Brewbuilt IceMaster Max 4

[30_Ounce]

Has anyone received a perfect working unit? I ordered one couple weeks ago and the first unit looked like it fell out of a truck. Sent that one back and received the new unit in much better condition but the fan unit inside was broken off. Looks like it never had a bolt on the second mounting flange. I'm considering JBweld the broken mount and getting a bolt for the other mount and seeing if that works. Or just sending this back and ordering a SsBrewtech unit. I really like how the Max 4 is laid out but with all the issues so far I'm starting to question how reliable it will be.

 

[30_Ounce]

Some pics

 

[Advance]

I have a similar unit (icemaster 100) that I purchased from morebeer nearly two years ago. It has been working well for me and did not have the damage that your pictures show. Your unit must have taken quite a blow considering the cast aluminum on the fan body is fractured. I would be concerned that something else might have broke during the impact that cause the damage to the fan. I would exchange it for another unit. The fan is pretty powerful and I would definitely not want that thing coming free from its mount while its running. It would easily be a potential fire hazard. The fan blade is probably damaged also, which would cause excessive noise do to the imbalance. Hopefully third times a charm for you.

After posting this message I looked at the picture of your condenser again. It looks to be damaged as well from the fan.

 

[30_Ounce]

Thanks for the reply. I saw that damage to the condenser later in the day too. This unit looked perfect compared to the other one. I didn't even look inside the other one. Wonder what kind of damage it sustained? I am glad to hear that you have not had issues with yours. That was my main concern , how reliable is it once I get a working unit. Morebeer is sending another unit out by truck this time.

 

[CodeSection]

I'm sorry to read about your experiences. By the sounds of it, the first problem dealt with the actual condition of the box and damage to the unit that was caused in shipping, correct? I'm gald to read that you are returning the second unit to MB and that they are sending you a third unit. MoreBeer has impeccable customer service as well as a superior warranty that includes them paying shipping cost on items returned due to manufacturing defects. Plus, they even have a 60 day satisfaction return policy. They are good people!

Hopefully, the third time is the charm! I experienced a similar situation when buying my kettles from another manufacturer with leaks coming from welds they performed and from other areas. The third replacement proved to correct the previous manufacturing defects.

I've owned an Icemaster 100 for roughly two years as well and it has worked flawlessly. I easily achieve crashing to 28F. Hopefully, you will have the same positive experiences as @Advance and myself. Please keep us posted.

 

[30_Ounce]

Thanks for the reply CodeSection. The box wasn’t that bad honestly but it had taken a beating somewhere. The 3rd unit arrived today, a day ahead of schedule and it appears undamaged but it is an Icemaster 100 instead of the Max 4. I am so bummed I might just throw in the towel. I called MoreBeer, they wanted pictures, I sent them, haven’t heard back.

 

[CodeSection]

Thanks for the reply CodeSection. The box wasn’t that bad honestly but it had taken a beating somewhere. The 3rd unit arrived today, a day ahead of schedule and it appears undamaged but it is an Icemaster 100 instead of the Max 4. I am so bummed I might just throw in the towel. I called MoreBeer, they wanted pictures, I sent them, haven’t heard back.

Wow! To be honest, I like the Icemaster 100 over the Mx2 or Max 4. There are many reasons that I have posted on other threads on the two that you might want to read. I have no idea of your situation, but maybe it is a "sign" of good things to come. I would keep the Icemaster 100 and ask MB to refund the $150 difference to you.

 

[Advance]

Wow, I guess the saying "third times a charm" doesn't hold true in this case. If you are mechanically inclined, the icemaster 100 version might be better for you. I specifically bought mine over SS Brewtechs offerings because of the ability to customize the units top plate. I ended up installing some panel mount digital cycle timers to more accurately control my fermentation temps. These timers also allow me to cold crash in a steady, controlled manner without much monitoring on my part. I also outfitted the unit with a spare inkbird controller that read in fahrenheit, and a 12 VDC power supply that powers my fermenters and glycol pumps. Each fermenter has a single cable that connects to the backside of the chiller via a bulkhead aviation style quick connecter. This cable powers the fermenter and receives the signal for cooling from the fermenter's thermostat. This allows for a clean looking setup, because the icemaster chiller is the only piece of equipment that plugs into a wall outlet. The wiring setup is similar to the Grainfather glycol chiller.

