Water-Cooled Ice Machines

In some places around the world, water cooled ice machines are more than norm than the exception. They can be advertised as more energy efficient that air cooled models and are also known to produce less heat than ice machines cooled by air. This can make water cooled ice machines the preferred choice for people who want to keep their restaurant or commercial kitchen as cool as possible in the summer months. Water cooled ice machines also have some drawbacks. Read on to find out the truth about water cooling in the commercial kitchen.
Water Cooling and the Environment

There are two types of water cooling. One of them, known as single use water cooling, is terrible for the environment. The reason is because it wastes so much water. Instead of recycling the water it uses to cool the unit, it flushes it out and replaces it. For this reason water cooled ice machines cannot gain the Energy Star rating.
In several places in North America single use water cooled ice machines are even being banned. The reason is because many of these areas are hot in the summer and suffer from water shortages. A few places, however, like Seattle and Denver have banned single use water cooled ice machines simply because of their negative impact on the environment.
Closed-Loop Water Cooling
There is another type of water cooled ice machines that use a closed-loop system and recycle the water they use. They are better for the environment by a margin and do have the advantage of running much cooler than an air cooled model, but many manufacturers have been phasing them out. Many cities have begun offering discounts to owners who use air cooling instead which gives them a distinct advantage over any water cooling system.
Innovations in Air Cooling
It’s clear that the commercial ice machine industry is moving towards air cooling. One of the other reasons for this is that remote condensing is not difficult to do.  Instead of having the air cooling system or condenser on the side or on top of your ice machine, vent lines are run into the machine and that box is placed on the outside of the building. By doing this to keep all the advantages of having an air cooled ice machine and remove any of the potential disadvantages. The biggest drawback is the higher initial cost of having a remote condenser installed.
Deciding on an Air Cooled or Water Cooled Ice Machine
If at all possible, I recommend buying an air cooled ice machine. Ice machines cooled with water just don’t have thesustainability I want in my commercial kitchen appliances. Of course, that’s just my opinion. Now that you have the facts about water cooling, this decision is yours to make.

Commercial Ice Machines: Do’s and Don’ts

Ice machines are probably the most-abused equipment in a commercial kitchen. This is twice as true for hotels, night clubs, and restaurants with more than 50 seats. In most of these cases, the overworked machines are actually costing the business a lot more than they need to. Read on to find out how to save money with your ice machine:

Do: Adjust your Ice Production when needed
One of the easiest ways to save money and increase the life span of your ice machine is to monitor and adjust ice production. Different seasons need more ice production than others so keep a log of when you make changes. After a couple seasons patterns will develop and you will be able to accurately predict how much ice you need.

• Quick Tip: Another easy way to reduce energy consumption of your ice machine is to have it produce ice only in the daytime when power is less expensive.

Don’t: Keep Your Ice where it’s Warm and Stuffy
Of course I mean your entire machine, not just the cubes themselves. The truth is that either way, whether the room is hot or cold, your ice machine (if working properly) will keep your ice cold for the duration. The question is how hard it will have to work to do it. The higher the room temperature the more energy your ice box will consume to keep your ice iced. This will cost you. Put your ice machine somewhere that has good air movement and doesn’t heat up over 90 degrees.

Do: Regular Maintenance
In order to keep your ice machine safe and reliable you’ve got to give you machine a check up every few months. This means sanitizing the box, d- liming the water hose, and adding antimicrobial products. Keep up with these regular needs of your machine and you will find that it last its full lifetime or longer.

Don’t: Forget to Change the Filter
The last thing you need to check up on (and many owners don’t) is the water filter. Have you noticed that ice always looks pretty clean? Unfortunately looks can be deceiving. The filter on your ice maker should be changed every 6 months.

Do: Go Air Cooled
All ice makers are cooled by either air or water. Air cooled machines use much less energy. The best part is that there is little to no price difference between air and water cooled ice machines.

• Quick Tip: When purchasing a new ice machine, look for the Energy Star logo if you want to ensure that your machine is the most energy efficient. A machine that is 10-15% more efficient in water and energy use can save you a lot of money over an average life of 8 years.