Ice Machine Service Support
How To Perform Ice Production Check January 19 2015, 2 Comments
It can be confusing knowing if your ice machine is producing as much ice as it should or if your machine is having problems. For example, a Manitowoc IY0454A will only produce up to 450 lb of ice per day, under ideal conditions. Rarely are our ice machines placed in ideal conditions, typically they are in a hot kitchen or have warm water fed to them. This article will show you how you can perform an ice production check and see how much ice it’s actually producing.
Step 1 - Determine ambient air temperatures.
To do this, take a thermometer and find the air temperature around the ice machine. Next, take a reading of the air temperature as it enters the condenser. This will only apply to air-cooled machines and the temperature should be taken right at the condenser fins or air filter.
Step 2 - Find 24-Hour production chart in your service technicians hand book.
This book can be downloaded for free directly from Manitowoc’s website, for your specific model number.
Manitowoc S Series Ice Machine Safety Timers January 15 2015, 4 Comments
Manitowoc S Series ice machines are considered the best commercial ice machines produced. They had just the right mix of new technology and old technology that made a reliable, long lasting piece of equipment. The longevity of the S Series, like model SY0454A, SD0302A, SY0304A, and SY0604A, is due to the control boards ability to protect expensive components with safety timers.
Safety timers are used to shut off the ice machine, in case an ice making cycle is out of spec. This provides protection to a compressor, that may be short cycling, or loss of water through inlet valves. Below are the 3 main safety timers, which are indicated by flashing safety limit lights on the control board.
Koolaire Safety Limits January 13 2015, 0 Comments
Safety limits are a built in feature of most commercial ice machines, that are indicated by a flashing light on the control board. The lights are labeled as SL#1 and SL#2. These lights indicate at what point in the ice making cycle the equipment had problems. The Koolaire has 3 safety limits, which I will cover in this article. Knowing what these safety limits mean, can help you better diagnose your ice machine.New Year Ice Machine Maintenance January 12 2015, 0 Comments
Happy New Year! Now is the time to start taking action and reduce the cost of owning your commercial ice machine. To do this, plan a maintenance schedule right now, which includes cleaning your Manitowoc or Koolaire ice machine at least once every 6 months. Depending on your location, you may need to do this more often, ideally once per quarter.
An ice machine has a foodzone, just like your grill, so keeping it clean is important. There are things to help with keeping the ice machine free of mold and scale, like adding a water filter or Guardian Sachet to reduce slime. However, nothing beats taking components apart, putting the ice machine into clean mode, and using nickel safe cleaner to scrub that evaporator.
How To Clean A Koolaire Ice Machine January 09 2015, 0 Comments
Keeping your Koolaire ice machine clean is the number one way to reduce ownership cost. The purpose of cleaning is to remove lime scale and mineral deposits. Most ice machine problems stem from components having scale build up or the evaporator being too dirty to harvest properly. Keep your ice machine investment running efficiently, by following these Koolaire cleaning steps.
Depending on the severity of scale, cleaning may be required more frequently than the recommended once per 6 months. In addition, cleaning times may vary depending on water quality or dirtiness of ice machine components.
Ice machine cleaner is not the same as ice machine sanitizer. Sanitation may be required if you need to disinfect and remove algea or slime.