that low side tube- if it has a leak, I can fix- and can pump down as much as I can up to the solenoid- then turn on unit and when it goes into harvest- it will open and I can get freon into it. Thanks
-
I Wouldn’t run your system while low on refrigerant, if you pull a vacuum, you’ll be able to “suck” in whatever refrigerant you need. Considering most ice machines don’t hold a lot of refrigerant, I would just recover it all, especially if it’s 404A or some other blend, that way you completely exclude the possibility of fractionating the refrigerant.
When I scrap an ice machine and take out the compressor or condenser coil or leave a system or component “open” I seal it shut and pressurize with nitro so that nothing gets in, stays cleaner that way.
I’d just cut it out, braze it shut with an access valve, pressurize and when you are ready to reconnect, cut out the access valve and then repipe that 4″ section you removed with new pipe and swage it in or couple it.
My 2 cents.
-
Just read the thread.
If none of the evaporator is getting cold, it could also be your TXV, if your low side is reading lower than your high side, the hot gas solenoid is not open, it would be a direct bypass to the evaporator instead of going throuh the condenser.
I’ve had a TXV go bad on a Scotsman, it was a dual evaporator setup so it was pretty obvious, but you either don’t have enough refrigerant, have no refrigerant, have bad refrigerant or your TXV is not feeding due to either the bulb being pierced, the valve itself being clogged or something.
I chased a unit around for a week being confused as to why it wouldn’t cool, when the pressures seemed somewhat OK, turned out to be bad 404A, had a lowside leak and the comp would shut off in a vacuum so it eventually fractionated, but the pressures were still there. Pulled the charge, did the jig and put virgin refrigerant in, problem solved.
I’ve not seen a hot gas solenoid stay open yet, I see TXV’s go bad more often than that.
-
If you pull your vacuum simultaneously from both the low and high side it should be okay. Don’t confuse residual gas in the oil as a area of the machine you can’t get to. The harvest solenoid will not matter. And the liquid line solenoid should be after the tap charging line for the high side.
Now if you have a green corrosion on a copper line, there has to be a problem. Acid? Dissimilar metal touching? Strong Alkaline cleaner residue?
Only the remote ice machines have a low pressure cut-out and pump down system. so short cycling is a possibility, but overload* is more likely or high resistance connections to the capacitor. Not all spade terminals are of the same quality. And good ones are getting rare off the shelf these days.
* Plugged condenser or fan not operating properly.
Condenser on remotes normally does not have fan cycling with a head pressure control. Just saying.
-
I forgot one item that may cause you a bit of a problem vacating the system. Measure the condenser height from the top fittings of the unit. Being on top of a dispenser it’s going to have to have a elevated condenser. It can only be 6 ft below the line connectors at the top of the machine. Can have no rises and falls that act as traps. Remember that the head pressure mixing valve is in the condenser, not he ice-making machine. Rise and fall calculation multiplier factors for line length are;
1.7 X rise plus distance if above the machine
6.6 X drop p;us distance if below.
That means at 6 feet below you can only get 34 ft of horizontal run. Not much.
-
mtsaz100, I forgot to tell you that there should be a tap on the condenser to check the mixing valve and for vacating to change the second dryer filter for the mixing valve. Some of these machines had a purge switch/valve for vacuuming as well. You should have about just under 10 pounds of refrigerant if it was full. But with your short cycle I doubt that. The liquid solenoid is located just above the dryer on the receiver tank outlet. And yes, to get the refrigerant out of the condenser you need to open it. What you were seeing was leakage thru the compressor valves and mixing valve. You picked one of the most difficult ice machines to work on as your first. I had one of these agitate me many years ago.
What’s the first 4 digits of the serial number?
-
HI this is a remote unit- and first 4 of ssn are 1309. This is a challenge—-and I have found multiple issues—but nothing that would empty out 172 oz of 404a. I am assuming it has a very low charge—based on pressures. I did try to pull vaccum from both high and low—I use yellow jacket 1/2 in hoses and a jb 10cfm pump- so if that wont do it- then I will mail it to you. Send me your address and a stamp. Obviously it could be the txv or anything for that matter—but I need to get “into” the system to really figure out more as opposed to just changing stuff.
dissimilar metals? YES. The 2 copper lines- high/low in front- are held on to the stainless cabinet by a plastic clamp. So the copper is touching the stainless. I was suspicious because when I was “trying” to pull vacuum the micro gauge would jump from about 1000-5000/6000 whenever I jiggled that low side connection. I noticed it when the vacuum pressure was going up and down like from 1020 to 1080 and I went to make sure my hose and valve core tools were tight. (and micron gauge connection). They were but it jumped around. Then I looked carefully for any problems—-
What I would really like to do- is get access to the system- get any refrigerant out- and pressurize with nitrogen to check for leaks. I see zero source for leaks except possibly that low side fitting. But if its got a low charge then 10lbs of 404 went somewhere. The condenser and connections are not leaking.
Thankyou! I really—(you have no idea how much)—appreciate the help.
-
yes there are taps on condenser–I thought that was “my leak”—(the schraders) when I saw them. However- I thought that I could recover same from the taps on the back of the lineset at icemaker. WRONG. Unless the condenser had nothing in it- I only got about 1/2lb. Thanks
-
MTsaz100.
What’s the problem you have, a leak is what it sounds like.
There should be taps on it already, sounds like there is.
Just recover and pressurize with nitro, there’s nothing special about this ice machine, looks like any other modular cuber out there, unless I’m missing something.
-
You pull the coil off the valve and put this on, when it clicks you know it’s opened.
Log in to reply.