3 Simple Methods to Troubleshoot Ice Maker Issues

We live in an age of convenience, and have access to amenities that simply make our lives more pleasant.  Ice, for example, is no longer hard to obtain.  Most refrigerators come with an automatic ice maker built-in.  Many people use independent ice machines to distribute ice in large amounts and they provide a convenient and inexpensive way to portably chill beverages and keep items cold that would otherwise spoil.

If there is a malfunction with an ice-maker it can be just as aggravating and troublesome as it is useful.

Follow these tips to efficiently locate and remedy what might be causing your ice maker to fail:

Firstly, it’s a good idea to make sure all the appropriate hoses are connected and the water supply is good.  If that’s not it, there may be frozen build-up in a hose or inside the machine.  This can be fixed easily by defrosting the ice maker (unplugging all connections and hoses) and letting it melt and drain from the hose or interior.

Check the evaporator plate. Depending on the type of machine, this may look like a plastic grid, into which water is distributed from the hose.  Check this for discoloration, such as a copper colour showing through.  If this is detected, it may mean that the lining of the plate has worn off, and the ice can no longer drop off into the reserve after the freezing process.  This piece can build up a frozen layer that will hinder the making of ice.  If that is the case, defrosting may also quickly solve this issue.  If the lining is in fact worn off, it is at the owners’ discretion whether or not to replace this piece.

Finally, there is a heating module underneath the evaporator plate that is built into the under-side of the ice-maker.  The purpose of it is to slightly melt the bottom of the finished cubes so they can be harvested into the reserve.  Without taking the ice maker apart, though, this part cannot be seen, and is located in the bottom of the unit.  Place your hand on the bottom to feel if it is hot or warm.  If you find that it is, this could mean it has over-heated and malfunctioning.  You will likely need to replace the control module that regulates this part.

There are many facets of how the automatic ice maker quickly and efficiently produces ice for our convenience.  This has been an outline of some of the most common and simple problems and fixes, and you should always consult your owner’s manual for model-specific parts and maintenance routines.

What is a split air conditioner?

Cooling and heating a home is taxing on any budget.  The standard way to cool a home is to have a duct based condenser unit installed.  Not only are condensers often inefficient, though, but the duct work is too.  These two parts lose energy very quickly as heat exchanges happen throughout the system that normally spans the entire home.  In order to keep up with air conditioning needs, the unit constantly has to keep air within the ducts at the desired temperature.  It is a constant drag on the compressor unit.

To battle this, the industry came up with a more efficient means to deliver cool air to a home which is called Split air conditioning. The advantage of Split A/C is that it uses far less electricity, and also a lot less materials and construction resources are needed. There is still a unit that sits on the outside of a home, but the units themselves stay within individual rooms.

Split A/C gives ultimate control to the user as they can cool individual rooms or areas. This gives an advantage for the user and allows everyone to be at their comfort level at a fraction of the cost of traditional units.

Typically, there have been two ways to cool a house, the earlier mentioned standard duct unit and the smaller and much less expensive window based A/C units. If you are on a very low budge, then you may consider window units.  Split A/C will be a substantially higher upfront cost, but cannot be compared to the older duct units. The small units simply cool by using a long fan which distributes the coolness from the coil within.  This gives the home owner complete control of his or her environment.

Split level A/C is much less intrusive as it is mainly a few cables and tubes that are run out to the main unit.  The cost of the insulation and installation is far less than that of new duct work or all the materials needed to upgrade an existing unit.  Not only, will it be far more aesthetically pleasing than a window unit, it will of course be a money saving investment that will keep your home cool.

For a further incentive, these types of units are huge helpers of the environment compared to their predecessors.  Their carbon footprint is a fraction of other products.

A Look At Cool Rooms Throughout History

Civilisation has depended on ways to store their goods throughout history.  Before refrigeration there were few methods to keep foods fresh for a long time. Often meats would be salted or dried in order to save them.  Most consumables had to be used almost immediately or they would spoil.  Refrigeration has been a mainstream technology for the past years, but there were many attempts to do so before the age of compressed gasses.

Before freezers and refrigeration people found ways to keep food wares cool by using the earth’s natural thermal properties, but this process was only cool and not cold. Food could be kept in the 40’s and 50’s Fahrenheit.  If a group lived in the right region, then often ice was packed in from the mountains and packed into rooms or small storage areas to keep it frozen.  This process was time consuming and costly and often ineffective.

In the 18th century research began on the process of compressing gasses, which suck heat from the surrounding air causing it cool and freeze. Some work was even done by Ben Franklin himself.  Strangely enough, the thing that drove the industry was beer and breweries around the world.  Simply put, the brewers of beer needed an effective way to brew and store their product.  One of the first rooms ever to be continuously refrigerated was in fact on the merchant sailing ship, The Dunlin in 1881.

In 1911 General Electric came out with the first refrigerator which was powered by gas, but it was large and expensive.  In the 1930’s Frigidaire came up with the system that used Freon, a dangerous gas which depletes the Ozone layer. Until this time the main way to keep things frozen was still the archaic and not very sanitary ice box.  Issues with iceboxes included problems with health concerns as they would become mouldy and tainted easily.

In the 1950’s it became relatively common and easy to create and make ice, and in this path, it became common to be able to make refrigerated areas or cool rooms.  Freon (made by the DuPont company) gave rise to these wonders of the modern age.  Due to this great achievement, we can live anywhere, ship frozen foods anywhere and have the ability to have a variety of foods at a fraction of the cost it would have been to ship them using old methods.

As technology and wisdom grows, cool storage rooms get better and more efficient.