How Do Ice Machines Work?
At Parts Town, we love parts. And so it goes we love the machines those parts live in. Occasionally we like to look at some of the machines our parts serve and learn a bit more about them - today we'll be talking about the ice machine.
The humble ice machine. It's function is, truthfully, quite simple: provide clean, cool ice.
But like many seemingly simple machines, the truth is a bit more complex.
Ice machines are critical for a commercial restaurant or foodservice operation. From food storage and presentation to customer beverages, a reliable ice maker helps in a variety of applications. As such, the ice maker is one of the biggest selling restaurant equipment pieces on the market.
The History of the Ice Machine
Before the commercial ice machine, restaurants had to make ice the old-fashioned way. Now, instead of filling trays with water, we have access to advanced technology that creates cleaner, safer ice more efficiently. The automatic ice making machine has been a great help to foodservice and restaurant businesses around the globe. But how does it work?
How do Ice Machines Work?
Simple! They freeze water!
Ok, it might be a bit more complicated.
Commercial ice machines aren't just a big ice cube tray. There's actually quite a bit that goes on underneath the hood. These machines come in two main flavors: water cooled and air cooled.
The air cooled system uses a fan to keep internal temperatures friendly for freezing. Unsurprisingly, a water-cooled system uses cold water to do the trick.
The machine is kept cool, and water is added, very similar to a tray in your home refrigerator.
The biggest difference is in HOW the water is added though. You see, if you add all the water at once, you'll likely end up with cloudy ice cubes. If you add the water gradually, layer by layer, you end up with clear ice. This is how a commercial ice machine provides those crystal-clear cubes. Of course, we still haven't explained how the machine works...
1. The Ice Cycle
The water pump brings in the water and it flows across the chilled ice tray, aka the evaporator plate. Some of this water freezes. The cubes build up in the well of the ice tray , layer by layer, producing cool, clear ice.
2. Valves
Once the ice reaches its desired thickness, the harvest valve opens the evaporator plate allowing the ice to drop free into the bin. There are various styles of ice available such as cubes, nuggets, flakes and Scotsman has machines that make them all.
Popular Ice Machine Manufacturers
At Parts Town, we carry genuine OEM replacement parts for the popular ice machine manufacturers, including:
and Manitowoc
If you need help getting to know your ice machine, you can find service manuals, parts lists, and diagrams for many models of ice machines as well - visit our manuals and documentation center for more information.