Some Helpful Tips For
Ice Machine Maker Care
The typical restaurant or tavern operator does not have any idea how their ice machine works and normally pays no attention to the ice machine until it quits working and making ice.
The only thing an operator needs to see is a "total bin" of ice whenever they need a scoop of ice. However, a
commercial ice machine needs some routine TLC to ensure it runs efficiently, creates the maximum amount of ice daily, and doesn't break down. In the world of ice machines, a clean machine is a happy machine.
Some refrigeration repair specialists will tell you that 90% of all ice machine dilemmas are self-inflicted. They could have been prevented. Whatever the amount is, we know that generally this really is true. What exactly can the operator do?
Frequently cleaned ice machines will create more rapidly, have tougher blocks and in greater quantity per day. Below are some easy things to do.
1) Clean your ice bin every month - If you haven't cleaned in a while you might be surprised at what you find at the bottom of the bin, assuming you don't run out of ice on a regular basis.
- Remove the old ice and kept in a walk-in freezer.
- Clean the inside of the bin with a solution of warm water and a mild detergent. You may add a 1/2 cup of bleach to this solution to remove any "brown slime" that's formed. Rinse completely after washing and dry the bin.
2) What's "brownish slime"? - It develops from special kinds of yeast like airborne yeast from beer or baking yeast. That is especially common in pubs.
3) Change your water filter every 6 months - This ensures your machine gets pure water to freeze and the purest water freezes first.
- If you don't have water filtration in the building or at the ice machine...get a water filter for your ice machine.
- Follow the instructions carefully when replacing your water filter. For instance, if you use certain filters they need to be "pre-activated". That means you need to run it for a period of time (generally 5 minutes) to activate the charcoal in the cartridge. Not activating the filter can cause the filter to be 50% less efficient in removing minerals and other materials. There are exceptions...3M water filters, for example, don't require "activation". This critical step is often missed so the operator ends up spending money on a filter that's not doing the job it was designed to do. So pre-activate your water filter or purchase 3M water filters... it is that simple!
4) Clean the evaporator every 6 months - The evaporator is the plate the ice forms on. When minerals begin to deposit (precipitate) on the evaporator the ice will not fall off the plate (harvest) as easily as it should. So it runs longer, creation falls and other difficulties can happen. A signal that an ice machine evaporator must be cleaned is the ice in the bin is "bridging" that is to say, several pieces of ice are joined together. A cleaning of the evaporator or a quick adjustment by a professional service agent will mend that issue.. If you must bridge, your ice machine is operating at less than best conditions.
- Use a "nickel safe" cleanser and sanitizer to clean your evaporator. Your cleaning supplies supplier is going to have suitable product.
5) Conditions - Make sure your
ice machine is located in a "cool place". Often times they truly are tucked into corners of rooms or in little rooms (like hotel ice dispensers) where they "eat their own heat". The higher the ambient air temperature and the water temperature the less ice your machine will make each day. In winter months, you may get 50F water from your tap, but in the summertime, the temperature is 70F from the tap. It is going to make a difference in generation.
6) Clean the condenser coils - Frequently times blown off, these are located on the side or back of the machine. The hot gas which carries heat goes here to condense back to liquid. It gives up the heat that it required from the water to make ice.
The principles of any refrigeration system are "it doesn't make cold...it removes heat". The condenser removes the heat. When it isn't clean or becomes clogged they need to be cleaned with a coil cleanser.
So it isn't hard to keep your ice machine running in top form. It just wants some consideration. In the final analysis, the easiest way to accomplish this is to get on a PM application with a commercial refrigeration business in your town that'll come out and do all of these things for you and a regularly scheduled basis. It is not expensive and it saves you money!
To find out more about ice machines and all kinds of
ice machine maker, visit Snowkey Australia site at
http://snowkey.com.au.
Snowkey Australia is one of the leading
ice machine makers in the Australian market. Reliable and high quality machines with a top notch customer support that you would really adore. You may call
Snowkey Australia on 61 1300 423 423 or 61 1300 ICE ICE. You may also see our shop at 8/93 Pearson Road Yatala QLD 4207.
