Paragon Defrost Timer

[jg33y113]

Hi All,
I recently had a Paragon timer fail. 8045-21
It was mounted in a wet weather prone area!
In a recent storm it gave up.
I've since replaced it with another and is working fine.
I was wondering if replacement motors are available for them?

[Bones74]

I would recommend putting it in a water tight enclosure. I have seen that timer fail alot because of moisture. As for a replacement motor only. Yes, but it's not cheap and a $120 timer is easier and cheaper than labor to change a motor only.

[jg33y113]

Hello again,
I must add that I'm not a refrigeration mechanic or expert, just a business owner with a walk in cool room and walk in freezer. I've had work done in the past by so called experts...but they seem to be back time and time again to keep solving problems.

My walk in freezer has a Paragon timer.It was installed about 18 months ago. Running problem free untill one night where storms caused a few electrical flickers inside the shop.
Little did I know at the time that the timer actually got stuck in the defrost cycle. When I came in in the morning the thermostat was over 30C.
I quickly turned the timer to engage the compressor to start cooling it down.
I'm assuming that the heat from the elements in defrost mode for those few hours must have caused a gas leak in the system. The sight glass was flowing like a river so I'm assuming the 404a refrigerant is running low!
At this staged I called a refrigeration mechanic to find leak and top it up. He came once looked at it and told me just because the sight glass is bubbling, doesn't mean it's low. So he left. that's the last i heard from him.
I replaced the old timer with a new one (same model). It worked fine for a week and then that one also stoped, this time in the refrigeration cycle.
My pragon timer is a time activated and time terminated model. 8045-21.
Looks like it wasn't wet weather after all.
I hooked the old timer up to power and it was running.
It's got me stumped at the moment!
Both defrost timers work when I power them up.
They both have power when they're connected up in the roof. Yet the motor clearly won't turn. I have to get up there and manually turn the knob to the desired mode. So it's got power because as soon as it hit a pin in the wheel defrost is initiated and as soon as i turn it a little further is switches the compressor and fan on. So the only failure is the motor.
Tonight I got up there and put the old one back again and again it's working fine? It ran a defrost cycle and started cooling after that. I just don't know for how long it will keep ticking over. It seems to stop for no reason at any time! When it does and I put a tester to the two pins that power the motor, it's got power!?!

Any ideas?

thanks
Greg

[monkey spanners]

Its broken!

Have seen it quite often where timeclocks or defrost clocks stop and will start working again for a while when turned, but once they start doing this they only get worse.
Was the new one actually new or just new to the system?
It might just be that the internal workings have got damp from condesation rather than actual water getting in to it, is it in a good quality box or just fixed to the wall/roof of the coldroom?

I am not surprised to hear your system had bubbles in the sight glass when to box temperature was at 30C!!! i dred to think what temperature the evaporator had got up to

[jg33y113]

The first Paragon timer was there from 18 months ago...error free.
The second one is 2 weeks old now. It only worked for a week. The freezer electricals and mechanicals are up on the roof, in an enclosure. It's mounted to an upright wall, covered from the elements.
Last night i removed the new one that stopped and replaced it with the old one that decided to work again.
This morning I went in and found that the old timer went through the night without any problems.
The one I pulled off the roof, which only worked for a week, I powered up on a bech and it was ticking over all night untill this morning at 10am and it stopped again.
So now the old timer is back up and running and the new one stopped. I have a circuit tester and it has power goin to it, it just won't tick over. I even tried knocking it incase it's stuck but nothing! Looks like I'll be returning it to the supplier and get my $285 back.

Is anyone using another type of time activated/time terminated timer that is more robust than the Paragon timer??

Also, am i right in assuming it's low on gas if the sight glass is flowing like a river?
thanks in advance
Greg

[cadwaladr]

dont like mechanical timers,electronic controllers are the way forward ,you would have to fit relays for heaters etc over here the controllers are not expensive,but they do not like damp enviroments

[FEISTY]

Sorry but I'm not sure if everything sets up the same there as it does here in the states. I have switched over several Paragon units to Grasslin electronic timers. They manufacture straight single voltage and switchable dual voltage clocks. All you do is reposition a pin plug. I can tell you my changeouts are 6-8 years running with only 1 warranty swap. You get a list of terminal over covers to match existing terminals to new ones. Also defrost durations are 15 min. segments. We can now carry 1 clock that fits 25 diff. mechanical ones. Great for truck inventory but most of all callbacks are reduced. Good luck !!!

[fridge doctor]

By far the most reliable mechanical time clock I ever worked with was the Sangamo. They are still available in the UK - not sure about Australia

[Refermann2010]

Trying to rewire a defrost timer clock with a pressure control and pumpdown cycle. where could in find the complete wiring diagram.

[FEISTY]

If you can furnish manufacturer and model of timer, I'm sure we could get you the information you need. Paragon...Precision...Grasslin..Intermatic...see what I mean ??? Write back. Have a good day !!

[winks]

hi every one,
im anew member and i need heat load calculation program

[sork]

why don't you employ someone to watch the timer on the roof and someone to cool the evap cooler so you shall see clear sight glass, at the rate you trying paragon can be extinct.
get an engineer to do arewiring for a cheaper and popular timer and prob will be fixed.
good luck sorry about the humour.

[digerious]

although your timer may be time initiated and terminated. there will be a form of temp term. for safety and economy. if for saftey only it may be a thermal fuse, which could have popped just before you found your room at 30 deg c.in which case after fitting new timer, your freezer would not get a single defrost, causing your coil to ice up, giving the impression that your new timer was stuck on ref cycle, maybe.

[Deniver45]

I have never heard anything good about Paragon timers at $295.00,

I think Intermatic makes a good timer; in gfact they're are probably the MOST used timers for sprinklers and pools here in S Florida.

So I finally tried a electronic Intermatic defrost timer and it has been running strong and the nice thing about that timer is , it has the 2 green LED's inside the cover and tells you exactly what the timer is doing.

If one of the lights is not on, then the timer could be bad; so you get information on the diagnostics without a meter or any tools.

[fridgability]

The problem with your Paragon timer is probably the gear box, they do wear out. Fit an electronic controller, properly programed they can make your fridge dance.

[mork]

Hey fellow ozy!

just discussing the other day with my workmates... paragon timers are almost impossible to kill... any chance you may have a poor neutral link at the sub-board to your premises? I realise you would probably have other equipment fail if it was a main link, but a freezer room chews a lot of juice and if anything was going to be affected, this would be it! When you "check" the timer you obviously have 240v, but no operation... without a good neutral link you will have a "hot" connection that will deteriorate over time.... as the connection gets hotter, resistance increases and flow of electrons decreases... result- you have 240v being supplied, but no work being done!

We also found (through experience) that SOME R404a systems run better with a slightly short sight-glass. With 404a we tend to mainly charge with pressures... if we have good pressures, good room/cabinet temp, good cooling back to the comp who gives a crap what the sight-glass is doing!!

PS. don't go pokin round too much with electrical gear if you don't know what you're doing... i worked with a sparky with 20yrs experience and was asked to identify his body in a roof-space coz he stuck his screwdriver where it didn't belong!! STAY SAFE!!