Harvest cycle on ice machines

Have a look at the side of the evaporator; there is a probe (thermistor) attached to it that tells the control board when to initiate the harvest cycle. make sure it's clean and attached properly and doesn't need replacing. If hitting the float switch initiates the harvest cycle it sounds like you have a blocked/ scaled water tube or switch housing. take off the bottom of the switch assembly (black rubber bit) and clean through to the water chamber. run a cycle of descaler before trying again.

time the cycle. if it is only running about 5 minutes and going into harvest, look for sump loosing water. Look at where the unit drains (like a floor drain) while the unit is running to see how much, if any water is draining. does not take much to make an early harvest. also, sump may not be filling up completely but with just enough water to satisfy the float.

Just above the pump there is a check valve that may be stuck open
during operation which will cause thin ice. Also make sure you have the o-ring on the bottom of the drain tube if it was removed during cleaning.

The hot gas valve is activated during the machines harvest cycle letting hot gas defrost the evporator. If it is "leaking by " that means that it is not fully closing during the freeze cycle causing high suction pressures and inefficient operation of the machine. And maximum freeze cycles. If that is happening it will need to be replaced by a qualified technician.

You have an assembly that closes the water down when it is harvest ice. It is broke or out of adjustment. Have a rep look at it.

first, freeze cycle too short because you are loosing water. Water may be leaking thru the dump valve. Look at drain while machine is running and see of alot of water is draining. The dump valve spring may be week or there is trash in the dump valve preventing it from seating properly. drain water first before pulling dump valve apart.

The main problem with Hoshizaki machines is if you are in a hard water area, if so do you have a good quality water filter, it may need changing. A quick way to check for calcium ot lime deposits in the machine is
1. Turn it off, run you clean hand around the area near the evaporator, are there any rough or flaky deposits there, if so you may need a chemical descale, contact a reputable fridge guy to do this for you.
2. The swinging arm motor may be faulty or possibly the ice sensor which controls the harvest cycle. If this is faulty sometimes the tray goes back up before the ice has slid off.
3. If the machine is situated in a cellar or other cool (less than 10 deg C / 50 deg f) this can sometimes affect the harvest cycle again to set this you need a tradesman.
4. Does the water flow properly over the lower part of the mould plate during a harvest cycle, the pipe can become blocked or dislodged.

Hope this is helpful

sounds like there is a problem with the water in the sump escaping. Sometimes, the plastic grate under the evap plates break and pieces get stuck in the dump valve. It is a triangular piece that the pump attaches to via a hose. It is spring loaded and the pieces prevent it from seating, thus, water leaks into the drain that you will not notice. When the water level in the sump gets low enough, it goes into a harvest and drops small slivers of ice. I'd check that out first.
Hope this helps.

The thickness probe should be approximatly 1/4 inch off of the evaporator.Sounds like you might have loose grids on the evaporator.turn the unit off and remove the curtain.use a flash light and inspect the grids.There should not be space in between the joints,if there is the ice will freeze behind the grids and not properly release when in harvest. Also gently pull at the grids,if they pull towards you or wiggle then they are separating. I have removed one of the grids and had the unit continue to run for sometime until the evaporator could be replaced.The plating being spotty causes release issues as well.Finally check the level of the machine,front to back and side to side.Not being level will also cause release problems

i ewould check to see if the dump valvre or the fll valve were leaking thru for starters and also check to see 9if the head master was working properly. thanks for using FixIt and Merry Christmas