Ebac LD3000 Issues (Again)

[logboy]

My Ebac LD3000 has caused me a lot of troubles over the last year. I thought I had everything fixed but now the compressor seems to be cycling off and on. I guessed maybe it was the controller, so I swapped it out with one from a parts unit I bought but it's still doing it (although the new controller kicks the compressor on immediately, instead of waiting 6 minutes). The only thing I can guess is the compressor. The unit was just recharged a month or two ago when the condenser coil was replaced.  Ideas? Please dont make me call Ebac again. My last two customer service experiences were less than desirable.

[Cazzhrdwd]

Sounds like a leak again somewhere.

[logboy]

I thought that too but I climbed on top of the stacks with a flashlight and when the compressor is running it has no trouble condensing moisture. Last time it sprung a leak it was dry. It seems to be something else, making the compressor cycle.

[logboy]

It makes me wonder, is the timer in the control unit or the actual DH unit? I tried two control units and both are doing it.

[YellowHammer]

Its important to determine if the cycling is caused by a real world refrideration problem and the compressor is trying to protect itself, or the controller itself is messed up.

I don't have an EBac, but there should be two safety switches installed on the refriderant line, a high pressure and a low pressure switch to keep the compressor from running continuously and burning up when the refrigerant charge is incorrect.  If you feel like doing some sleuthing, you should be able to find the switches on the refridegration line and determine where their wires feed into the controller terminal block.  Or look at the wiring schematic if you have one.  Check continuity on the wire, and if one of the switches is tripping (probably the low pressure switch) it will show open circuit which will cause the compressor to switch off.  With the compressor cycling, you should see the continuity alternate between open and closed.

If the compressor is cycling is fairly rapidly, you can install a short wire jumper across the switch wires at the terminal block to simulate a closed switch circuit, and if the compressor switches on and stays on (this bypasses the run safety so don't let it run very long! just enough to find out if it stops cycling) then you know that the controller is fine and the problem is the pressure switch itself, or the refrideration pressure. 

Or just put a set of refrideration gages on the system, and check the refrideration pressures directly, to make sure they are OK.  Autozone loans out gage sets, I believe.

Or call an HVAC guy and have him check it. 

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

Does EBAC use a compressor made in North America (or using American sizes), or is their compressor metric?

[logboy]

I'm not sure since I cant get to the panel to pull it off and look. Tomorrow I have to pull everything out of the kiln again for the refrigeration guys to check it out. I'm beginning to think it would be easier and cheaper to stop running my kiln altogether and just start making their truck payments.

[JustinW_NZ]

Can I ask what have been the major problems?

And when working does it work well?
I just bought a used unit setup in a refer-container and your comments make me wonder a little if I have a problem do I just throw another unit in there instead.

PS the unit in this is a TR3000? not sure what the difference is?

Cheers
Justin

[logboy]

The problem is fixed. All I had to do was add a big shiny silver box to my kiln that says Nyle on the side.

The service guys came out and looked at it and said the pressures are fine. The compressor is getting too hot and kicking off via the thermal protector on the side. Long story short, the compressor is going out.  In the meantime I installed the Nyle L200 that I was going to put in the new bigger kiln I'm going to build. That thing is powerful compared to the Ebac LD3000. It is pulling more moisture at 50% runtime than my Ebac ever did at 100%. How Ebac can advertise them as being close to doing what the Nyle can is beyond me.  I'm not looking forward to the electric bill though.

[YellowHammer]

The problem is fixed. All I had to do was add a big shiny silver box to my kiln that says Nyle on the side.

:D
Glad you got it "fixed."

[Den Socling]

I don't run a DH kiln but I have read this repeatably. EBAC is bad news and Nyle is vastly superior.

[JustinW_NZ]

I don't run a DH kiln but I have read this repeatably. EBAC is bad news and Nyle is vastly superior.

yes, I get that feeling too!

[logboy]

I have yet to find someone who likes their EBAC. They all seem prone to issues, and fixing them is a pain and expensive. My local refrigeration guys just quoted me $800 for a new compressor and another $250-300 to install. Needless to say I'm not dumping $1,100 into fixing an EBAC LD3000.  I always thought it had a 3/4 hp compressor but its only a 1/2 hp. How EBAC can claim it will dry the same amount of lumber that the Nyle L200 can with its 2 hp compressor is beyond me.

I may just sell my two broken EBACs as parts units and start looking for another Nyle. I hate not having a backup unit.

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

I was at an equipment show where one DH manufacturer stated that their horse power was stronger than NYLE's horse power.  I know 200 hp Ford is indeed a lot stronger than 200 hp Chevy,  and both are stronger than an imported Honda 200 hp, but I did not know that this also applied to DH units.

[logboy]

Are Nyle and EBAC making their own compressors? Neither of my EBACs have the word EBAC on the side of the compressor, and the replacement would be a Tecumseh, so I'm not sure they can make the claim when they all seem to use off-the-shelf components and not proprietary. But I can tell you from experience there is no way the LD3000 is remotely close to doing what the L200 can do, despite that EBAC claims it will. The LD3000 is akin to a Geo Metro, while the L200 is a one ton diesel pickup.

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

I believe there are only three compressor manufacturers.  Neither NYLE or EBAC makes their own.

[YellowHammer]

Neither NYLE or EBAC makes their own.

I just replaced one in my L53 and it was not, as far as I could tell, made by Nyle.

[oakiemac]

I also was suckered into buying an Ebac. Huge mistake, nothing but problems and their service tech is grumpy and hard to get along with.
I now have my Ebac kiln heated with hot water from wood boiler and don't use the ebac for anything. If you want the compressor out of it let me know-i'll sell it cheap.

[xlogger]

I  was thinking about building another kiln using my OWB also. How did you heat with your water into the kiln. Off an heat exchanger or I was thinking just off pex pipe running back and forth a couple times on the back wall. I wanted to run it threw the concrete but they say over 150° will crack the concrete. I plan on it being 14 ft long and not sure how wide, maybe some where between 8-12 ft wide. How hot does it get your kiln?

[oakiemac]

xlogger, I ran insulated pex underground to the kilns then just pex tubing inside kiln to a heat exchanger or unit heater. When the controls call for heat inside the kiln a fan turns on that is part of the unit heater and it blows air across the exchanger. Works rather well. I can heat the smaller kiln to about 135 degrees with just the boiler heat and bigger kiln to about 120 degrees. I need a bigger heater in it so when I want to go above 120 I have to supplement with the electric heat.
Cut my electric bill in half but I know have more work of feeding the boiler and cutting the firewood, ect.
I'm a journeyman Instrumentation tech in my other life so making the controls for the heat exchangers is right up my alley.

[xlogger]

You say small and large kiln. What size are they? Also I was thinking to control the heat you might have to have an outside bypass for the water. If it ran into the kiln without fans blowing it still would be putting off heat by itself.