Common Ice Machine Broken Parts
Ice makers and ice machines are not only a source of cool drinks, but also potential sources of revenue and added value. A hotel might have an ice maker for the patrons, a restaurant needs to produce ice cubes for drinks, and the local gas station may sell large bags of ice for consumers out for a day in the sun. By understanding which ice machine parts are common to failure, preventive steps can be taken to ensure maximum up-time. We will sort this article by specific vendors, in order to move away from generalities and towards real world trends.
Manitowoc
One of the most common parts that fail on a Manitowoc may be the water curtain. When this part breaks the machine will blink the harvest light several times and then shut off with a safety limit #2. This safety condition may also refer to the cleanliness of the evaporator. If the water curtain is broken, the best route is to completely replace the part.
Hoshizaki
A common part that experiences failure on a Hoshizaki would be the water distribution tubes. This is reflected by ice not falling off the evaporator. These water distribution tubes often get scaled up from the water supply, so completing a through cleaning may be the best option. If a full cleaning does not fix the specific problem, the next best option may be to start replacing these water distribution tubes.
Scotsman
For the Scotsman brand of equipment, a common source of part failure would be the compressor. Beyond that a part failure here would cause a lack of ice production, this can also determined by no hot air coming from the compressor. The best place to start with suspected compressor malfunctions is reading the equipment manual. Verifying this major part malfunction will help resolve the issue quickly. On the opposite side, if the compressor is not the issue a lot of money and time can be saved.
Ice-O-Matic
This particular vendor, Ice-O-Matic, may have part failures on their high temperature switch. This often makes the pump not engage while the machine is running. There may also be a number of other probes that get scale built up on them, which results in the machine not working. It may be best to start with a full machine cleaning to help prevent issues from happening. If cleaning does not help, the next option would be isolating the specific probe followed by replacing.
No ice vending machine will work forever, but keeping the machine cleaned and maintained will extend its life span. Many repairs can be resolved with a proper cleaning. Beyond keeping the machine clean, getting the machine's manual and following the maintenance requests will also extend life span. Contact CPS for OEM ice machine parts from the most popular manufacturers.
