Hissing or a Gas Smell Near an Ice Machine on R-290
An ice machine hissing or gas smell shows up as a thin, steady hiss from behind the grille that does not stop when the cycle changes, a faint gas odor in a small bar storeroom, or an oily smudge by the tubing under the head.
Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm
- Clear the area first
- 5 questions that narrow it
- 6 causes, cheapest first
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Gas smell? Everyone out, no switches. No gas: close the water, breaker off at a dry panel
A gas smell near a machine on R-290 means leave first: no switches, no flame, doors and windows open, 911 if the smell is strong. A steady hiss with no smell is still a same-day call and a room kept open to the air; a short hiss that follows the cycle is normal.
What it
usually means.
Many ice machines built in the last few years carry R-290, which is propane, as the gas that does the cooling, because it is efficient and kind to the climate. The charge in a self-contained machine is small and sealed in copper tubing and brazed joints, and makers build these machines so that a leak is very unlikely to ignite. Unlikely is not never: a leak into a small, closed room, near a pilot light, an open flame or a switch that sparks, is the one case where the gas matters. The data plate on the machine names the gas, and machines on R-290 carry a flammable-gas marking. Older machines use gases such as R-404A that do not burn but still leave the machine without cooling when they leak. Not every hiss is gas: an inlet valve filling the sump hisses, and so does the hot gas valve at harvest, for a few seconds at a time. A steady hiss with the machine standing still, or any gas odor, is treated as a leak. Nobody should hunt for it or open the tubing.
The 6 causes, cheapest first
Answer these first
Is the hiss steady and continuous, or does it come for a few seconds at harvest or while water is filling?
Is there any gas smell in the room, and is the room small or poorly ventilated?
What does the data plate say about the gas: R-290, or another number such as R-404A?
Is there an oily patch on the tubing, the floor or the base under the head?
Is there a gas cooking appliance, a pilot light or a heater with a flame in the same room?
Check these
before you book.
Ice machine hissing or gas smell: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything.
If you smell gas near the ice machine, do not flip any switch, unplug anything, use the phone in that room or light anything.
Put out any open flame you can reach without passing the machine, open doors and windows on your way, and get everyone out of the room.
Switch the breaker off only if the panel is outside that room; otherwise leave it alone.
Also worth checking
- Call 911 from outside if the smell is strong, and keep everyone away until the room has aired out.
- With no smell and only a steady hiss, keep flames and sparks away, open the room to fresh air, and book a visit; never touch or open the tubing.
The causes,
cheapest first.
6 things hissing or a gas smell near an ice machine on r-290 turns out to be, from the normal hiss of filling water or a harvest to a leak on a remote condenser line.
The cost guide-
01 no repair
The normal hiss of filling water or a harvest
The inlet valve hisses as the sump fills, and the hot gas valve hisses briefly as harvest begins. A sound that lasts seconds and repeats with the cycle, with no smell, is how the machine works.
-
02 no repair
A gas leak from something else in the room
In a kitchen or bar a gas smell may come from a cooking line, a water heater or a patio heater, not from the ice machine. Leave and call 911 or the gas utility either way; the source is found after everyone is safe.
-
03 moderate
A worn Schrader core or access valve
The service ports on the sealed system can seep slowly after years of vibration. A technician finds the leak with a detector made for flammable gas and seals it with the right tools.
-
04 moderate to highest
A tube rubbing through against the frame
Constant vibration from the compressor lets a copper line wear against a bracket until it opens. The line is repaired and the system recharged, following the rules for R-290.
-
05 moderate to highest
A leak at a brazed joint or on the evaporator
Joints and the evaporator itself can crack after years of freezing and harvesting, and aggressive cleaners used against the manual can corrode them. The repair is weighed against the machine's age.
-
06 moderate to highest
A leak on a remote condenser line
Where the condenser sits on the roof, long line sets run through the building, and a leak can be far from the machine. Remote systems are larger and are traced from end to end.
What else
it could be.
Most often confused with ice machine running but not making ice, then ice machine making too little ice for the rush.
All problemsCodes that come with it
E11Manitowoc · Cooling systemE32True Residential · Cooling systemEr01U-Line · Cooling systemEr01Viking · Cooling system
Also related
The makes
it happens on.
20 makes on this site; hissing or a gas smell near an ice machine on r-290 can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page.
All 20 brandsHissing or a Gas Smell Near an Ice Machine on R-290,
where we come out.
9 metros, each with its own page.
All service areasTampa BayFL · 31 areas
Miami / South FloridaFL · 47 areas
New York MetroNY · 75 areas
HoustonTX · 36 areas
ChicagoIL · 50 areas
Los AngelesCA · 95 areas
San DiegoCA · 31 areas
Questions about
hissing or a gas smell near an ice machine on r-290.
How do I know if our ice machine runs on R-290?
Should I unplug the ice machine if I smell gas?
Is the hiss at every harvest a leak?
Can a leak on an R-290 ice machine be repaired?
Back to your everyday
Still seeing hissing or a gas smell near an ice machine on r-290?
Book with what you checked above — 5 answers save the technician the first part of the visit.