Why is Your Hoshizaki Ice Maker Beeping?
From restaurants and movie theaters to hospitals and schools, ice is vital to keeping any commercial kitchen running. Hoshizaki is one of the mainstays in making ice, manufacturing a wide variety of models that create different cubes or special shapes. So when you hear your Hoshizaki ice machine beeping, there certainly is reason to pause. But fear not!
These machines have several audible beep patterns associated with specific issues, meaning you can easily identify the problem at a moment's notice. In certain cases, the problems are even easy to resolve on your own. Here are some common Hoshizaki ice machine troubleshooting tips.
Hoshizaki Ice Machine Troubleshooting Guide
When your Hoshizaki ice machine is beeping, you’ll want to make sure you know how to diagnose the issue so you can repair it in no time. Here’s a breakdown of Hoshizaki beep codes to help you out:
- 1 Beep: High Temperature Safety Warning - These units have a built-in function that prevents the unit from damage due to excessively high temperatures. The ice maker will shut down when the thermistor hits 127 degrees Fahrenheit. This can be caused by hot water in the unit, a shorted thermistor, hot gas valve complication or a control board relay issue.
- 2 Beeps: Long Harvest Cycle - This alarm is warning you that that machine ran 20-minute harvest cycles, resulting in two beeps and an orange LED marked "20 min." This can be caused by thermostatic expansion valve leaks, an open thermistor, an unopened HGV or a compressor defect.
- 3 Beeps: Long Freeze Cycle - A Hoshizaki ice machine will beep 3 times if the freeze cycle is taking longer than 60 minutes. This typically happens if the float switch doesn’t open to begin the harvest. This can be caused by a stuck float switch or water valve, hot gas valve leaks, low refrigerant or compressor issues.
- 4 or 5 Beeps: Circuit Issues on Mechanical Bin Sensor - This issue exists on older Hoshizaki models featuring a mechanical bin control. The four-beep alarm sounds when the bin control's K-4 connector has a short circuit. If five beeps occur, then the bin control's K-4 connector has an open circuit. These beeps are heard on KM-280, KM-500, KM-630 and KM-900 models.
- 6 or 7 Beeps: Incorrect Voltage Supply - When voltage dips below 92 volts +/- 5 percent, the unit will sound a six-beep alarm and the control board will automatically shut down. The machine will restart once the correct voltage is restored. When voltage exceeds 147 volts +/- 5 percent, a seven-beep alarm will sound and the unit will shutdown.
- 8 Beeps: De-Energized Gear Motor Relay - The compressor relay won't energize, forcing the machine to shut down both the compressor and gear motor relays. Turning the unit on and off will manually reset the issue.
- 9 Beeps: Bin Control Check - This alarm will sound at the risk of an overfilling ice storage bin. When the mechanical bin control indicates that the storage bin is full, the proximity switch opens and the control board shuts down the machine. Turning the machine on and off will manually reset the problem.
How to Reset a Hoshizaki Ice Machine
The Hoshizaki ice machine reset button is typically located on the ice maker's control board next to a yellow and orange light. With the power on, press the button while the board is beeping. The machine should begin the startup process.
Check out Parts Town's large selection of Hoshizaki ice maker manuals and parts lists to help you identify any additional problems, learn about the Hoshizaki ice machine control board location or troubleshooting tips.