1) Clean the condenser coils. They have a coil cleaning foam that you don't need water. You spray the foam on and do not rinse. it cleans it without water. I use this in areas that I can't get a hose or don't want water drain off on the floor at work.
2) blow it out with air FIRST, then use the spray foam condenser coil cleaner second. You'll eliminate a lot of muck and time if you get rid of about 80% of the dirt before you use the foam and especially if you use water.
3) If you cant find the spray foam use NuBright condenser coil cleaner. You mix it with water and spray it on and hose it off. I use a tank / pump sprayer for this. You can pick one up for about 10.00 bucks at Home Depot if you don't have one.
4) Since your unit is air cooled, it doesn't take long to figure out that hot air in your garage will not allow you unit to produce as much ice, and believe it or not, Humidity plays a big part in it also. VENT THAT GARAGE !!! If you have it against a wall, pull it out and run a cheep box fan on back for air circulation. As Matuks Fly stated, The best fix would be to get your garage air temp down cooler. An exhaust fan in the window, leaving your door open in the daytime or a hole house fan installed in the drywall ceiling would be the best fix. They can run in between 150.00--400.00 bucks. If your like me and don't want to or can't afford to spend a lot of money, then get a cheep box fan for 20.00 bucks and blow it directly on the back of the unit. Make sure it's away from the wall so it can breath and help dissipate the heat out of the coils.
I hope this helps.
JBQ
J.P. Morgan Chase--Maintenance Engineer
(A janitor on a budget) LOL
Sorry, I had to put that in there if you know what that means
Last edited by johnebquick; 06-29-2008 at 10:27 AM.
I think I may have another problem though....The unit dropped 3 loads of ice before I went to bed last night. I let it run throughout the night and when I checked it this morning the ice level was exactly the same as it was last night when I left it. There was water dripping off the outside of the drip pan (underneath the metal tray which produces the ice). It was not overflowing but this water was dripping down into the bin.
As far as how it makes the ice---it seems that the bottom of the metal grating makes ice first and it works its way to the top and then finally dumps. It definately doesn't appear to be making ice equally across the grating. Does this indicate a refrigerant problem?
I'm going to Home Depot today to get some coil cleaner and also try and figure out the best way to ventilate the garage. Sounds like a fan above the unit funneling the air into the attic may be the best option. Or would I be best venting the air to the outside? (Either case would be easy for me to do.)
While out running around this morning, I thought of another possible solution for my problem and wanted to get some opinions on it:
What if I added a window a/c unit in the garage near the ice maker? I don't currently have any windows in the garage but was thinking of mounting it in the wall. I know I'd have to work around the studs and would have to cut two of them and brace them to each other but can't think of any other problems I may have. I thought about running an extra duct line off my current home a/c unit but there isn't enough air flow to sufficiently cool the garage (there's barely enough flow to keep the house cool currently).
Does this sound like a possible solution to the heat problem that I have?
I think this machine has a freezing grid which has bars both horizontle and verticle. The bridge thickness which is the ice that connects the cubes must be 1/8" thick if it is not the sheet of ice will break before it falls off. The Ice will then hang up and not fall off. This will cause the ice machine to shut down because the water curtain will be swung out. This is how the machine determines that it is full. The controll mechanism for the ice thickness control is with a pressure switch and and solid state timer. DO NOT ADJUST THE PRESSURE SWITCH. If you do your next step will be to call a technition to undo what you did.
If you take the cover off of the control panel which is in the same location as the freezing plate behind the front cover. In this panel you will notice a black box that has dip switches. Look to see which position is on and which is off then determine which switches and on and which are off. Now add up the time for all the switches that are on. If you need to increase the bridge thickness then turn on more dip switches to increase the freezing time, untill you get that 1/8" bridge thickness. If the machine has a float valve and is leaking you will have to replace the float valve.
Be very carefull with NUBRITE is sodiam hydroxide which is a caustic soda and it will burn your skin. If you use this stuff wear gloves. Oven cleaner has the same chemicle so you can use it instead of buying the NUBRITE. The chemicle will end up in the bin so you will have to flush the condensor area and the bin untill it is all cleaned out. I usualy only use it if the condensor is greasy.
Last edited by Matuka Fly; 06-29-2008 at 04:30 PM.
CHECK YOUR FILTER OR BYPASS IT AND SEE HOW IT PERFORMS.
I have a Scottsman air cooled 500lb/day unit that started getting slower and slower.After messing with it for quite some time I figured out it was a restricted water flow from the pre filter.I just bypassed it and it works like a champ now.I tapped into the cold water line from my hot water heater in my garrage and wired it straight into my breaker box.
Well guys, after hours of bitching and cussing with this thing, a $5 can of coil cleaner may have just been the answer. I sprayed it on the rear of the machine and then rinsed with water per the directions. The water coming off the coils was dark brown and I actually had to spray the cleaner on there 3 times in order to get the water fairly clean coming off there. After it dried, I flipped the machine on and the first load dumped in a little over 45 mins. (I'm timing the second load now---just waiting on it to dump.) According to a technician that I talked to this morning, an average cycle for this machine is 28-32 mins. so it sounds like it may be running more "normal" now.
From what you are saying, I need to adjust the bridge thickness a bit as well since the sheet does not fully break apart when it dumps the ice.
Just when I think I've got it figured out, it goes to hell in a handbasket again.....
In between the first and second loads, the machine turned itself off. When I took the front cover off of it and turned it back on, I noticed that the black pump at the bottom of the machine was not turning on. (It is a Hartell #40976 or DI-3RC-1A pump.) Is there a way to check the voltage to this pump to make sure there is still power getting to it? I tried checking where it connects in the control panel and got no reading with the machine off as well as on. Is this the right place to check it? The machine itself turns on fine, there is just no water trickling over the freezing grid since this pump is not running. I found the part online but want to make sure there isn't another problem before I order it.
If Ignorance is bliss, Why aren't more people happy?
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I have a Scottsman - It has an electric eye for the bin full sensor - On occasion that will need to be cleaned. On mine, There is a bin full light on the controls - if that it lit up and the bin isn't full, I know it is time for a thorough cleaning.
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