June is right around the corner and being that it is the sixth month of the year its a perfect time to do a little preventative maintenance on your commercial ice machine . The things that I’m going to outline here will only take a few minutes to accomplish and will help keep the ice flowing during the busy summer months ahead.
Change the water filter
Changing your water filter every six months will ensure that it operates at peak performance year round. Water filters serve several purposes when paired with your commercial ice machine; they reduce unpleasant tastes and odors, they filter out sediment that can lead to clogs and downtime as well as removing unwanted minerals that can create deposits on the evaporator which tends to be a cause of inconsistent ice production.
Clean Air Filter
Most air cooled commercial ice machines have a reusable air filter that will need to be cleaned. Like the filter in your HVAC system over time it will become clogged with dust and other airborne debris; this will “choke” the ice machine and in turn it will not be able to draw the correct amount of air needed to cool the mechanical components. Over heating of the refrigeration components can lead to decreased ice production and even bigger/more expensive problems down the road.
Clean Condenser
Now this step can be a little tricky… over time dust will accumulate on the condenser and prevent it from cooling the refrigerant properly and thus putting a strain on the mechanical refrigeration components, ultimately causing wear and tear that will lead to potentially expensive repairs. The easiest way to remove the build up from the condenser is to use compressed air… with that said let me warn you… this will make a mess and depending where your ice machine is located you may want to try and us a vacuum cleaner to remove the dust, just be careful not to damage the condenser.
Check connections for Corrosion and leaks
This is a pretty simple step, a quick glance inside the machine and you should be able to notice any corrosion on the electrical connections or leaks around the water lines, pump, etc… If you notice any leaks or corrosion you should contact your local service agent for further inspection.
Use ice machine cleaner
Most commercial ice machines these days are equipped with a cleaning system that will cycle a cleaning solution through the ice machine and remove the mineral deposits and other build up in the system. You will need to consult your owners manual or the manufacturer to ensure you use the proper cleaning solution for your machine.
While there are more in depth tasks that should be done routinely they are best performed by an authorized service agent. I would recommend that you have a service tech go over your machine with a fine tooth comb once a year to ensure that all components are in good condition and operating properly. By performing the 5 simple tasks outlined above you can save quite a bit of money over the life of your commercial ice machine, but keep in mind safety is of the utmost importance and its a good idea to disconnect the power before “servicing” your machine.
At J.E.S. Restaurant Equipment we sell commercial ice machines from Scotsman , Ice-O-Matic , Hoshizaki and Manitowoc as well as water filters and cleaning solutions for each manufacturer. We also sell restaurant supplies wholesale so give us a call today and let J.E.S. be the one stop shop for all your commercial restaurant equipment and smallware needs.