Maxi 110 set up help (Fermentation cooling)

Wondering if anyone can advise on a MAxi 110 cooler that I have before i start trying to pull it apart

I purchased it second hand as part of a package and it was already set up and working as fermentation cooler (although with a rather weird heating system set up with it which i have removed - see thread here - Maxi chiller for FV help (bit of a long one))

The unit has been "Hacked" with a STC 1000 and set up for this exact use (according to previous owner)

I have set it up with a large seed heat mat which is wrapped around the conical and connected to the IEC plug input on the front of the unit

Filled with water to test (up to where it starts coming from the overflow pipe) and switched on

Here is where the (possible) problem lies

The unit is supposed to recircluate cool water from the top two pipes (in and out) around the conicals inner metal coil how ever the unit is not recirculating anything at all

It switches on and runs fine - I can hear the fans working and the top of the white pump seen in the pic below just above the filling hole spins

Its reading temp from the fermentors thermo well perfectly

so basically there is nothing circulating around the cooling coils - nothing coming from the unit - I have attached small pieces of pipe and put in a jug to check and nothing is coming out of it (also check the other side just in case i got them the wrong way around )

Question -

Does the unit only recirculate when its down to temp or should it be running at all times?

I can see on the STC that its running "cool" mode but im thinking the unit must need to get down to temp first possibly?

Or is something broken and the recirculation should be happening at all times or does it need to get down to temp before it starts recirculating ?

Any help much appreciated

Pics below

Just to add a bit more info

Have connected all the pipes back up to the fermenter coil and turned the unit on - have taken temp measurements of the water in the tank and set the STC to 8c to see if it cools

The compressor has kicked on but nothing is being pumped yet

Checked the pipes by blowing and sucking on them - input to the unit you can blow or suck with no issue how ever output feels blocked as no air going in or out

Will leave it running and see what it does

Also found this in the manual -


3.2b) Units fitted with a still water recirculation
pump
The connections are sited on the front of the cooler.
To allow the cooler to operate during installation and
form an ice reserve, any pump connections for still
water recirculation must be looped together with
pipe. This will prevent water being pumped from the
water bath. The cooler can now be switched ON.
Time to create an ice reserve is between 2 to 5 hours
depending on unit type and ambient temperature


3.3b) For coolers fitted with a still water
recirculation pump
Switch the cooler OFF and disconnect the loop
previously fitted.
The connections are to be made to the python water
recirculation lines. The other end of the python must
have these two python tubes connected to allow the
water to recirculate from the cooler water bath through
the python, enabling the product in the python to
remain cool


So am working on the assumtion it needs to create the ice bank in the unit before it starts cooling ?

Will see what it does over the next few hours

I know nothing about this bit of gear, but there’s a lot of stuff about it on this site:

https://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=76968
Enjoy!
:hat: