Manitowoc Neo problem

[JPPHVAC]

Hi! I'm going to try and make this as short as possible because this situation is driving me up a wall. Installed this Neo UY0140A-161B in 2014 and outside of replacing a pump a few months ago (Manitowoc Ice 040006556 Kit) it's been reliable. There's an issue that almost always happens after a cleaning and sanitizing and I can't figure it out. The problem usually corrects itself, but this time it's not happening. The machine is cleaned and sanitized 3-4 times per year and it's done by the book. A run with nickle safe cleaner, shut down the machine. Remove Water Distribution Cover, Water Trough, Ice Damper, Evaporator Side Damper Mount, Harvest Float and Ice Thickness Float... soak in cleaner, rinse, dry, spray with sanitizer and allow to air dry. The inside of the machine is then sprayed with cleaner, rinsed, and dried. The inside of the machine is then sprayed with sanitizer and the solution is allowed to air dry- NO RINSE! Parts taken out are then put back in and a cleaning cycle with sanitizer is then run through the machine. After that the machine is allowed to start producing ice. What usually happens within 24 hours or less is that a large block of ice forms on the evaporator. I get a call that this happened and I say to shut it down and let it thaw out. The machine is then powered back on and sometimes it will operate normally and sometimes it will produce another large block of ice, but has up until this point always eventually (within the day) worked itself out. I don't get it! The machine is always working just fine prior to the cleaning. It's cleaned so often and thoroughly that it never accumulates any minerals, slime, nothing. So this time the large ice formation on the evaporator situation works itself out as it always has, but now the ice being produced has a bridge thickness of 1/4" or slightly larger. Frustrated, I decided to replace both the Harvest Float and the Ice Thickness Float (new parts) and yet I still have the same result with a bridge that's way too thick. The Harvest Float is in the correct position and the Ice Thickness Float is positioned to produced the smallest cube. The machine is level, it's never been moved from the position is was installed in. I don't understand why this happens after a cleaning. I made a video and I have two pictures showing the situation, but it seems rules don't allow one to post links or pictures unless you have at least 7 posts. I am very sorry, but I am short on time and would greatly appreciate getting the video and pictures to someone... anyone! . Any help is greatly appreciated!

[JPPHVAC]

If you go to Youtube and search for...

Manitowoc Neo UY0140A-161B

6 views
•Nov 24, 2019

That's the video I made. Thank you!

[SandShark]

I'm not entirely familiar with this exact Manitowoc model and I don't know what kind of trough water fill controls it has, but if it has a dump valve, make sure the valve isn't leaking water during the ice-making mode. Doing so, if it has a fill valve, will allow warm water to enter the water trough and mix with the cold water coming off the evaporator coil during the ice-making mode. This will cause uneven ice buildup on the evaporator coil like we're seeing in the first photo. Watch the drain during ice-making and see if you have an abnormal amount of water coming out of the drain other than ice melt from the bin. Again, I'm not familiar with this particular machine and its sequence of operation, so what I'm suggesting may be completely wrong.

[itsiceman]

Weak compressor. Get a bigger one this time.

[JPPHVAC]

I'm not entirely familiar with this exact Manitowoc model and I don't know what kind of trough water fill controls it has, but if it has a dump valve, make sure the valve isn't leaking water during the ice-making mode. Doing so, if it has a fill valve, will allow warm water to enter the water trough and mix with the cold water coming off the evaporator coil during the ice-making mode. This will cause uneven ice buildup on the evaporator coil like we're seeing in the first photo. Watch the drain during ice-making and see if you have an abnormal amount of water coming out of the drain other than ice melt from the bin. Again, I'm not familiar with this particular machine and its sequence of operation, so what I'm suggesting may be completely wrong.

Thank you for the reply! Hey, any help is appreciated! It does have a dump valve... Manitowoc Ice 000014062. The whole thing doesn't make sense. The machine was working fine before the cleaning. This baloney happens just about every time AFTER it gets cleaned which makes no sense and frustrates me! The ice build up issue happens after a cleaning and always works itself out and it has this time as well. That build up issue is gone, however the thick bridge issue remains. I replaced both the Harvest and Ice Thickness floats with no improvement. This has to be something so simple and goofy. Just a machine with a temper? I took it apart again today and put it back together again and the thick bridge still remains. I was thinking maybe a issue with the Magnetic Bin Switch (Manitowoc Ice 040002393)??? Who knows! Solenoid valve??? Again I say none of this makes any sense because it worked fine before the cleaning and it pulls this baloney after just about every cleaning. As my friend who is a car mechanic said... if it happens after a cleaning then don't clean it haha.

[JPPHVAC]

Weak compressor. Get a bigger one this time.

Funny! At that point they might as well just get a whole new machine. It's been a good machine except it gets like this after cleanings. I'm stumped! Were you able to find and and watch the Youtube video?

[itsiceman]

Yes. I saw a long freeze and long harvest.
You can adjust ice bridge by moving the front float lower. There is another lower and higher setting around the left side of needed. If the machine isn't level it could take in too much water.