 

[CodeSection]

Wow, I guess the saying "third times a charm" doesn't hold true in this case. If you are mechanically inclined, the icemaster 100 version might be better for you. I specifically bought mine over SS Brewtechs offerings because of the ability to customize the units top plate. I ended up installing some panel mount digital cycle timers to more accurately control my fermentation temps. These timers also allow me to cold crash in a steady, controlled manner without much monitoring on my part. I also outfitted the unit with a spare inkbird controller that read in fahrenheit, and a 12 VDC power supply that powers my fermenters and glycol pumps. Each fermenter has a single cable that connects to the backside of the chiller via a bulkhead aviation style quick connecter. This cable powers the fermenter and receives the signal for cooling from the fermenter's thermostat. This allows for a clean looking setup, because the icemaster chiller is the only piece of equipment that plugs into a wall outlet. The wiring setup is similar to the Grainfather glycol chiller.

I'm having a hard time visualizing your setup. Can you provide pics? Thanks!

FWIW, I use the WIFI enabled Inkbird ITC-308 WIFI.....I bought a few of them when they went on sale back in December for only $25 each. Now I can adjust when to crash and to what temp from my iPhone rather than racing home during my lunch break to lower the temp. Here is what my setup looks like.....

 

[Advance]

I'm currently out of town at the moment, so I can't give you pics of my setup. I will snap some pics and post them when I return. My unit is setup similar to Grainfathers glycol chiller in how the chiller provides power and receives the signal for cooling from each fermenter via a single cable. These are the digital cycle timers that I installed in the icemasters top panel:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-12V-20A...4b3620ea99:g:gsEAAOSw1NFaTHCT&redirect=mobile
They allow me to control the duty cycle of each fermenters cooling pump. I have two Grainfather conical fermenters and one SS Brewtech unitank. I noticed that when my fermenters called for cooling, the pumps would continuously run, which would normally result in a temperature overshoot. This was especially evident if I was fermenting at higher temperatures. For example if I set the fermenter to maintain a temperature of 70F with a hysteresis of 0.3F, the fermenter would call for cooling at 70.4F but would end up cooling to 68.0F. I remedied this problem by controlling the duty cycle of each pump, so when a particular fermenter calls for cooling the pump runs for a short time then pauses. This pause allows for the cooling effects of each pump cycle to be realized before the pump is allowed to run again. For instance, if I am fermenting at 66F I usually set the cycle timer to run the pump for 12 seconds with a 9 minute break. Glycol is transferred into the cooling sleeve/coil and then enough time is allowed to lapse so the effects of the cooling can reach equilibrium. This cycle is repeated until the target temp has been reached, in which case the fermenter halts its call for cooling. This setup allows me to hold fermentation temps to within less that 0.5F of my target. When it comes time to crash cool, I simply set my fermenter for the target temperature and then program the cycle timers to drop the temp in stages. For instance between 70F and 50F I will set the timers to run the pump for 15 seconds every 10 minutes. This allows me to gradually crash over the course of a day or so. I have to increase the duty cycle of the pumps to get to my final crash temps.

 

[CodeSection]

I'm currently out of town at the moment, so I can't give you pics of my setup. I will snap some pics and post them when I return. My unit is setup similar to Grainfathers glycol chiller in how the chiller provides power and receives the signal for cooling from each fermenter via a single cable. These are the digital cycle timers that I installed in the icemasters top panel:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-12V-20A...4b3620ea99:g:gsEAAOSw1NFaTHCT&redirect=mobile
They allow me to control the duty cycle of each fermenters cooling pump. I have two Grainfather conical fermenters and one SS Brewtech unitank. I noticed that when my fermenters called for cooling, the pumps would continuously run, which would normally result in a temperature overshoot. This was especially evident if I was fermenting at higher temperatures. For example if I set the fermenter to maintain a temperature of 70F with a hysteresis of 0.3F, the fermenter would call for cooling at 70.4F but would end up cooling to 68.0F. I remedied this problem by controlling the duty cycle of each pump, so when a particular fermenter calls for cooling the pump runs for a short time then pauses. This pause allows for the cooling effects of each pump cycle to be realized before the pump is allowed to run again. For instance, if I am fermenting at 66F I usually set the cycle timer to run the pump for 12 seconds with a 9 minute break. Glycol is transferred into the cooling sleeve/coil and then enough time is allowed to lapse so the effects of the cooling can reach equilibrium. This cycle is repeated until the target temp has been reached, in which case the fermenter halts its call for cooling. This setup allows me to hold fermentation temps to within less that 0.5F of my target. When it comes time to crash cool, I simply set my fermenter for the target temperature and then program the cycle timers to drop the temp in stages. For instance between 70F and 50F I will set the timers to run the pump for 15 seconds every 10 minutes. This allows me to gradually crash over the course of a day or so. I have to increase the duty cycle of the pumps to get to my final crash temps.

