Ice, Ice, Baby: 4 Essential Considerations to Keep Your Ice Maker at Its Prime

Discover the unseen heroes in stores, restaurants and cafes – automated ice makers. 

Crafting ice 24/7, these machines cater to diverse preferences. But,  there are important considerations for owning and operating these machines regardless of design type.

For owners, understanding crucial considerations is key to avoiding problems.

Ready to elevate your ice game? Uncover insights that turn you into an ice master, no matter your expertise. 

1. Filtered Water

Clean filtered water is imperative for equipment longevity, quality ice, and consistent ice production.  Cleaner the better is my mantra, and .05-micron filters are most widely used and a minimum standard in my opinion.

2. Maintenance

Maintenance means regularly cleaning the condenser, storage bin, and ice plates to maintain consistent production rates. The cleaner the water, the less maintenance required. We should note that the more scale that is present from dirty water, the shorter the equipment life, the lower the production rate, and more water required to make ice. A typical ice machine uses 150 lbs. of water to make 100 lbs. of ice. A poor running machine can use 250+ lbs. of water to produce 100 lbs. of ice. 

3. Equipment location

There are essential tips for installing an ice machine in any setting. Ensure equipment has adequate air ventilation for the condenser, and preferably not in the cooking area where grease is airborne gumming up condenser fins, or near flour production with airborne yeast in the air that quickly aids mold production within the equipment. 

4. Warranty

Consider the warranty when purchasing an ice machine. The main purpose of the warranty is to cover expensive repairs, such as the compressor, condenser and evaporator. So if the equipment has a 5 year parts and labor warranty for those items, always ask, or remind their contractors that the unit is under warranty. Once the warranty expires, expensive repairs often drive the replacement Vs repair decision. 

Commercial Refrigeration Ice Machines

There are many other considerations when considering ice machines. Be sure your supplier and maintenance company are up to speed on everything ice maker related.

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