| Making ice is very simple process, you take water | | | | to our cooled tray. This process is repeated |
| and you freeze it. Sounds simple enough but | | | | over and over allowing time for the ice to freeze |
| how do companies that need to make a large | | | | with each pass creating “clear ice”. Once |
| amount of ice go about doing it? They | | | | the try is full, a mechanism, usually a rod or |
| can’t just use the same ice trays we use in | | | | piston, is used to extract the ice into the holding |
| our freezer they need something bigger and | | | | container. |
| more robust, in comes the commercial ice maker. | | | | |
| | | | | Normally, the individual trays are made at an angle |
| In 1890 and 1889 warm winters created a | | | | so the loosened ice just falls out. Other systems |
| massive ice shortage which brought along the use | | | | use a rod to push the ice out of the tray to keep |
| of mechanical ice making techniques and the wider | | | | the classic cube shape, used by hotels and |
| adoption of commercial ice machines. It | | | | restaurants. |
| wasn’t until 1920 and 30’s that an ice | | | | |
| machine was made available for the average | | | | After the ice has been pushed out of the tray, a |
| consumer. | | | | switch sends the signal to start the whole process |
| | | | | again. |
| So how does the machine actually go about | | | | |
| making the ice? | | | | Today, commercial Ice Makers or Ice Machines |
| | | | | currently make up about 11% of all commercial |
| First you will need 3 basic things for any ice | | | | refrigeration use. Their main goal is to produce a |
| maker including the commercial ones. You’ll | | | | large quality of virtual pure ice or ice that is at |
| need a refrigeration system to get and keep | | | | least 98% free of contamination. To create 100 |
| everything cold, a water supply for creating the | | | | pounds of pure ice you’re going to need |
| ice and something to collect the ice in. | | | | roughly 12 gallons of water. |
| | | | | |
| Then you need to drive the refrigerant through a | | | | The machines efficiency is judge by the |
| set of coils, like on the back of the refrigerator at | | | | governments Energy Star and a machine earning |
| you house, causing it expand and condense. This | | | | a Energy Star rating is about 15% more energy |
| in turn cools the internal ice trays. Now we add | | | | efficient than one that is not. |
| a little water from a collection sump and it adds it | | | | |