Even though ice machines ensure the daily delivery of a clean food product in millions of foodservice facilities around the world, too often they are left out of a business’s preventive maintenance plans. Developing and sticking to a consistent cleaning process for your ice machine not only helps guarantee your customers a clean food product time and time again, but it also enables you to reap the most from your investment for many years to come.
Your ice machine should be emptied and thoroughly sanitized at a minimum every six months and Filter Pure recommends Pentair Everpure ScaleKleen, the smart, environmentally safe way to delime your water-using appliances. It removes limescale buildup and scale quickly and easily. It’s FDA approved to be used around food grade material, it is completely non-toxic and is safe to pour down the drain after use.
SCALEKLEEN INSTRUCTIONS FOR ICE MACHINES;
1. Turn off the ice machine, and drain the sump. 2. Mix one 7-ounce packet of ScaleKleen in one quart of hot water and pour the solution into the ice machine sump. 3. Allow the sump to fill so that the pump is not starved of water. NOTE: Do not turn on, the “REFRIGERATE” cycle. ScaleKleen works most effectively when mixed with hot water. The colder the water; the longer it takes to dissolve the scale. 4. Turn the switch to the “PUMP” mode and allow water to recirculate with ScaleKleen for 20 minutes. 5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 if scale deposits are still visible. 6. Drain and rinse the sump thoroughly with clean water to remove any remaining traces of ScaleKleen. 7. Check the pH of the water in the sump. If it is within one pH unit of the influent tap water; then the ScaleKleen has been sufficiently rinsed out. (NOTE: an inexpensive pH test kit is available from your Everpure dealer). 8. Turn the ice machine on to the “ICE” mode and place it back in service Cleaning times and frequencies can vary depending on the water quality and conditions of where the unit is installed. (Special care must be taken when bread or foods containing yeast are being prepared in the vicinity of the ice machine, since yeast-type bacteria could impact the machine’s operation.) Typical between-clean times average 30, 60, or 90 days (consult the user’s manual) to ensure the unit runs at its highest operating efficiency — the ultimate goal of any preventive maintenance program. By taking the time to clean your machine and change the filters you can greatly increase the life of your machine and drastically decrease the cost of owning an ice machine over time. Are you having problems with your water filtration or the quality of your water? Please do not hesitate to call us. We are trained professionals dedicated to solving all your water quality issues. Call us at 800-942-7873 or click the link below to ask a question.