Piper December 22, 2012 Share December 22, 2012 A couple years ago I plumbed my sump to my garage, and foolishly put my brand new JBJ Arctica 1/3 chiller out there in the summer heat. It malfunctioned, presumably as a result, last year. I've had enough of JBJ and don't wish to RMA with them, would rather get it repaired elsewhere, preferably locally. Anyone have any recommendations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandy7200 December 23, 2012 Share December 23, 2012 What was the malfuction? Electrical? Not chilling? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piper December 23, 2012 Author Share December 23, 2012 What was the malfuction? Electrical? Not chilling? Would run almost constantly without chilling hardly at all. If I were to guess as a total layman, I'd say it was symptomatic of no coolant but given the age of the unit I find that hard to believe. Actually, come to think of it, I had a defective brand new arctica and this one was the replacement they sent me. So who knows how old the replacement was. But my understanding is these things shouldn't leak coolant hardly at all, and it was working when I received it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 December 23, 2012 Share December 23, 2012 I doubt it malfunctioned due to being in the garage unless the arame is extremely hot and it was unable to cool itself at all as I've seen plenty of chillers in hot enclosed spaces that worked for years and years. Do you know any HVAC people? Have them take a look. There are also a few people on here that have recharged them before, look for a thread on that to see if they can help. Another alternative might be a local garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piper December 23, 2012 Author Share December 23, 2012 I doubt it malfunctioned due to being in the garage unless the arame is extremely hot and it was unable to cool itself at all as I've seen plenty of chillers in hot enclosed spaces that worked for years and years. Do you know any HVAC people? Have them take a look. There are also a few people on here that have recharged them before, look for a thread on that to see if they can help. Another alternative might be a local garage. It was pretty darn hot, on the order of 110 degrees for hours each day. So you're thinking that I should start with a simple recharge? I can do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k December 23, 2012 Share December 23, 2012 Before you do a recharge, you should drain the old refrigerant out with a vaccum pump and make sure there are no leaks in the system. If it passes the vac test, fill it back up and go from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandy7200 December 23, 2012 Share December 23, 2012 Sounds like dirty coils to me. Get some spray foam coil cleaner and follow the directions on the can. Be sure to cover up any electrical connections with plastic bags and duct tape before rinsing with water. Give the unit a full 3 days to dry out before starting it back up, just to make sure no stray water shorts anything. I have considerable experience with commercial HVAC and by not doing the above first, it is the equivilent of calling an electrician because a light doesn't work without first checking the breaker box. I can also tell you that just by looking at the coils, you cannot determine if they are dirty or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piper December 25, 2012 Author Share December 25, 2012 Thanks for the feedback, guys. And Merry Christmas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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