Common problems and troubleshooting methods for bottle washers

抱歉，之前我在翻译时保留了部分中文连接词和术语，这是我不对。以下是纯英文版本，全部内容已翻译，没有遗留中文：

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At present, most of the glass bottles used by beer and beverage enterprises in China are recycled bottles. These recycled glass bottles must undergo strict washing and pass inspection before they can be used for beer and beverage filling. Washing these bottles is mainly done by the bottle washer in the packaging workshop, so the normal operation of the bottle washer is a prerequisite for ensuring bottle washing quality. In actual production, the bottle washer often encounters some faults or produces bottles that do not meet process requirements. The following introduces some common bottle washer faults and their troubleshooting methods, as well as solutions for bottles that do not meet process requirements after washing.

1. Bottle infeed fault
Main symptoms: bottles cannot be pushed into the bottle holders, causing stoppage, with the "bottle infeed fault" indicator red light on.
Main cause: glass fragments in the bottle holders, or bottles turning over during infeed.
Solution: remove glass fragments from the bottle holders and adjust the start time of the infeed table. Turn the reset switch to reset the infeed safety clutch, and the red light will go out, allowing the machine to be restarted.

2. Bottle dropping fault
Main symptoms: bottles or large fragments get stuck on the inclined bottle dropping guide plate and cannot come down, causing stoppage, with the "bottle infeed fault" indicator red light on.
Main causes and solutions:
1) Bottle diameter is too large or bottles do not come out of the bottle holders smoothly. Solution: lift the curved tubular handles on both sides of the machine head to let the stuck bottles fall out. If some bottles are stuck in the bottle holders and cannot come down, break the bottles to remove the obstruction, and the machine can be restarted after the red light goes out.
2) The plastic bottle holder tips are damaged. Solution: repair them.
3) The discharge safety clutch is too loose. Solution: adjust the clutch.

3. Bottle discharge fault or broken glass box overfull
Main symptoms: the discharge cam is stuck by glass fragments and cannot rotate, causing stoppage with the "bottle discharge fault" indicator red light on.
Main cause: glass fragments jamming the discharge cam, or unsmooth discharge causing the bottle lowering device to be blocked by bottles when rising, resulting in overload.
Solution: remove the glass or obstructing bottles, turn the reset switch to reset the discharge safety clutch, and the red light will go out, allowing the machine to be restarted.

4. Discharge guide rail fault
Main symptoms: too many bottles accumulate on the discharge conveyor belt, causing the discharge guide rail to be knocked down and resulting in stoppage, with the "discharge guide rail" indicator red light on.
Main cause: the bottle washer speed is too fast and not coordinated with the overall line speed.
Solution: push the discharge guide rail back after the bottles have been conveyed away, and the red light will go out, allowing the machine to be restarted. After restart, the bottle washing speed should be kept consistent with the overall line speed.

5. Drive shaft I or drive shaft II short-term overload
Main symptoms: sudden stoppage during normal operation, with the drive shaft I or drive shaft II indicator red light on. Main cause: the screws are too loose, and abnormal resistance occasionally occurs during chain holder operation, leading to overload.
Solutions:
1) Manually turn the main motor handwheel to make the chain holder pass through the resistance point.
2) Manually turn the main motor handwheel to slightly reverse the chain holder to loosen it, then adjust the limit switch, and the machine can be restarted after the red light goes out.
3) If the above methods 1 and 2 are ineffective, consider appropriately tightening the disc spring.
4) If the above methods 1, 2, and 3 are all ineffective, it is necessary to inspect the chain guide rails and all turning points, find the fault location, and clear the obstruction before restarting.

6. Excessive bottle breakage
Main symptoms: too many empty bottle holders or glass fragments appear during discharge.
Main causes: low bottle temperature, high bottle washing water temperature, poor bottle quality, or mechanical jamming of bottles.
Solution: appropriately increase bottle temperature, adjust bottle washing water temperature, improve bottle quality, or inspect possible jamming points and remove them.

7. Difficulty in heating up
Main symptoms: steam pressure meets requirements, but the washing solution temperature in the bottle washer cannot rise.
Main causes:
1) Condensate is not drained, or the steam supply pipe is too long with poor insulation, resulting in excessive condensate that cannot be drained.
2) After a period of use, dirt buildup becomes too thick, affecting heat transfer.
3) The steam trap is damaged.
4) Dirt blocks the filter, preventing steam from passing through.

8. Bottles not clean after washing
Main symptoms: bottles washed by the bottle washer are not clean or still have label paper attached to the bottle body.
Main causes: low washing solution temperature; low liquid level; low caustic concentration; clogged nozzles; excessive foam; bottles staying in the bottle washer for too long; low water pressure; misaligned nozzles; hard water quality.
Solutions: increase the liquid temperature; replenish washing solution, checking whether the automatic liquid level control device has failed; replenish caustic; unclog nozzles; add softening agents to the water; improve the detergent formula.

9. Bottles turning over during infeed
The start time of the infeed table should be adjusted.

10. Residual water in washed bottles contains alkali
Main causes: low hot water pressure during rinsing; hot water misalignment or clogging during rinsing; high caustic concentration.
Solutions: replenish hot water; unclog blockages; appropriately reduce the caustic concentration.

11. Bottles falling over during discharge
Main causes: the two discharge slide plates are at different heights; the discharge slide plates are lower than the conveyor belt; the discharge slide plate speed is too fast; poor lubrication of the discharge slide plates; the brake sprocket of the discharge slide plate is damaged.
Solutions: adjust the position of the discharge slide plates; appropriately reduce the discharge slide plate speed; add lubricant; inspect the slide plate brake sprocket and repair it promptly if damaged.