Glasco GBV 50 slider machine - Not Cooling

[bluebluejays]

Just received my slider box which is good original condition, no rust whatsoever.

Started it up and unfortunately it does not appear to cool at all. Ran unit for 1 1/2 hours and inside of box felt no signs of cooling.

Tried the shop rag test on the evaporator fan and could barely hear the compressor. Placed the palm of my hand on back of compressor and detected a very slight vibration at best.

s/n 1381 which I believe is an early unit. Compressor tag states E009 59 884045 P91. 1/8 HP. Is this the original compressor or a replacement?
 
Looking for possible scenarios. Did these compressors run very quite? What is likely hood that the box coils pulled away from the tar attaching material. Even if they did, should I still have felt some slight interior box cooling after 90 minutes.

Any and all suggestions are appreciated.
Regards,

Ken

[Jim]

Hello Ken,

After running the system for the hour plus, was the compressor warm to the touch...?  Some compressors do run rather quiet, but you can still feel it vibrate during operation. Provided the compressor is actually coming on and continuing to run, you don't need to trouble-shoot the thermostat at this time.
If you really want to dig in and trouble-shoot, you could wire the compressor only to 120v and see if you feel any vibration or, more importantly, does the compressor get warm to the touch...?

Hopefully helpful...

[bluebluejays]

Hello Jim,

Thanks for your reply!

The compressor was a Little warm to the touch. Definitely not hot but somewhat modestly above room temp.

Any further thoughts please?

Regards,

Ken

[johnieG]

Only way to truly check the system is by putting a gauge set onto the service ports & check the state of the Freon charge & see if it's even circulation gas, off hand I'd venture your system is low on Freon.  

another quick check is by keeping in mind that a refrigeration system is a heat-pump that removes heat from the bottle compartment & puts it into the compressors condenser ( radiator) coils to be blown out into the room air, so if you put your hand carefully on the side of the condenser coils ( mind the running fan-blade) near where the smaller tubing connects it to the compressor itself it should be at least warm at that spot ( and in a running system quite warm to almost very hot to the touch)  if the condenser's cold or coll, it's not circulating the Freon, so, no gas running in the system, no cooling for the bottle compartment.
 

[bluebluejays]

Thanks and will evaluate your directions.

Question - can the system be low on freon and not have a leak? Again, if low on freon should I check for a leak first before adding more R 12 which I understand is very expensive? What is likely hood of a leak occurring in the coils around the inside tub versus in compressor area?

Thanks again

[johnieG]

If it turns out to be a low charge, there's a leak, no way around it.

in order to check for and locate the leak with either leak detecting bubble liquid or an electronic "sniffer" you would need to at least partially charge the system to the listed test pressure with some Freon and or regulated nitrogen & probe around,

most leaks occur on the high side of the system typically on the steel tubing that connects the compressor to the condenser coils due to rust/corrosion making pinholes, the sliders I've worked on ( both Ideal & Glasco) are notorious for this type of leak(s) it's especially suspicious if you see a line that's mounted low along the floor of the compressor deck ( where it gets wet from condensation drainage & weather over the years)  with a rust/ruff coating on it. but there are multiple scenarios that can cause leaks. look for "wet" looking oily patches on the floor of the compressors mounting deck plate, also near the standard glasco service valves ( kinda looks like a water valve for under a sink), if it has any, also check ant 1/4" schrader valves ( looks like a tire valve) crimped copper lines that were creased & then straightened can created hairline cracks.

Low side or evaporator leaks are the hardest on a slider because of the location of the suction/low side evaporator lines hidden on the inside of the tanks wall.

braising is the best repair for a pinhole leak, but there is commercial grade stop leaks that can be used on slow leaks that aren't severe DON'T use any type of automotive leak seals, these are NOT designed for hermetic compressor systems like on a cooler or soda machine they will plug the capillary line & plug the filter/dryer, and probably seize the compressor

you can still buy R12 & the recharge/tap hose kits in small cans off Ebay, Amazon, etc.  but it can be expensive to test with, use R134a to test for leaks first, fix it, then evacuate the system & recharge with the R12, or install some conversion Poly oil & convert the system over to R134a.  well that's a nut-shell view to get you going anyway.

[bluebluejays]

Thank you for your presentation.

One last question, after evacuate system, can I use for a recharge other freons from a previous thread i.e. R416A or R12A or Freeze-12 or R414B? If so, which one do you prefer and where can I buy it? I can't find R12 on Ebay unless I missed it.

Best regards,
Ken

[johnieG]

Check with your local Craig's list ads fo actual R12 in small cans, Ebay requires that you be licensed in order to sell & as does Amazon as I recall.  I'm certified & licensed to purchase refrigerants, so finding it locally isn't an issue for myself, freeze12 works well but you'll also need the adapter kit in order to attach to the cans special threads.

R134a will work if you add some conversion oil to the compressor first depending on your system charge.