I understand now, thanks for the explanation. My Inkbirds ITC-308 WIFI have a 1F cooling difference value and I really haven't experienced the 2-2.4F temp swing that you have experienced.

Below are a couple of pics showing the current temp and the recent trend line on my bright tank.

@30_Ounce, any update from MB regarding your situation?

 

[30_Ounce]

Fourth one is the charm! Maybe... This unit arrived in excellent condition, double boxed and everything. I set it upright (it was shipped on it's side) Thursday night and Saturday morning (this morning) I filled it with RO water and glycol and turn it on and it beeps. I have no idea why. There are no instructions except for the STC-1000 controllers.

 

[Advance]

Does the stc-1000 controller display "EE" on the lcd? Does the compressor and fan run at all? It sounds like you might have a bad connection for the controllers temperature probe. Read the error description part of the stc-1000 manual if you have it. If not it should be readily available online.

 

[30_Ounce]

I figured it out. Turns out I need all the temp probes connected, that stops the beeping. Strangely even turning the individual temp controllers off didn't stop the beeping...the chiller motor took about a minute to start which also confused me. everything seems to be working now.

 

[CodeSection]

.....I filled it with RO water and glycol and turn it on and it beeps. I have no idea why. There are no instructions except for the STC-1000 controllers.

I figured it out. Turns out I need all the temp probes connected, that stops the beeping. Strangely even turning the individual temp controllers off didn't stop the beeping...the chiller motor took about a minute to start which also confused me. everything seems to be working now.

I'm glad you figured it out. FYI, there are instructions on MB's website at the bottom BrewBuilt™ IceMaster Max 4 Glycol Chiller | MoreBeer. In addition, there is a short video on the set-up with a comment regarding the beeping and the solution as well .

Hopefully, you are set to go without anymore problems or issues. So, just curious, what was you RO water/glycol mix?

 

[30_Ounce]

I used 1.5 gallons glycol and 6.5 gallons RO water.

 

[CodeSection]

I used 1.5 gallons glycol and 6.5 gallons RO water.

Perfect! So many HBT members put in as much as a 50/50 split when it is clearly not needed. The link below shows your mixture's freezing point to be roughly 18F. So, if you have a 10F delta, you should easily crash to 28F.

Personally, my mixture is 2/6 (25%/75%) which more than enough.

https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/propylene-glycol-d_363.html

 

[jekeane]

ours arrived with a bad probe. a bad probe mean the thing beeps constantly and loudly at that even if that controller is off. More beer attempted to be helpful but they are out of stock on probes, which meant they had to send a whole new unit from CA to FL. I took the probe home and soldered it which fixed the issue.
I am pretty amazed that the controllers are all linked like christmas lights. Its terrible design but is part of why the price is likely so much less that others.

On a side note when you turn the damn thing on all the pumps turn on and blast the glycol out the bulkheads if you havent pre assembled the hoses.

 

[30_Ounce]

I learned all this the hard way yesterday! A few simple instructions would go a long way. The instructions on MoreBeer website is cryptic at best...it says all probes must be plugged in or you will get an error code...not that the damn thing will scream and holler with endless beeps until you figure out that error code means beeps! I also discovered if the power goes out that when it comes back on all the controllers will come on and the pumps will start after a minute or so. I'm making loops for the unused controllers right now.

 

[Advance]

That sounds like a bad design. It would mean the unit defaults to running the pumps while waiting for some input/signal to come online during power up. If the component sending this signal fails it would mean the pumps would run indefinitely as long as the unit has power. Be sure to keep tubing connected to the input and output of each pump if this is the case.

 

[Advance]

I'm having a hard time visualizing your setup. Can you provide pics? Thanks!

Here are those pics I promised. The four toggle switches are three position. The positions are normal, off, and program. The off position cuts power to the pump even if the FV is calling for cooling. The status LED is also turned off to reflect this state. The normal position will run the pump and turn the status LED blue. The cycle timer will come on and turned off as the FV calls for cooling, but the status LED will remain lit as long as the switch is in this mode. The program position will turn the status LED red. Power is sent to the cycle timer in this position but not to the pump. This allows for the timer to be programed without running the pump. Each FV is connected to the rear of the glycol chiller using quick connect aviation style connectors, as shown.

