Selecting The Right Ice Machine Water Filtration System

UNDERSTANDING ICE MAKING

Once a water quality analysis has been done and the right water treatment technology has been determined, the next step is to determine what size system will fit an operation’s usage requirements. You’ll need to consider:

• Type of equipment used
• Size of connection
• Operational capacity/flow rate required

Explore Ice Machines Water Filters

TYPES OF ICE-MAKING MACHINES

Some types of ice makers have more of a tendency towards limescale problems than others.

Flake and Nugget Ice Machines

To form flake ice, water is frozen in a barrel-shaped evaporator before being scraped off by an auger and collected in a storage bin. Nugget ice is simply flake ice that has been compressed to form nuggets. In a flake ice machine, all the water (12.5 gallons per 100 pounds of ice) is used to produce ice. The minerals and sediment dissolved in the water are forced out during the freezing process, and since they have nowhere to go, they either become trapped in the ice or build up as scale inside the machine.

Cube Ice Machines

In a cube ice maker, water from a sump is continuously circulated over an evaporator where it freezes layer by layer until cubes are formed and then released into a storage bin. As the water freezes, most of the dissolved minerals are forced out and become concentrated in the sump water. This water is then purged from the sump, taking with it the dissolved solids that would otherwise form scale. However, this means cube ice machines use more water than is required to produce the ice. On average, 18 to 20 gallons are needed to make 100 pounds of ice.

DON’T FORGET THE FILTER

Perhaps the most important and most overlooked component when considering a water treatment system is replacing filter cartridges on a routine basis.

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