icetro IM Series, Technician'S Handbook

Page: 80 / 166

Ice Formation Pattern
Evaporator ice formation pattern analysis is helpful in
ice machine diagnostics.
Analyzing the ice formation pattern can help diagnose
an ice machine malfunction.
However, it's important to keep in mind that any
number of problems can cause improper ice formation.
Keep the water curtain in place while checking the ice
formation pattern to ensure no water is lost.
1. Normal Ice Formation
Ice forms across the entire evaporator surface.
At the beginning of the Freeze cycle, it may appear that
more ice is forming on the inlet of the evaporator than on
the outlet. At the end of the Freeze cycle, ice formation
at the outlet will be close to, or just a bit thinner than, ice
formation at the inlet. The dimples in the cubes at the
outlet of the evaporator may be more pronounced than
those on the inlet. This is normal.
It is normal for ice thickness to vary up to 1/16” across
the surface of the evaporator. The ice bridge thickness at
the ice thickness control probe should be at least 1/8”.
The ice thickness probe must be set to maintain the ice
bridge thickness at approximately 1/8 in. If ice forms
uniformly across the evaporator surface, but does not
reach 1/8 in. in the proper amount of time, this is still
considered a normal ice fill pattern.
79