Stand alone Ice maker

[Keith Moffett]

We have the ULine ice maker in the cabinet.  The  surrounding cabinet and counter top are getting very warm.  There is even a drawer in the cabinet above the ice maker and it gets very warm.
If the cabinet you can touch is that hot, the inside must be getting even hotter.
Does anyone else notice this or is our ice maker overheating?

Thanks
Keith

[Edward Buker]

Steve,

We do not run ours typically but it stands to reason in order to cool the units have to absorb heat and discharge it so heating the interior of an enclosed cabinet would be normal for this install. There are no vents.

Later Ed

[Dennis Kitchens]

Sounds to me that you may have a problem. Mine is right under the counter and doesn't get as you describe. I have a drawer underneath and haven't noticed anything in that area, I will have to check and see.

[Gerald Farris]

Keith,
The fan for your ULine icemaker is located at the rear of the area under the unit, on the right side. It draws air in, over the condenser coils on the right side, and since it is in an enclosed area, the air exhaust out the left side. All of the excess heat should be coming out the left side (your left as you face the unit). There are two things that can cause overheating and poor performance in ice production. One is a condenser coil that is clogged with lint, dust, or pet hair. The other problem that can cause this condition is an underperforming or inoperative condenser fan. Either factor will cause poor ice production an the tendency for ice in the bottom and rear of the ice bucket to melt into a block.

The only cooling in a ULine ice maker is the area around the ice tray, and as such it is normal for some of the bottom and rear ice to melt and form a block in hot weather, but if ice production is very low and melting is excessive, you need to address the air flow issue.

Gerald  

[Edward Buker]

Keith,

When I commented about no vents, it was pertaining to the fact that the cabinets are not vented. All the heat from this refrigeration unit is discharged into the cabinet. Along with Gerald's possible causes add frost build up on the inside and a poor fit/seal on the door gasket with aging. Try a thin layer of Vaseline on the gasket, it enables a much better seal. If the gasket has any areas that do not seal the cold will just flow out of the unit.

Part of the equation is how long your unit has to run to keep the ice. If that seems excessive then for sure something is wrong and you are producing heat whenever it is running. You may be able to help by leaving a drawer open several inches and a door ajar to try and create some venting of warm air out of the cabinet.

Later Ed

[Keith Moffett]

Sounds like better vent holes are in order.  The ice making unit is pretty much the same as you would find in a refrigerator so should be replacable if it comes to that.  First its clean up and betterventing.
Thanks to all
Keith

[Gary Wolfer]

Call Ed at Laurelhurst Distributing in Portland Oregon  ask for the service dept or Ed at 1(800)234-4328  or service number is (503)236-2679 They are the distributors that provided  them to Beaver and SMC and probably Monaco. Ed is the most knowledgable man I know about ice makers , referigerators and roof Air conditioners. Been there for over 30 years.  He can probably diagnose your problem and send parts to you over the phone.

[Gerald Farris]

Keith,
A ULine icemaker is different, and more expensive, than the icemaker in a refrigerator. In a refrigerator icemaker, it is just placed in the freezer section and depends on the cold environment of the freezer to freeze the ice. However, in a ULine unit, the refrigerant coils surround the ice tray to allow much faster ice production.

I had the condenser fan in my ULine fail, and the icemaker production almost stopped. Also the enclosure for it got very hot. After I replaced the fan motor, and the unit cooled down properly, I timed the production cycle for ice. With the temperature in the coach at about 75 degrees and cool water from a facet hookup as a water source, it produce a tray of ice every 40 minutes until the bucket was full.    

Gerald  

[Keith Moffett]

Thanks much for the info and phone numbers.  Looks like something that can wait until we reach home so this thread may get renewed at that time.
Keith