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How to Identify a Problem With Your Industrial Chiller

Industrial Chiller Repair Learning to identify problems with your industrial chiller early on will help to prevent your equipment from needing complete replacement by burning out early. If you identify problems early on, you can prevent any catastrophic failure from occurring. Of course preventative chiller maintenance at regular intervals will identify problems early on, and keep your chillers running at peak performance. When you catch a problem early on, you reduce any overall chiller repair costs by addressing the problem when it is still a minor issue. Waiting to long to address small issues can lead to costly down time.

 

A good preventive maintenance plan will include inspection and analysis of the following to detect problems in advance:

 

  • Oil Analysis
  • Eddy Current Monitoring and Testing
  • Refrigeration Testing
  • Vibration Analysis
  • Infrared Thermography
  • Rotor Bar Testing

 

You should be on the look out for problems with your industrial chiller, but you need to be able to identify them first. Below is a list of potential problems that if addressed now will save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in costly repairs, or potentially preventing the need to replace the entire chiller itself.  

 

No pumping and/or insufficient fluid flow

 

This is a rather serious issue that needs a service call now. failure to react on this issue could lead to your entire chiller suffering catastrophic failure. Pump failure can be to blame here, but so can many other possible causes such as fluctuating line voltage or a pinched process line, among other reasons. A certified technician will need to inspect your unit to find the cause and repair it.

 

No cooling

 

Another major issue that needs to be addressed now. Possible causes include clogged air filter, which is a preventive maintenance issue, also your chillers coolant fluid could be the possible cause. Sometimes the coolant fluid is not suitable for the temperatures you require, other times the heat transfer qualities have just simply deteriorated with the passage of time, or you may even have a coolant leak. Even the evaporator can be to blame for this issue, if it has iced up.

 

Chiller does not power up

 

If your chiller is not powering up you are likely facing down time. There are 3 main causes for this, including loose connections, a blown circuit breaker or a faulty fuse, and incorrect phase connections.

 

Dirty tubes

 

If your tubes are dirty this will interfere with heat-transfer efficiency. Your evaporator and condenser tubes need to be clean. Did you know that very large chillers can contain miles of tubing? if your chillers efficiency has deteriorated, dirty tubes may be to blame here. Tubes can become blocked with algae, scale, sludge, muck, and other contaminants. Weather or not your system is open or enclosed will affect the rate of fouling here, as well water quality. For example hard water can cause this process to accelerate. You should have these tubes cleaned at least once a year to maintain high-efficiency performance and avoid costly repairs due to your unit deteriorating.

 

Technical Hot & Cold of Michigan is a woman owned and operated chiller service company specializing in both repair and preventive maintenance of chillers. If you need comprehensive inspections, preventive care or repair we have the experience and chiller replacement parts needed to get the job done. Our inspections and thorough cleaning will help prevent any costly repairs and malfunctions. Call us today with any questions or to book a service call or consultation.

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