A Quick Tip: Restaurant Equipment: How To Clean Your Commercial Ice Machine
August 29, 2016
How To: Is It Time To Clean Your Commercial Ice Machine?
Vicky A. / Maltese & Co Restaurant Equip., Office Blogger/ August 30, 2016
Is It Time To Clean Your Commercial Ice Machine? According to FDA Food Law Manual , your Ice Machine should be cleaned as often as your manufacturer specifies in the manual 4-602.11 (E)(4-A) , and most Ice Machine manuals unless stated otherwise, state that cleaning should be scheduled at a minimum of twice per year. As for sanitation, sanitizing should be performed after EACH cleaning or more frequently as required.
As a Business Owner the quality of your ice is just as important as the quality of the food you serve. Especially because according to the FDA, no matter the shape or the source, ice is considered food.
So making sure you clean and sanitize your ice machine regularly is extremely important for your customers and your ice machine. Here is a QUICK 10 STEP on how-to-clean your commercial Ice machine:
Cleaning your Commercial Ice Machine:
Prior to Cleaning the ice machine and/or Bin/Dispenser:
-Remove the ice machine front panel
-Make sure that all the ice is off of the evaporator. If ice is being made, wait for cycle completion then turn the machine "OFF" at the clean/off/wash selector switch.
-Turn off the potable water supply to the ice machine
Step 1: You Must Remove All ice from storage bin. (***Note : If you notice that there is any ice on the evaporator, you will have to hit a manual harvest button on your ice machine depending on your model.
Step 2: Locate the clean/off/wash switch selector by placing the switch into wash position, depress the purge switch to flush remaining water from the water trough. Release the purge switch when the water trough is empty
Step 3: Terminate the wash cycle at the clean/off/wash switch by placing the switch in the "off" position
Step 4: Here's the Tricky part, Now you will Add the appropriate amount of approved NICKEL SAFE ice machine cleaner to the water trough,as recommended by your service manual.
Step 5: Initiate the wash cycle to the wash position, Then after the cleaning cycle is complete (which is usually about 20-35 minutes), you will have to disconnect the power.
Step 6: You will have to Remove parts for cleaning, you will need to referencing your ice machine service manual to find their exact location. (***Note: Specialized machines like flakers/nugget ice machines will have additional parts to clean.)
Step 7: At this step you will mix a solution of cleaner(your choice) and with warm water using the ratio recommended in your ice machine service manual. (***Note: Generally 1 gallon of water to 16 oz of cleaner.)
Step 8: After you Use half the solution to clean all removed parts. Its easier to use a nylon brush, sponge, or cloth, to clean the parts separately. You will have to Soak any heavily scaled parts.
Step 9: While parts are nicely soaking, use any nylon brush or cloth to clean the top, bottom, and sides of the evaporator, and of the ice bin.
Last Step 10: Rinse All parts with clean regular water.Dry. Then reassemble all components. (***Note: Sanitizing the Ice Machine is required after cleaning per sanitizing instructions.)