04

Mar

What You Should Know Before Buying a Commercial Ice Maker

Every restaurant and café owner need commercial ice maker to serve chilled beverages to their customer. Commercial ice maker is an amazing equipment to harvest perfect ice cubes whenever required. According to commercial ice maker repair company, it is important to invest in the right ice machine to obtain the maximum benefit from the appliance. There are several types of commercial ice machines available on the market, but business owners need to select the right size, model, power and brand to fulfill the needs and requirements of their customers.

Selecting commercial ice machine

Commercial ice makers are just like other appliances, available in variety of size, model and price and styles. Depending on upgrades, features, and materials, their values are evaluated. Small business may simply require a basic version of ice machine, whereas restaurants with a large volume of customer base may need a big ice machine.  It is essential to understand your needs and requirements before purchasing the ice maker. Otherwise, you will end up with the wrong appliance in your kitchen.

When you think about purchasing the ice machine, you should better get some knowledge about the types of ice machines. Based on functionality, ice machines are categorized into two types –air cooled ice machines and water cooled ice machines. Air-cooled ice machines use an electric fan to operate. The fan keeps ice cold by cooling down the components of the appliance that get heated up during the refrigeration. On the other hand, water-cooled ice machines circulate water via the refrigeration system in order to reduce the heating inside the system. Air-cooled ice machines are considered more energy efficient, and can help in lowering your water and electricity costs. Whereas, Water-cooled ice machines are banned in some parts of the countries. Thus, you should do proper research before investing in any type of ice machine.

Ice machine brand and model is also important when you purchase one. Once you determine the size and type of ice machine you want, you need to think about the ice machine brand. You may find many reputable manufacturers in the market, but you need to select the best brand. Compare price, warranty, guarantee and services of different manufactures. You can also consult with a commercial ice maker repair Falls Church technician to learn more about the types, brands and models of ice machines.

14

Aug

How to Clean an Ice Machine

Ice is required in almost every food service setting, from bar, cafeteria, restaurant to nursing homes and hospitals. Since ice is important, so does ice machines. In order to obtain the continuous supply of ice, it is very much important to keep ice machine in tip-top condition. For that owners need to pay attention over commercial Ice maker repair and maintenance, because this appliance demands high maintenance to function.

Ice maker maintenance and cleaning

Ice machines are one of the most ignored appliances of the commercial kitchens. They are not cleaned for months, and used broken for years. While every ice machine has its own unique maintenance requirements, most have common maintenance process.

Why It’s Important to Clean an Ice Machine

The FDA categorizes ice as food, which means that ice should be maintained and cared same as other food products. No matter what kind of ice machine you have, it is imperative that you sanitize, clean and maintain it. Any component of your ice machine that come in direct contact with water can develop slime, scale or mold any time, which will affect the quality of ice.

Ice machines should be cleaned thoroughly at least once in six months for efficient operation. This is important to prevent any type of build-up on your appliance. If you avoid maintenance, scaling and other build-ups will directly impact the performance and efficiency of your appliance.

If you experience any of the below mentioned issues, you should schedule ice machine cleaning as soon as possible:

  • Ice machine is not releasing ice
  • Slow ice harvest
  • Ice quality is not up to the mark
  • Ice machine is producing shallow or incomplete ice cubes
  • Low ice capacity

It is possible to get rid of all these problems simply by cleaning your ice maker. On the other hand, avoiding cleaning even after all the warnings will aggravate the problem.

While cleaning your ice machine make sure you follow the instructions written in user’s manual properly. Different ice machines are cleaned in different manner. Some manufacturers recommend specific cleaning products to be used with their machines.

In case you notice ice machine problems even after paying attention over maintenance and cleaning, you should contact Scotsman Ice machine repairs Falls Church technicians for proper inspection. A certified technician will solve your problems in no time.