A commercial ice maker is a lifesaver in the kitchen. Can you imagine what you would do if you ran out of ice? That is not going to end well. So, if you want your commercial ice maker to work effortlessly for a long time to come, then here are some maintenance tips you need to know apart from scheduling professional maintenance offered by commercial ice maker repair services.
Clean Regularly
This is one of the most important things to do when you have a commercial ice maker. You have to clean it every single day. You might think that you don’t need to, since you only ever put water in it and it doesn’t get dirty. But water itself can also be pretty damaging if you don’t clean the ice maker every single day.
There can be scale deposits inside the ice maker and that will lead to clogging and a whole host of other issues. There can also be contaminants in the water that can clog the ice maker and that will lead to a malfunction. So, whenever you’re done for the day, you have to clean it.
When you clean the commercial ice maker every single day, you won’t run into problems often and it will be looked after really nicely too. You won’t need to maintain the ice maker so vigorously.
Don’t Forget To Sanitize
Cleaning is not only an important thing that you have to do. You also have to sanitize the ice maker as you go. It is really important to keep all of your appliances sanitized because you are a commercial food business and you have to keep sanitation and hygiene at the forefront.
In order to sanitize an ice maker, you have to read the instructions to figure out which disinfectant is best. You can’t just go for any disinfectant, otherwise, it may damage the inside of the ice maker. So, whatever you do, always keep the instruction manual handy and refer to it.
Check Water Filters
The water filter of a commercial ice maker is one of the most vital things to check when it comes to maintaining it. The water filters are responsible for cleaning the water and filtering out any impurities before it turns into ice. Filtering the water is important for two reasons.
Some impurities hinder the process of freezing and impurities can also cause the water to turn cloudy and the ice will be the same too. So, you want to change the filters, especially after it’s been a long time. It will only be better for you in the long run.
Quality Check For Water
The next thing you want to do when it comes to maintaining your commercial ice maker is to check the quality of water. You might not have hard water in your restaurant, but it won’t hurt to check.
Sometimes, the calcium and magnesium content in the water can suddenly exceed and you won’t realize that you’re using hard water in your commercial ice maker until it’s too late. So, you have to check the water quality from time to time, because if you’re vigilant in this regard, then you will reduce the risk of various ice machine problems.
Inspect The Condenser Coils
The condenser coils of a commercial ice maker are the same as the coils you have in your refrigerator. They are responsible for freezing the water into ice. These condenser coils are like the heart and soul of the ice maker and if they malfunction or break down, then you’re done for.
Basically, if you don’t check the condenser coils, the commercial ice maker won’t be able to do its job perfectly. So, you have to ensure that you’re doing everything you can to check and clean the condenser coils. See if they’re clean, whether they’re damaged or not, etc. In case of damage or a weird odor or noises, call in commercial refrigerator services Arlington.
Is The Water Level Alright?
The level in the commercial ice maker is also crucial to consider. You don’t want the ice maker to have either too little or too much water in it. The level should be according to the instructions or the preferred level in the ice maker.
Usually, there is an amount that is mentioned on the ice maker or in the instruction manual, so you have to check it. If you put too much or too little water in it, then the ice maker will not work properly and you will run into problems.
Don’t Neglect The Ice Bin
The ice bin is basically a basket of sorts in which the ice is stored after the water has frozen. You might think that you don’t need to do anything to clean the ice bin, but you’ll be surprised to see how contaminated it can get if you don’t clean it regularly.
So, once you clean the appliance, you also have to ensure that you clean the ice bin too. It can get pretty dirty and you don’t want the ice to be stored and used in a dirty ice bin.
Take Leaks Seriously
A commercial ice maker primarily works with water and the chamber needs to be enclosed at all times. If your commercial ice maker is leaking, then that is not good at all. You can’t operate the commercial ice maker if it is leaking. If there are leaks, then it can affect the electrical connections inside the ice maker too.
So, you want to keep the ice maker and the leaks in check. You can’t have water puddling on the surface, otherwise, you will run into problems. So, if you see a leak, turn off the ice maker and then inspect where it is coming from.
Are The Hoses Intact?
Tight connections in the different hoses and pipes of the ice maker are key when it comes to smooth running. Usually, these connections are fine as they are, and they don’t get loose, but then again, there is always a first time for everything and you have to check all of the hoses and connections before you fire up the ice maker.
If the hoses and connections are not tightly connected, then there might be an operational malfunction or something else along the same line. There can also be a lot of other mechanical issues and even leaks that can occur if you don’t check the hoses.
Do A Test Run
After maintaining and cleaning the commercial ice maker, you have to ensure that you’re fixing everything in place and then doing a test run before giving the thumbs up. This is really important because you don’t want anything to be loose or hanging when you go ahead and operate the ice maker for real.
So, doing a test run will ensure that the commercial ice maker is working smoothly and it doesn’t lead to any problems. This doesn’t take more than 2 minutes and you’ll save yourself from a lot of trouble.
Conclusion
A commercial ice maker will be your favorite kitchen appliance once you know how handy it is. But you need to maintain it in order to keep it going for years to come and avoid a messy day at work. If an issue is beyond basic fixes, hire an ice dispenser repair Fairfax expert for help.
