About 90% of ice machine repair in
In areas with very bad water the machine may run only a couple of months. In areas with very good water, it may run a couple of years. In all cases, neglecting the machine will lead to a costly ice machine repair.
Why Ice Machines Need To Be Cleaned
The part of the ice machine is called the evaporator. First it gets cold to make the ice. Then it is warmed to allow the ice to fall off. Minerals in the water build up on the surface of the evaporator. This is called scale. The scale makes it harder for the ice to be released from the evaporator. When the scale build up is great enough, the ice is not released in the allowable amount of time. Then a safety shuts the machine down. The purpose of the safety is to prevent compressor failure.
In a day or two the ice is low and the machine looks dead. If the machine is reset it will soon shut down again. To the equipment owner, the machine is as dead as it would be if it needed a major ice machine repair. All it really needs is a cleaning. Anytime your ice machine stops working, clean it. This will save you a lot of money. First you need to learn how to distinguish a need for cleaning from a need for sanitizing.
It’s Not Dirty, It’s Slimy
The brown slime in ice machines is caused by air borne yeast. It comes from beer, baking yeast and brewing yeast. There is also a small amount of yeast in the air naturally. Cleaning will not cure this problem. Cleaning only removes the scale from the evaporator. It will not kill the yeast. In a week or so it will be back.
There are commercial sanitizers for killing yeast. You can also follow the manufacturers’ directions and use bleach and water. The process is the same as cleaning the machine. In addition, you must also spray and wipe every surface in the machine. If you miss any surface, the yeast will return. High yeast environments like breweries may need to sanitize monthly.
Like any other equipment, ice machine needs to be maintained properly and should be taken care of. If not given the appropriate care and maintenance, it is likely that it will malfunction and eventually will need a professional ice machine repair technician in Illinois. If that situation arises, you need to have the Ice Machine repairs done right the first time. Count on Northeast Cooling for Quality Refrigeration Repairs. Northeast Cooling has specialized in Commercial Refrigeration and Ice Machine sales, service and repair for more than 15 years.
