Manitowoc Control Board Lights November 25 2014, 23 Comments

The lights on the Manitowoc control board can tell you a lot about what's going on with your ice machine.  Depending on which lights are lit or which lights are out can help you diagnose the problematic ice maker.  Although there are a number of different control boards, most function similarly, so I'll be discussing only the basics in this article.

Clean Light

The clean light should be lit anytime the ice machine toggle switch has been moved to the clean cycle.  This light will remain illuminated throughout the entire clean cycle.  The ice machine will not produce ice while the clean light is on.

Bin Switch Light

Most Manitowoc control boards will have a light labeled bin switch or left bin, right bin.  This light indicates when the water curtain magnet is making contact with the bin switch.  This will tell the ice machine when it is full or should terminate the harvest cycle.  If you open the water curtain or damper door, the light should go out.  Anytime that light is on, the bin switch should be satisfied and the unit should be producing ice.

Manitowoc S Series Ice Machine Parts October 13 2014, 0 Comments

Manitowoc S Series ice machines are the previous generation models by the leading manufacturer of commercial ice makers.  The S Series boasted ease of maintenance, smooth design, and a focus on efficiency.  These improvements over the previous Q series, allowed Manitowoc to dominate the market.  Features made the S series ice maker one of the easiest machines for an owner to work on themselves.

Because of it’s design, most common components can be removed and changed with nothing more than a screw driver.  By removing two screws on the front of the machine, parts like the water curtain, water pump, ice thickness control, water level probe, and distribution tube can all be changed without any other tools.  The parts are easily accessible and can be changed by ice machine owners with little experience.

Manitowoc Bin Switches April 17 2014, 3 Comments

Manitowoc bin switches are the part of the ice machine that tell the control board when a batch of ice has dropped or when the ice bin is full.  They are mounted to the underside of the evaporator, where the magnet of the water curtain or damper door make contact.

There are 2 main bin switches for Manitowoc ice machines.  Part number 2301483 bin switch has a gray wire, with a white box at the end.  This ice machine part is used on most Q Series and older Manitowoc ice makers.  Then there is ice maker part number 000007888, which is white, shaped like a pencil and used on S Series and newer ice machines.

Safety Limit #2 On Manitowoc Ice Machine January 09 2014, 133 Comments

When your Manitowoc ice machine shuts down prematurely, it most likely is going off on what’s called a safety limit.  On Q Series ice machines there are 2 different safety limits, that will help you diagnose the problem.  To check the which safety limit is the problem, simply turn your machine from the off position to ice and count how many times the harvest light flashes.  Below are what the 2 safety limits mean.

Safety Limit #1 : If the freeze time reaches 60 minutes, the control board automatically initiates a harvest cycle.  If 3 consecutive 60-minute freeze cycles occur, the ice machine stops.

Safety Limit #2 : If the harvest time reaches 3.5 minutes, the control board automatically returns the ice machine to the freeze cycle.  If three consecutive 3.5 minute harvest cycles occur, the ice machine stops.

Safety Limit #2 is a more common safety limit and can be caused by the ice maker simply being dirty.  A dirty evaporator will hold ice and not allow it to fall until it is mostly melted away.  Because there is not enough ice to force the water curtain open and break the bin switch, the machine simply thinks it never harvested.

Assuming your ice machine is clean, there are 2 other areas that are most common for shutting a Manitowoc Ice machine down on a safety limit #2.  A missing magnet on the water curtain or your water curtain being broken will cause your bin switch to fail.  The magnetic bin switch on a Manitowoc ice machine relies on proximity to the magnet to know when to terminate the harvest cycle.  This switch will not read if it does not make proper contact with the magnet.  To remedy this issue simply replace the water curtain.

Another culprit, which can also lead to intermittent problems, is a failed bin switch.  The only way to properly test a magnetic bin switch is to OHM it out and look for consistency.  However, it is possible for the switch to fail on say the 100th time, so if you are experiencing regular Safety Limit #2 lockouts, it might be a good idea to go ahead and eliminate the bin switch by replacing it.