Tube Ice Machine Routine Maintenance

  Good maintenance of the machine and plays a key role in the performance and life of the equipment. Ice machine equipment should be maintained and managed by dedicated personnel (trained by our company) to ensure that the operation and maintenance of the tube ice machine is carried out well.

1.Water tank cleaning

  The water tank and pump should be kept clean and free from any foreign matter accumulation. If there is sediment (more foreign matter or clay accumulation), the water tank should be thoroughly cleaned. If the machine is shut down for more than one day, the water tank should be cleaned once before restarting the machine to ensure the quality of ice making. Specific cleaning steps are as follows.

1.1 Stop the machine and turn off the main power.

1.2 Release all water from the tank through the drain valve and clean the tank with detergent and a long-handled brush to clean the dirt and rinse with water several times until there is no dirt.

1.3 Fill new water to the level when the float valve stops supplying water, then you can turn on the machine.

2.Evaporation tube cleaning

  In the case of long time use, evaporation tube wall will have accumulated a small amount of dirt, need to be cleaned regularly. The frequency of cleaning depends on the water quality, in the area of hard water (local water lime content is too high), it is necessary every 3-6 months should be cleaned once, and in the area of normal water quality or "soft", twice a year is enough. Specific cleaning steps are as follows.

2.1 First release the water in the tank. Add water to the ninth full tank, close the water valve. Add 2.1 liters of high purity citric acid and mix it with water.

2.2  Turn off the refrigeration compressor, close the liquid valve; turn on the pump (in the absence of refrigeration) to run the cycle for about 2-3 hours. (Press "start cleaning" to clean; press "stop cleaning" to stop cleaning.)

2.3  After releasing the sewage, then inject new water cycle for about 30 minutes to wash the residual detergent, and then release the water . Cycle cleaning twice or more to ensure that the cleaning agent has been flushed clean.

2.4  Open the water valve and restore the cooling system to bring the machine back to normal operation. Fill in new water to the level when the float valve stops supplying water, then the machine can be turned on.

3.Water-cooled condenser cleaning

  Condenser in the process of operation, cooling water will produce scale inside the pipe, affecting the heat transfer effect, should be cleaned often to improve the efficiency of refrigeration. The frequency of cleaning depends on the water quality, in the area of hard water quality, it is necessary to clean every three months once, while in the area of normal water quality or "soft", only 2 times a year to clean. Cooling system includes cooling water tower and water-cooled condenser. in order to make the machine run smoothly and protect the service life of the machine. The cooling water tower should also be cleaned at the right time to ensure the efficiency of ice production.Specific cleaning steps are as follows.

3.1 Stop the machine and clean the cooling water tower with a brush first.

3.2 If the cooling tower is higher than the condenser, the cooling tower water should be emptied or close the condenser and cooling tower inlet and outlet valves.

3.3 Open the condenser end cover below the drainage ramp valve, the water in the condenser drained.

3.4 Remove the end caps at both ends of the condenser. Clean each copper tube  with a special condenser brush, then rinse with water several times until clean.

3.5 After cleaning, reinstall the end caps and connect the pipes.

4.Changing compressor oil

  When the oil is cloudy from inside the oil sight glass, the compressor oil needs to be changed. The compressor oil has been changed once before the equipment leaves the factory, and it can be changed once a year in the future.

5.Charging refrigerant

  When the equipment has low pressure protection or poor ice making effect, see if there is refrigerant leakage. Under normal conditions, the high pressure of equipment operation is 12-14kg, and the low pressure is 2-4kg. if the low pressure pressure is lower than 2kg, it means there is a refrigerant leak, we should find out the leak point and weld it in time (the way to detect the leak is to sprinkle soap water on the refrigerant pipe, where there is a leak, there will be bubbles), and charge the refrigerant at the same time.

  Refrigerant charging system: When charging refrigerant in refrigeration system, the refrigerant cylinder  should be weighed on the scale, record well, connect with the unit liquid injection valve by connecting pipe (condenser and high pressure of liquid storage tank should be added at the same time), and use the vacuum in the system to inject the refrigerant into the system. When the pressure in the system rises to 0.196~0.294MPa (2~3kgf/cm2), the system should be leak detected again. If there is a leak, the leak should be repaired and the refrigerant should be recharged. When the system pressure is the same as the cylinder pressure, the compressor can be started and the charging speed can be accelerated until the refrigerant weight required by the system is met. When charging refrigerant in the process of starting, you can join in the suction side of compressor to make sure it is refrigerant gas (Note: when charging refrigerant, you must make sure R404 is refrigerant liquid, it needs to be poured; when charging, pay attention to the suction side of compressor, according to the frost situation of compressor, make sure to add refrigerant to avoid wet compression  damage the compressor, in order to avoid liquid strike phenomenon, it is better to add refrigerant from the condenser).

6.Regularly check the wiring

  Machine operation to frequently check whether the water solenoid valve can be closed normally, regular inspection of the electrical box, wiring is solid, to ensure that no leakage and short circuit and other circumstances (2-3 months to do a comprehensive inspection).

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