Ideal 55

[zadd]

Ok guy's I need to pick your brain about a problem I'm having on the cooling system of a Ideal 55 . It cools fine for 2-3 cycles and then every cycle after that it takes longer to cool the cabinet every cycle until it just runs and stops cooling . I unplug it and after it sets a while you can run it again and it will do the same thing all over . Is it low on freon ? 

[MoonDawg]

       It's my guess that there may be a slight amount of moisture in the freon.
From a dead start it would cool fine until that water turned into a droplet of ice,
clogging the flow in the line. Unplugging the machine would allow the ice to melt
and start the whole process over again.
       Evacuating the system, adding a dryer and recharging would most likely
solve that problem.

[johnieG]

I agree, it sounds like a classic Icing problem.

[Chedki]

       Evacuating the system, adding a dryer and recharging would most likely
solve that problem.

What does a dryer look like and how does one install it? Just in case my Ideal 55 has the same problem.

[johnieG]

It looks like a copper hot-dog & it is brazed onto the liquid line usually just before the capillary tubing. some dryers are cylinder-shaped & are attached to the suction side tubing ( larger diameter) leading back to the compressor, these can be either brazed on or flare-fittings type.

Original equipment manufacture types are the latter style ( spun-copper hot-dog shaped) & on a slider would be located inside the liner brazed onto the suction/return line. & not generally visable unless you pull the tank from the chassis. ( not a fun job on a slider)

[MoonDawg]

& on a slider would be located inside the liner brazed onto the suction/return line. & not generally visable unless you pull the tank from the chassis. ( not a fun job on a slider)

     May be time to add this coincidence. I have owned many sliders, but this also happened to me once, and around the same time that year it also happened to a friend of mine..........BOTH were embossed 7up sliders 

[zadd]

Can the new drier be added to the machine without removing the old one ? Or do I have to remove the liner again and replace the drier ? 

[johnieG]

most Sliders have Flare fittings on the lowside (suction) line, so you could easily add a new one inline down by the compressor, just make sure its a suction line rated dryer, (ask your supplier) & make sure it has the correct size flre fittings ( typically a dryer will have a male-threaded flare fitting on each end, so you will have to buy or make an adapter to just attach it in line. male to female) if your compressor deck has a service valve you could attach it at that point.

[zadd]

Have you guy's ever heard of a compressor getting weak and the internal valves going bad  ? I put the Drier on and it still has a problem . I talk to a refrigeration guy and he thinks the compressor is weak and that's why it stops cooling  . 

[johnieG]

Could be a good guess but, you'd really need to put a set of gauges on the high & low sides to determine what's going on internally with the compressor, otherwise you're just guessing.

I assume you fully evacuated the system with a good vacuum pump for at least an hour when you installed the new filter/dryer, (to remove any traces of moisture from the lines & oil ) and also measured in the correct charge (and type) of refrigerant.