19 August 2009
7 Ice Maker Maintenance Tips: Beat the Heat and Keep Your Ice Machine Running
Posted by chefal under: Recession Tips & Tricks .
We’re smack in the middle of the hottest part of the summer and if your looking for relief you can move to northern Canada…or just grab a tall, icey, drink. So don’t forget that it’s essential that your kitchen has ice…and lots of it.
Ice is an essential ingredient in every kitchen and it should be treated as such. That’s why it’s important to maintain your ice machine so it can continually produce quality ice…for a long time.
Since it’s summer and we know your ice machine is working over time we’d like to offer you some key ice maker maintenance tips:
1. Do a Bi-Weekly Clean: Take some some every two weeks to clean your ice maker. First, remove all of the old ice and place it in a clean cooler. Now wipe it down with a mild detergent and rinse thoroughly. Next, sanitize the lines of machine–make sure you reference the machines manual for this, since each model has different rules (tip: most manuals are online). While you’re at it make sure the water filter isn’t clogged and or being blocked by sediment. If you do this regularly and right your ice machine will produce consist ice cubes that don’t shrink or develop an odd smell.
2. Know the Dangerous of Build-Up: If you haven’t been cleaning your ice machine properly…and regularly your machine may shut down suddenly. However, it might just be excess minerals stuck to the evaporator making it hard for it to release made ice into the tray. You can get around this problem by conducting a bi-weekly cleaning.
3. Stay on top of Brown Slime: Sometimes ice machines develop a brown slime which develops from all types of yeast such as: airborne yeast, beer, brewing yeast, and baking yeast. Simply scrubbing away the slime won’t solve the problem. You can invest in commercial sanitizers that kill yeast, consult your manufactures manual, or use bleach and water. Every surface of the machine needs to be scrubbed or else the slime yeast will return. Kitchens that are near high yeast areas need to clean their ice makers religiously.
4. Place Your Ice Maker in a Cool Place: Try to reserve the coolest part of your kitchen for your ice maker. The cooler the machine is the faster it will produce ice.
5. Replace Water Filters Regularly: Make sure you change the water filter every 6 months or so. Not only will this increase the quality of the ice, but also the speed in which it is produced.
6. Clean Condenser Coils: If your condenser coils are dirty than the temperature will increase and slow ice production. You can regularly clean your condenser coils as we explained here. However, if they are weighed down by grease–get your phone out and call a technician.
7. Set a Professional Cleaning Schedule: Add ice machine cleaning to your list of important kitchen jobs if it’s not on there already. We recommend you hire a certified technician to clean your ice maker every 6 months. Make sure your technician cleans the condenser, blows out the bin drain, replaces water filters, and adjusts the check-out. It’s better to be safe–than left with a warm soda on a 90-degree day!
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