efficiency question

[Piscator]

I've got a Scotsman ice maker and it produces ice.  I'm just wonder how efficient it is.  It takes half the day to fill the bin.  I've owned it for at least 15 years and have never done anything with the refrigeration portion.  I'm guessing it could do a lot better.
thanks
Jeff

[johnieG]

One day to make 1/2 a bin? That’s way off! The size of the bin is maybe 20 lbs capacity, it should be able to fil it in a couple hours worst case Id think.

[Piscator]

20 pound bin.  That puts things into perspective.  The manual I've got says it will produce 225 pounds in 24 hours.  The next question I have is:  What's the next step?  I'm fairly handy and mechanical but have no tools or knowledge on refrigeration systems. Nor do I want to dive into it.  But I haven't found anybody who wants to look at or work on it....

[johnieG]

Remember, all it needs is a shot of Freon!   

 as I recall, these are flake ice makers, similar to what's used in hospitals today, they can produce a lot of ice but also require a bit of mechanical knowledge, you may find someone to work on it in your area ( you haven't mentioned a general location) I'm guesstimating the bins capacity BTW, just looking at it seems it should hold at least a few big bags of cube Ice.

anyway check round under ice machine repair on line or ye old yellow pages ( also online nowadays) Scotsman is still in business, so look "authorized" service centers or dealers (sales) although you'd probably have to drag the machine to them.

[Piscator]

I did get in touch with a refrigeration guy in my area (Seattle/Tacoma Washington).  He stated that if it's making ice it is working properly and to leave it alone.  His logic is that if there was a leak it would be empty and not making any ice.  I guess that makes sense.... But I'm still not convinced that it isn't working to it's potential.

[sh0rtlife]

it sounds to me as if the t-stat may be starting to fail on you or at the very least the contacts are toast....i say this as its one of the very few things in ANY refrigeration unit of any kind that would cause it to work "slower" yet still function as it should

[Piscator]

Not knowing much about refrigeration stuff I need to ask about the T-stat your referring to.  Are you referring to the On/Off "thermocoupler" that shuts the system off when the bin is full?  This works fine.  Or is there some sort of temperature controller that tells the refrigeration system to get colder/warmer?

[johnieG]

The bin-level sensor is really just a plain old thermostat that’s got a fixed cut-out range of 32-degrees ( the point in which it contacts the ice rising in the bin & shuts off the compressor)

Most Ice machines use a low pressure controller to regulate the compressor’s cycle along with ( typically) a high pressure cut off switch to protect the system from excess temperatures from say a blocked airflow ( or water) to the condensor ( or water cooled heat exchanger)

There’s usually a water  inlet valve and/or a pressure regulator which may be temperature or pressure controlled to regulate the flow of water to the freezing chamber and/or the condensor heat exchangers ( for a water-cooled system)

So in summary, to make more ice faster, you’ll need...
A: more cold.   ( a properly charge & controlled refrigeration system)
B: more water. ( adequate flow & inlet temperature)
C: more speed ( proper auger feed in the freezing chamber, belt slippage, etc.)



See? Easy peasy  

[Piscator]

Thank you that is a great "rule out" list.
A: This one is unknown and what I'm focused on.
B: I've replaced the float valve in the water reservoir.  Not much else to go wrong.
C: I've gone through the mechanical portion Auger, speed reduction box and such.  That's functioning properly.

So it's back to refrigeration.

Just need to find someone who wants to work on it....

Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Jeff