HOW TO PREPARE YOUR ICE MACHINE FOR SUMMER WEATHER

Can you confidently guarantee that your customers will have all the ice they want this summer?

If you want to answer yes, consider how ready your ice equipment is for hot weather. Heat, both in the air and water, can slow or limit ice machine production and even lead to breakdowns. The last thing you need on a sweltering July day is a broken ice machine and a bunch of irritated customers with lukewarm drinks.

Here’s what to check out when preparing your ice equipment for this year’s hottest months.

Was Your Ice Machine Properly Installed?

Optimizing your ice machine’s summer performance starts with correct installation. A big downside of having a refrigeration or HVAC company install your ice machine or doing it yourself is the higher probability of placing the ice machine in a bad spot.

Ice machine experts always take the DEWS (Drain, Electrical, Water, and Space) into account when performing an installation. The space you put an ice machine in will determine how much, if at all, summer temperatures affect the unit. Place an ice machine in the wrong spot, and it will produce less ice or even break down come summertime.

When choosing the Space for your ice machine, it’s important to think about temperature control and air quality. Ice machines should not be installed outdoors, indoors where there isn’t air conditioning, in hot kitchens, or next to heat-producing appliances like ovens, furnaces, and water heaters. Your goal is to keep your ice equipment as cool as possible. Installing it in an area of your business that consistently runs warm is asking for trouble.

If you need an ice machine at your warehouse, bakery, pizzeria, or brewery, no matter where you install it, the air quality will negatively impact the machine due to higher levels of grease, yeast, dirt, and grime. These contaminants can accumulate inside the ice machine and trap heat, leading to the same problems you would see if the ice machine’s environment was too warm. If you haven’t already had your ice machine professionally cleaned this year, do it before summer begins, and consider scheduling more than two maintenance visits annually.

If you think your ice machine should be re-installed in a different location, now is the time to call your local ice machine service company and schedule the move! Don’t wait until it’s over 100 degrees outside.

Is the Air Cool Enough?

Most businesses that use a commercial ice machine have an air-cooled model. Air-cooled ice machines use the air in their environment to cool the refrigerant enough to make ice. The hotter the air around the ice machine, the harder it must work. Manufacturers instruct users to keep the ambient temperature in your ice machine’s location no warmer than 70°F to ensure maximum ice production.

To keep the air around your ice equipment cool enough, you should: continued on page 122

• Keep the thermostat in the ice machine’s room set to 70°F or below, especially during business hours.

• Make sure the ice machine’s room has proper ventilation, especially in the machine’s immediate vicinity.

• Do not allow clutter to accumulate on or around the ice machine, as it will trap the hot air the ice machine expels. Always keep a foot of clear space on all sides of the unit.

By David Joseph, co-founder, DAVO by Avalara