The cycle you showed doesn't appear to be hanging up anything like a hot gas valve. Long freeze and no heat for long harvest. Looks like a weak compressor from here.

[JPPHVAC]

Yes. I saw a long freeze and long harvest.
You can adjust ice bridge by moving the front float lower. There is another lower and higher setting around the left side of needed. If the machine isn't level it could take in too much water.

The cycle you showed doesn't appear to be hanging up anything like a hot gas valve. Long freeze and no heat for long harvest. Looks like a weak compressor from here.

I appreciate your input! The ice thickness float is usually in the default factory position which is the middle setting, but I already moved this one to make the thinnest bridge... the lowest setting to the far right. The lower and higher setting around the left hand side you speak of would be the harvest float... There are 4 settings there (4 notches) and I have it in the correct position according to Manitowoc which is the second to last notch from the back. The way the bracket is made, from what I have experienced, there are only two spots out of the four notches it can be mounted to there... where it is now where Manitowoc says it should be and a spot closest to the front side, but that's not the correct spot and it would interfere with the ice thickness float... practically butt up against it.

I replaced both floats with brand new ones. The machine is level... it hasn't moved from the exact spot it was installed in, not even moved a hair. If it was a weak compressor then why wouldn't this issue have cropped up before the cleaning? This baloney only happens at times after a cleaning and sanitizing. It makes no sense and it's frustrating. Normally it works itself out, but not this time. The build up of ice on the evap issue is gone, however the thick bridge issue remains. I was thinking low gas, but then again if it was that it would have been happening before the cleaning. It's like it's off it's rhythm, like the cycle is out of whack.

[itsiceman]

Take the water trough out and have a look. Harvest float goes on the back two nubs where the stainless hook sits right over the water trough lip. There are two more front left corner you can hang the water float on that are one higher than the three on the front face and one lower than the three on the front face.
If you clean the filter or condenser you will have a cooler running compressor. Discharge needs to be hot enough at end of freeze to melt the ice off the plate. Also the more it runs the more heat will be available like you were saying it used to work itself out.

[itsiceman]

Full thick slab is not low on charge.

[itsiceman]

Do you have a level and a DMM

[JPPHVAC]

Do you have a level and a DMM

Yes I have a level and a DMM

[JPPHVAC]

Take the water trough out and have a look. Harvest float goes on the back two nubs where the stainless hook sits right over the water trough lip. There are two more front left corner you can hang the water float on that are one higher than the three on the front face and one lower than the three on the front face.
If you clean the filter or condenser you will have a cooler running compressor. Discharge needs to be hot enough at end of freeze to melt the ice off the plate. Also the more it runs the more heat will be available like you were saying it used to work itself out.

I spoke directly with Manitowoc tech support and as I thought... There's only one position, only one nub the harvest float should be installed on and it's the second to the last one on the left. That's exactly where I have it installed. The tech said he has no idea why they ever put four "nubs" on that side because only that specific one I spoke of can be used. My guess... that trough is probably used with some other model(s) that may require a different position, but that's just a guess on my part.

The filter and condenser are clean as a whistle. Those are things I do at each cleaning which is every 3-4 months. The area the machine is in is very clean to begin with.

Manitowoc tech support is trying to convince me to replace the harness to the floats... Manitowoc Ice 040002052 Harness Wire, Low Voltage.

[VTP99]

Have you tried raising the harvest float ?
Installed this one last month.

[JPPHVAC]

Have you tried raising the harvest float ?
Installed this one last month.

I spoke directly with Manitowoc tech support and as I thought... There's only one position, only one nub the harvest float should be installed on and it's the second to the last one on the left. That's exactly where I have it installed. The tech said he has no idea why they ever put four "nubs" on that side because only that specific one I spoke of can be used. My guess... that trough is probably used with some other model(s) that may require a different position, but that's just a guess on my part.

[itsiceman]

What's your water pressure. If too high you'll overfill. The guy you talked to probably wasn't on the design team or around back then either. The guy who was on the team isn't even working there anymore. This "tech support" told you he doesn't know why it's there but it IS there lol. I'm telling you you can use the first lower nub closest to the corner on the left side for a thinner ice thickness. If you are a tech you are focusing on the wrong cause being the cleaning. Use your DMM to check the float/wire harness. Stop parts changing. It's doing this right in front of you. Take the bin off and use the test mode.

[itsiceman]

Have you tried raising the harvest float ?
Installed this one last month.

Your ice thickness float is on the very high or very low nub on the left hand side V

pfft
tisk risk

Nothing is supposed to go there. Those are for decoration on a NEO
When you use that water trough in a Q or B model it holds a ash tray!

[VTP99]

Works perfectly just how it is. I've had no complaints.
Don't believe everything you're told.

[JPPHVAC]

Your ice thickness float is on the very high or very low nub on the left hand side V

pfft
tisk risk

Nothing is supposed to go there. Those are for decoration on a NEO
When you use that water trough in a Q or B model it holds a ash tray!

It's hard to tell in the picture, but it looks like both floats are mounted on the harvest side???

[pecmsg]

Works perfectly just how it is. I've had no complaints.
Don't believe everything you're told.

Those cubes are too thin!