Ice Machines and Tech Support w/ Nick Messick

HVAC School - For Techs, By Techs

Bryan Orr

Training, Careers, Airconditioning, Self-improvement, Hvac, Business, Education, Refrigeration, Heating, Ac, Apprenticeship

4.8 • 985 Ratings

🗓️ 14 April 2017

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Bryan talks with Nick Messick about some ice machine basics. They also discuss how to determine when to pick up the phone and call tech support.

Ice machines have the same basic refrigeration circuit as HVAC systems. However, ice machines require a much different cleaning regimen. Many maintenance people neglect ice machines by using incorrect cleaners. You need more of a sanitizer than a cleaner; sanitizers kill germs and fungi, but cleaners work better on corrosion. When cleaning an ice machine, watch out for mold and scale buildup. Scale buildup is especially problematic because it hardens the water. You can use ice thickness probes or listening devices to determine the condition of the water (and ice). Also, use a nickel-safe cleaner, like Refrigeration Technologies' Viper Nickel Safe.

Ice machines have "harvest cycles" where ice collects. Ice falls off the evaporator when warmth hits the evaporator. An ice machine may use hot gas or "Kool gas" defrost. Hot gas defrost reverses refrigerant through the cycle and sends discharge gas to the evaporator. Manitowoc systems use Kool gas, which uses saturated vapor at the top of the receiver and results in a quieter harvest.

Tech support can really help you if you can't understand the manual or get stuck. However, some techs let their pride prevent them from calling tech support. Ultimately, calling tech support to help you understand an ice machine will save you time and save the customer money. You can also walk away from a situation having learned something new for next time if you call tech support and let them help you. However, calling tech support should NOT be a crutch that techs depend on all the time; basically, don't let them be your autopilot.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode of the HVEC school podcast as well as HVACR school
0:06.5	dot com in general are made possible by generous support from carrier and
0:11.0	testo and since today we're talking about ice machines, I want to mention the
0:15.4	testo smart probes. Whenever you're dealing with a critical charge, a system that you don't
0:20.3	want to lose a lot of charge to your hoses. Testo Smart Probs make a lot of sense.
0:24.2	Not only are they nice because you can track everything on the Testo Smart Probs app and see trends
0:29.7	and that sort of thing, but you can also ensure that you're not going to lose a significant
0:33.5	amount of charge that you would when you're filling your hoses. I've been
0:36.7	enjoying my testo smart probes actually I just want them to my technician
0:40.6	Bert for him to try out so I'm actually without them right at this moment but hopefully he'll be getting a set of his own here pretty soon.
0:46.0	So thank you to Testo and carrier as always for your support and I suggest if you work on critical charges
0:51.8	consider the Testo smart probes.
0:54.0	And now your host, the guy who checks the air filter of every single hotel room right when he walks in but
1:05.8	still can't change his own filter when he's supposed to. Brian Orr.
1:10.9	I do a little less of that checking of the air filter in the hotel room
1:14.4	than I used to probably because I don't really ever go to hotels so maybe that has
1:18.5	something good with it. I'm too busy always recording podcast for HVAC school
1:21.6	but yes I am Brian Orr and today we're gonna, this is actually,
1:25.0	this is a little bit of a bonus episode. I've been releasing two episodes a week lately just because I feel like it, I guess. I have so much stuff that I want to get out there and I
1:33.7	did this interview with Nick Messick and we talked a little bit about ice machines just
1:38.0	very just a very brief kind of overview of ice machines we're going to get a little
1:41.7	more in-depth in future episodes.
	...

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