Mantiwoc series 400 not making ice

[Regulator]

A friend of mine that has industrial refrigeration experience only called me about an ice machine that he has been working on at his deer camp. I drove down there Sat. evening and this is what I found:
R-12 unit
suction pressure: 20#
Disharge: 100# (cond. fan was running)
ambient room temp: 83Deg F
subcooling:11 Deg F
superheat: 56 Deg F
recirculating water temp: 80 Deg F

Based on the superheat, I think it is the TXV. I unplugged
the water pump to see if it would start frosting up and it didn't; the superheat went down a little but not much. I expected the suct. press. to drop quit a bit, but it stayed right at 20#. Dish press. dropped a little. The
hot gas line didn't feel like it was leaking by, just slighty warm past the solenoid. The filter is vertical and the liq. line loops down and into the bottom of the TXV(TXV is Horizontal) then exits where I had expected there to be an adjustment stem...is there no way to set this type? What do you think I should do, replace the TXV?

Thanks for any input...

[Yuma]

What model? E,G, Get a Manitowoc book from you supply house and do the ten steps to diagnose the unit.

It is normal for the pressures to move and the s/h changes a lot.

Look at the ice pattern is the plate full all the way?
Lot's of questions. We need more info to help out more.:)

Yuma

[icemeister]

If it's a 400 machine with R12 it's an E-Series:

http://www.manitowocice.com/Service/ServiceManuals.asp

Study the manual, and do the series of Manitowoc's operational checks as Yuma suggested.

[R12rules]

boy those are some really odd readings considering what you did with shutting down the water flow.


hmmmm....

I dont believe you have a full charge.
R-12 for that ambient and load should be higher.


But then also .... your suction should have plumeted.


Have fun.... that was a unique design. Ice-o-matic has adopted it themselves.


Hope all the pieces are there to get the siphon working right.


Oh .... those were the days..... (and I'm SO GLAD they're gone!):D

[Regulator]

Thanks for the link and the input. I'll let you know what
happens....really...I will..just may be a few days. Later

[meltdown]

palte icing up at all? weigh in the charge, check the txv if frosting at elbows, temp probe the plate, etc, adj, the water flow/fan stopping, sounds like low on charge, inefficient compressor, bad txv one of the three...Except the @20# suction R-12 , is that at the beginning of freeze cycle middle or end or in harvest? if its in freeze, ask your friend if anyone else just recently , charged that baby by ear... if so what color of drum was it and ,

[Edited by meltdown on 07-20-2005 at 02:34 AM]

[hiltontech]

Not 100% sure on an R-12 unit but I takecare of 15 of them at work, the units is R-404, suction pressure at freeze cycle runs on avg. of 45 and 80 during harvest.
As I said not sure on the R-12 but I also think your pressure should be a little higher, call Manitowoc, I find them to be very helpful,

[drifter43]

bad compressor. that is the test,.. to stop the water pump, and it should be able to pull down into the lower teens within a couple of min,s with no load.

[Regulator]

by lower teens , do you mean pressure or temp? thanks

havn't been back down there yet , but he will proabably
want to soon.

[Yuma]

Originally posted by icemeister
Study the manual, and do the series of Manitowoc's operational checks.

That quote WILL SOLVE ALL your problems.
Don't guess, KNOW.

It will tell you if low charge, bad TXV or bad compressor. It's the best tool you can use. Mannies are easy, if you learn to follow the check list, it never fails.

Yuma,

[drifter43]

By lower teens Im refering to the low side pressure. Thats an old unit with lots of run time on it im sure.

[coldspot]

Originally posted by Yuma

Originally posted by icemeister
Study the manual, and do the series of Manitowoc's operational checks.

That quote WILL SOLVE ALL your problems.
Don't guess, KNOW.

It will tell you if low charge, bad TXV or bad compressor. It's the best tool you can use. Mannies are easy, if you learn to follow the check list, it never fails.

Yuma,
Dont Guess, KNOW, even if youre not a good babysitter, just ask Yuma, And remember the heat will cook your brain, so dont have all the fun!