Scotsman Ice Machine, help, please

[tom_xox]

Hello, guys,

first I want to say hello to all of you, my name is tom and I'm new on this forum

second, I have problem with my ice machine. It's old Scotsman acm 35 (some Italian ice machine, i think Frimont is company). without electronic, just thermostats and evaporator and solenoids. problem is that when I turn it on it start to take water and start to freeze. when come to moment when it have to spurt water, it start normal and after 10 seconds water start to go with quarter of power what is not enough to reach cube molds and no ice is produced

i suppose it is not water pump because it start with full power, but something "tells" the pump to low down the power of the pumping

I'm electrician, but refrigeration is not my area and if someone with more experience have some advice it will be great help for me.

thank you in advance and again hello from croatia

[forest ou]

I am not familiar with you mentioned factory. but here I give you below suggestion
It looks like your pump control system get problem :1.you can check the sensor, which may control the pump current 2. you may check the chilled water outlet temperature setting, see if it is too high. 3. check the chilled water strainer see if it get stuck there.

Wish your trouble leave soon.

[tom_xox]

I am not familiar with you mentioned factory. but here I give you below suggestion
It looks like your pump control system get problem :1.you can check the sensor, which may control the pump current 2. you may check the chilled water outlet temperature setting, see if it is too high. 3. check the chilled water strainer see if it get stuck there.

Wish your trouble leave soon.

I think it is not stuck, water starts to pump normally and with full power.

this ice machine have no control at all, just one for control size of cubes

I have to find what controls the pump

[Yuri B.]

Hello.
There is no control of pump as to reduce its speed. It either run or not run and it seems not to be good ("shaded pole," small power induction motor).

[tom_xox]

Hello.
There is no control of pump as to reduce its speed. It either run or not run and it seems not to be good ("shaded pole," small power induction motor).

Ok, so probably pump is bad, but I don't understand why it start and after minute or two it stops. Maybe pump control is bad. I don't know what gives power to the pump. Is that evaporator or some thermostat which causes that pump stop work (it stops like cubes are finished and it is time to stop pump water and push back hot gas to pull out cubes, but it stops at begining, after minute)

[Colin G]

worth checking inlet water supply, if there is a filter it may be partially blocked.

[Grizzly]

Tom.
Follow Colin's lead also use the attached link and you will get some Helpful information.
Check out this AC 25 Manual. It should be near enough to your model?

http://www.scotsman-ice.com/docs/uploaded/sct/manual/ac25m.pdf

Grizzly

[coolhibby1875]

it sounds like there isnt enough water in the trough you need to fill the trough with water until it comes out drain at back then turn it on.

[Andy AC]

Have a look to see if you have a blocked mesh filter in the bottom of the sump, which is the pump suction inlet. Or it could be the pump impeller slipping on the shaft - new pump.

Andy

[thebigcheese]

on first run of this machine i think u need to prime the sump. it brings in water while on hotgas bypass from memory

[tom_xox]

thank you guys, I took down the pump and cleaned inlet. It was little stucked and now pump is ok. Now it won't take the water when I turn it on... Maybe solenoid valve is dead. Just before taking down the pump, it was ok and water went through normally (it is water cooled so it have double solenoid valve, one for ice, one for cooling water). Now I cleaned pump and pump tubes, but now no water.

I suppose solenoid have to be energized (220 V) when is open? I measured last night, but it was 0 V...

[craigpcg]

When the sysems go's on a harvest cycle (defrost) the water sol valve should open up with 220V if not then id head straight for the pcb/timer

Sounds like there an inconsistant power supply

[Yuri B.]

Have found a w. diagram at my work today. Sump filling sol valve should open together (in parallel) with the hot gas bypass, if the both does not open, then evap thermostat has failed, or some "spade" contact went off on the terminal board.

[tom_xox]

filter on solenoid was clogged. actually it is some kind of spreader, on one side it has 1 mm hole, on out side three bigger. this is on water out from solenoid. second water out - chilling water for hot gas was ok, now it's opening. tomorrow I'll test. I hope everything is ok now. now only evaporator can fail, but two days ago, before I took off pump and cleaned it, damn thing worked (solenoid also, but after I put back pump it failed... I don't have luck)

I don't know if water should go in on first start, when you plug it in power. it is not going, and pump is working. it works for few minutes then stops and freezing gas goes in. when is frozen, pump start to work and then make ice.

you say that both should open on beginning of harvest cycle? is possible that only hot gas opens? now it was clogged, but tomorrow I hope it will open (I thing I got 220 on both solenoids). are they always open/close at same time or can they be opened or closed at different points? evaporator thermostat is that one mounted on ice cups?

thanks tor your help and sorry for my bad English, I miss some words in technical English vocabulary...

[Yuri B.]

Do you fill water into the machine by switching on the "filling switch" first?

After you have primed the machine with filling switch, you turn the switch off and compressor and pump start.
Compressor is working all the time, until bin is full. When evap thermostat senses about -25C, its relay turns off the pump and turn on the water in sol valve and hot gas bypass. When evap thermostat senses + 5 or so (I dont remember the exact value) this meaning all ice has fallen into the bin, the thermostat turn off the water in sol and hot gas bypass, and turn on pump and the new cycle of freezing begins.

[tom_xox]

Do you fill water into the machine by switching on the "filling switch" first?

After you have primed the machine with filling switch, you turn the switch off and compressor and pump start.
Compressor is working all the time, until bin is full. When evap thermostat senses about -25C, its relay turns off the pump and turn on the water in sol valve and hot gas bypass. When evap thermostat senses + 5 or so (I dont remember the exact value) this meaning all ice has fallen into the bin, the thermostat turn off the water in sol and hot gas bypass, and turn on pump and the new cycle of freezing begins.

Yes, everything goes like you described, only I don't have filling switch, I have some switch on behind which have cleaning mode and normal operation, and it is under rear cover, but it fills bin so I'll take it out so filling will be available.

Now I have unclogged solenoid. There were on out side of solenoid two little filters/spreaders, one was destroyed so I removed it. Now water is going through, but I think it is little too much water going away on harvest cycle. It was around 6-7 liters of water wasted. Maybe I should lower water pressure or buy new filter and put it on solenoid out. Or it will work fine when cover is on or on second/third and other cycles.

Thanks everybody for your help.

[MikeJ160175]

If there's a mechanical timer then turn it till it clicks, this will 'force' a defrost and fill the water reservior for first time operation.

If it doesn't fill then most likely the inlet solenoid is faulty.

Mike.

[MikeJ160175]

Just noticed that you say it fills the bin when on a clean cycle..

Is the bung fitted to the reservior?

Also if the bin fills with water then the bin drain is blocked, needs cleaning!!