Ice machine troubles

[bfarmer]

I have a follet ice machine, R404a, Guage readings are -10 on the low side and 150 on the hi side. no matter if the unit is running is running or not the hi side stays at 150. the low side will raise to about 10 when unit is not running. used a scale to charge the proper amount of R404a.

Does this sound like a bad compressor or a line restriction?

[Brian_UK]

Welcome, I'd tend to go for the blockage theory; the pressures should equalise quite quickly after switch off.

[Dan]

Guage readings are -10 on the low side and 150 on the hi side. no matter if the unit is running is running or not the hi side stays at 150. the low side will raise to about 10 when unit is not running. used a scale to charge the proper amount of R404a.

What's -10 on your gauges? Are we talking psig and inches of mercury?

[winfred.dela]

used a scale to charge the proper amount of R404a.

Did you have a leak? just add R404a or have reprocessed the whole system?

What portion of the whole charged did you add?

[Peter_1]

What's -10 on your gauges? Are we talking psig and inches of mercury?

-10°C or -10°F? If I may ask, place SI units between brackets because I have extreme difficulties when reading these posts.

Try once the opposite, have a machine running at 0.5 bar or -30°C, subcool of 5°C, discharge temperature at 80°C and liquid temperature of 40°C while condensing at 15,3 bar,, I think the speed in the suction is 10 m/s and we have a flow over the condensor of 4.500 m³/u.
I charged 23560 grams of refrigerant.

[Dan]

Here's something I put together and use when people post in units unfamiliar to me. I don't mind posts that are not in units I am familiar with.

[Peter_1]

I use Uconeer for this but I need to do two conversions: from IP to Si and from English to Dutch ;)

I see it more like this: if you want to be helepd by an as large as possible group, try to make that your post is readable for a large group of readers.

It takes every day some of my very little available free time to read this forum.
If I have to convert first every post with IP units before I can read it and afterward make then an answer, then I'm losing even much more time.

I'm making an effort to write my posts in a for me not so common language, so...

[Dan]

I use Uconeer for this but I need to do two conversions: from IP to Si and from English to Dutch

I see it more like this: if you want to be helepd by an as large as possible group, try to make that your post is readable for a large group of readers.

It takes every day some of my very little available free time to read this forum.
If I have to convert first every post with IP units before I can read it and afterward make then an answer, then I'm losing even much more time.

I'm making an effort to write my posts in a for me not so common language, so...

Peter, I admire you and so many others who discuss things in English, a non-native tongue. And I know the frustration of translating units of measure. And I agree that it is a courtesy to post the equivalent measurements in parentheses when using psig, deg F, Btu'hr, etc.

That being said, I hope not to offend when I write an opinion or attempt to provide a solution to a question and I only use examples in the measurements that I am familiar with.

When I am doing so, my mind is caught up in the theories or contradictions being discussed, and units of measurements are of a secondary concern.

When trying to understand a problem that is posted in bars and kw, I am not offended, but simply move to that spreadsheet I made so I can see the problem in units I am familiar with.

Uconeer is a nice program, but I prefer to have a sheet of paper that I can run my fingers up and down to find things. A spreadsheet has a context.. I can see the smaller and larger numbers... that a conversion table does not provide.

There will be times when I fail to use units that you are familiar with in a reply to somebody. Please forgive me for that. But in my haste to assemble my thoughts I choose not to distract myself with unit conversions. It is hard enough for me to use the ones that I am familiar with.

I agree with you, however, after all this whining, that we should use measurements that the person we are responding to is familiar with.

[Peter_1]

Dan,
Sometimes I catch myself giving answers in SI units without giving the proper IP units.
We're all so used to work in our preferred units that we forget that others have difficulties to read it.

But, I find it some kind of courtesy if a poster needs help that he/she post it in a way everybody can read the message.
First time posters should be pointed to this, they don't know that this is better for them, they will receive a broader response.

As you have noticed in the past, I have no problems answering posts with I units, especially if I see through the IP numbers a probably answer for the question.

I've printed your Excel sheet and it's beside me.

[bfarmer]

Thanks for the replys and sorry for not getting back sooner, been out of town.

gonna try and be mpre specific.

The unit was completly evacuated and recharged with 24 oz of 404a.

guage readings after charging and unit running is -10 (in Hg) on te low side and 150 (psi) on the hi side. it always reads 150 on the hi side whether its running or not.

[refteach]

Some of the follet ice makers have water cooled condensers which have a water regulating valve set to maintain around 70f for the condenser. This could be the reason why the unit is at 150# whether it is running or not. As for the low suction pressure you may have a blockage in the expansion device (ours had a txv) you should be maintaining around 40 to 45 psig if memory serves me right. Try to down load a manual from follets web site.

[bfarmer]

Another screw up on my part it is a scottsman ice machine not a follet....to many ice machines here to remember them all.

[taz24]

Looks to me as though there is a blockage in the capilary, drier or evap.

Cheers taz.

[kenneth shaw]

what is the setings for aglass icemachines on the timer:confused:

[kenneth shaw]

what is the setings for aglass icemachines on the timer:confused:
timer is not.long emough dfrost tooquickly.and seting ice din and icethikness to.top timer is red with1 to 10 and white on boton on munders.

[Peter_1]

Set I approximately the timer until should iceblocks completley formed are. ;)

[darrenhillyard]

I have a follet ice machine, R404a, Guage readings are -10 on the low side and 150 on the hi side. no matter if the unit is running is running or not the hi side stays at 150. the low side will raise to about 10 when unit is not running. used a scale to charge the proper amount of R404a.

Does this sound like a bad compressor or a line restriction?
sounds like a line restriction

[TSK]

Sounds like a restriction alright, when you vacced the system out did you warm up the components or evcuuated slowly to prevent any moisture turning into ice inside the pipes, have had several "blockages" that disappered using a really big liquid drier temporarily, remember any system that can go onto a vac can pull in moisture.

[ROBERT WHITE]

HI my be apartial choke