Whirlpool GI1500XH, Technical Manual

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6
OPERATIONAL CYCLES
There are three operational cycles of the ice maker:
• ICE MAKING CYCLE
• HARVEST CYCLE
• DIAGNOSTIC/CLEAN CYCLE
In addition, there are two operational OFF cycles of the ice maker:
• OFF CYCLE when the bin is full of ice and the service control switch is turned “ON”.
• OFF CYCLE when the bin is full and the service control switch is turned “OFF” while power is
still supplied to the unit.
Ice Making Cycle
Electrical System
In the electrical system, power is supplied through the service control switches to the primary side of
the voltage step down transformer (120VAC to 8.7VAC for the cutter grid and bin light) and the elec-
tronic control board. The electronic control board in turn supplies 120 VAC to the water recirculating
pump, water inlet valve, hot gas solenoid, condenser fan motor and compressor.
Refrigeration System
In the refrigeration system, the hot gas refrigerant, under high pressure, is forced through the condeser
into a liquid, and flows through the drier and capillary tube into the evaporator. Under low presure in
the evaporator, the liquid refrigerant absorbs heat from the water flowing over the evaporator. The
refrigerant evaporates into a gas and passes into the accumulator. As a low-pressure gas, the refrig-
erant flows back through the suction line of the heat exchanger to the compressor.
During ICE MAKING cycle, some of the hot gas that is in the condenser accumulating tube condesnses
to a liquid and remains in the accumulating tube.
During the later stages of the ICE MAKING cycle, as the ice slab forms on the evaporator freezing
plate, some of the refrigerant passing through the evaporator will not evaporate into a gas, but will
remain a liquid. This liquid refrigerant will settle in the accumulator while the refrigerant vapor is
sucked off through the suction tube at the top of the accumulator. This accumulated liquid refrigerant
will eventually be evaporated by the warmed refrigerant gas passing through the accumulator during
the HARVEST cycle and during the beginning of the next ICE MAKING cycle.
NOTE: It is very important the accumulator is not tilted out of a horizontal position.
Water System
In the water system, the water recirculating pump moves the water from the reservoir pan up to the
distributor, where it flows out over the evaporator freezing plate.
Water that does not freeze on the evaporator plate runs off the front edge and falls back into the
reservoir, where it is recycled back to the distributor.
As the ice slab forms, the minerals in the water are on the surface of the ice. The water flowing over
the top of the ice slab washes these minerals back into the water reservoir pan. The water continues
to recycle until the ice slab reaches the desired thickness.
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