Maintain your Chillers!!!

[chuckdee]

So lately I've been noticing that my chiller has been staying running longer then usual. I figured it was because it was starting to warm up here in Vegas. Wrong!! I took a better look at it and noticed a lot of dust stopping the fan from keeping the chiller running cool, in turn, not cooling the water enough. So I vacumed and blew out all the dust inside. Less then and hour later, it was back to normal.

Lesson learned. I will, from now on, include "chiller maintainence" as part of my weekly maintainence schedual.

[wastemanagement]

Nice tip , makes good sence!

[Tangster]

Just like a refrigerator or A/C or car radiator a cars A/C even you have to blast the coils out . Get a good grease cleaner for grease and car engines at a auto supply and shoot the coil and let it set for a bit back wash the coil with a garden hose make sure the condenser fan blade is clean and may needs oiling .. I repaired about 50 chillers last summer and tossed more then that in the trash. That coil gets dusty its like putting a rag or a car;s radiator and running down the highway pulling a boat.. Engine pressures build up with heat and poof.. The Freon depending on type can build up a rather high side head pressure .. And then the compressor valves and seats oil and rod bearings rings just like a car can and will fail. This really needed to be done twice a yr .

[chuckdee]

Even better advise from Tangster. Imma go check my car, then probably the fridge, and A/C.

Thanks for elaborating on this subject, Tangster...

[Otty]

Just started my chiller about a month ago but that will be something I keep in mind.

[Reefdiver72]

I must be the only person who needs heaters all the time instead of a chiller my basement stays nice and almost to cool.

[mikemangue]

Hey Tangster,
You mentioned that you fixed a couple of chillers, have you ever repaired the 1/15hp or 1/10hp Current USA Prime Chiller. I have three of them that pretty much just stopped cooling. I tested the thermostat and it works. I used a compressed air can and blew out the fins and fan and they were clear of dust. I also checked the fan and compressor on all of them and they were coming on. However the unit turns on as it should but it cannot drop the temperature. They are all in-line units and I poured some ice water in the the water inlet to check the thermostat and it works fine. It actually goes off when the temperature dropped and came back on when the ice water reached room temperature. This is really, really strange because all three units developed the same problem after approximately 1-year of use. The units worked perfect when they arrived and after a while it seems as if the R-134a gas leaks out ...! Is this possible? Since two of the units were out of warranty and the manufactures pretty much tells you to buy a new one, I simply dissembled the 1/10hp unit and foud that there were no refill valve that one could use to replace the R-134A gas. It seems they inject the Gas into the copper tubing and pinch off the stem of the copper pipe then they wield over the opening where the gas is injected. Any info on where I may find spare parts would really help.

Originally Posted by Tangster

Just like a refrigerator or A/C or car radiator a cars A/C even you have to blast the coils out . Get a good grease cleaner for grease and car engines at a auto supply and shoot the coil and let it set for a bit back wash the coil with a garden hose make sure the condenser fan blade is clean and may needs oiling .. I repaired about 50 chillers last summer and tossed more then that in the trash. That coil gets dusty its like putting a rag or a car;s radiator and running down the highway pulling a boat.. Engine pressures build up with heat and poof.. The Freon depending on type can build up a rather high side head pressure .. And then the compressor valves and seats oil and rod bearings rings just like a car can and will fail. This really needed to be done twice a yr .

[mikemangue]

Hi Chuckdee I noticed that you have a 1/15hp Current USA Chiller. How long have you had this chiller in operation? The reason i'm asking is that I have gone through 2 of these units in approximately a little over 1-year. I've done the usual maintenance routines every 4-months as you have done and my two 1/15hp units as well as my 1/10hp unit refuses to cool. The thermostat works, the water flow is correct and the compressor is comming on but the unit seems as if the R-134a gas has disappeared. All of the units did the same problem after about a year and 4 months of use. All of the units were well ventilated and i've taken an additional precaution by installing two extractor fans above the unit to clear away any hot air given off of the chiller. It would be greatly appreciated if you could let me know how long you have had your prime 1/15hp chiller in operation. In closing, my tank and sump volume is under 25-gallons.

Originally Posted by chuckdee

So lately I've been noticing that my chiller has been staying running longer then usual. I figured it was because it was starting to warm up here in Vegas. Wrong!! I took a better look at it and noticed a lot of dust stopping the fan from keeping the chiller running cool, in turn, not cooling the water enough. So I vacumed and blew out all the dust inside. Less then and hour later, it was back to normal.

Lesson learned. I will, from now on, include "chiller maintainence" as part of my weekly maintainence schedual.