SMC Discussion Areas

Trouble-Shooting => Refrigeration => Topic started by: zadd on August 04, 2008, 05:20:48 pm



Title: Ideal 55
Post by: zadd on August 04, 2008, 05:20:48 pm
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 ? 


Title: Re: Ideal 55
Post by: MoonDawg on August 04, 2008, 05:42:12 pm
       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.


Title: Re: Ideal 55
Post by: johnieG on August 04, 2008, 09:57:27 pm
I agree, it sounds like a classic Icing problem.


Title: Re: Ideal 55
Post by: Chedki on August 05, 2008, 11:26:43 am
       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.


Title: Re: Ideal 55
Post by: johnieG on August 05, 2008, 06:10:58 pm
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)


Title: Re: Ideal 55
Post by: MoonDawg on August 05, 2008, 08:11:59 pm

& 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  :help:


Title: Re: Ideal 55
Post by: zadd on August 13, 2008, 08:11:33 pm
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 ?  :down:


Title: Re: Ideal 55
Post by: johnieG on August 14, 2008, 08:18:34 pm
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.


Title: Re: Ideal 55
Post by: zadd on August 16, 2008, 09:53:44 pm
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  .  :Oo:


Title: Re: Ideal 55
Post by: johnieG on August 17, 2008, 08:49:23 am
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.