 

[CodeSection]

Wow! @Advance , nice set-up!

 

[CodeSection]

I learned all this the hard way yesterday! A few simple instructions would go a long way. The instructions on MoreBeer website is cryptic at best...it says all probes must be plugged in or you will get an error code...not that the damn thing will scream and holler with endless beeps until you figure out that error code means beeps! I also discovered if the power goes out that when it comes back on all the controllers will come on and the pumps will start after a minute or so. I'm making loops for the unused controllers right now.

That stinks! You are much more patient than I am at this point. Personally, I would return the unit with that type of operating "defect".

While the loops will be a solution, what about the constant wear and tear and the controllers and pumps that are not being used to chill anything? Depending upon where you live, you may not have power outages. Do I understand correctly, even with the loops installed, you still would have to go to the unit to turn off the controllers and pumps when power was restored?

 

[30_Ounce]

The controllers seem to remember their last setting even when the power is interrupted so setting the controllers to say 100 f should keep them from turning on unless your ambient temp is above that. I still think there should be a way to turn off the controllers so they don't need the probes attached. Like Advance did above.

 

[Advance]

Keep in mind the LCD's on my unit are not thermostats. They are cycle timers that control the duty cycle of each glycol pump. Thermostatic control is provided by the controllers that came with each FV. After looking at some images of the wiring setup on the icemaster max4 (from the above video). It looks like you could wire panel mount switch in series with the red +12VDC input wire on each controller board. This would allow you to turn off the controllers that you are not currently using, which would disable any pump operation. The user manual for the controllers can be downloaded from this amazon listing:

https://www.amazon.com/12V-Mini-Dig...7Z9DZR0RB65&psc=1&refRID=QA7A8486D7Z9DZR0RB65
The manual is located in the "downloads" drop down list under the images

It looks like you can disable the high temperature alarm, and set a delay function. The delay function should disable any pump function for a set time when the controllers power is restored. This function is usually used to prevent short cycling a compressor in the event of a interrupt in power service. This would stop your pumps from running immediately upon power up, giving you time to adjust your set temperature. If it were me, I would install a mini SPST switch for each of the controllers +12VDC power input wires. I would also use the delay function to disable the pumps for a couple minutes upon restoring power to the controllers. This would greatly improve the functionality of your system.

 

[Gregory T]

I'm looking to get a max 4 to go with my spike flex fermenters. I obviously need the coils and a thermowell. What type and size lines do I need? Are the Spike quick disconnects worth $15/set.

 

[30_Ounce]

I used 3/8 flex line from Lowes. I also got SS Brewtech quick disconnect which I love! If the Spikes are like that would recommend them.

 

[Gregory T]

I used 3/8 flex line from Lowes. I also got SS Brewtech quick disconnect which I love! If the Spikes are like that would recommend them.

okay thanks...from one of your posts it talked about all pumps running on start up. I am currently only cooling 2 fermenters, so I guess I just hook the outputs back to the input then turn the temperature up as you mentioned?

 

[30_Ounce]

That is what I did. I turned them up to 100 and and turned the unused controls off. You can turn off the unused controls but if there is a power failure they will all power on at restart. They do remember their set temp so that's a good thing.

 

[Gregory T]

That is what I did. I turned them up to 100 and and turned the unused controls off. You can turn off the unused controls but if there is a power failure they will all power on at restart. They do remember their set temp so that's a good thing.

Got my max 4. How do I change temperature from Celsius to Fahrenheit. And how do I set temperatures. Instructions are useless

 

[30_Ounce]

Got my max 4. How do I change temperature from Celsius to Fahrenheit. And how do I set temperatures. Instructions are useless

Your controllers are different than mine! The bottom one that controls the glycol is not able to change from C to F as far as I know. But if you look at the pictures of my controllers for the fermenters the bottom buttons toggle between C and F.

 

[Gregory T]

Your controllers are different than mine! The bottom one that controls the glycol is not able to change from C to F as far as I know. But if you look at the pictures of my controllers for the fermenters the bottom buttons toggle between C and F.

i see that gonna probably start a new thread i have no idea how to set these i did manage to turn 1 off somehow, now it wont come on