Benefits of Ice Machine Water Filter

Ice machine water filters provide numerous advantages that improve the quality, taste, and safety of the ice produced. From improving the customer's experience to adhering to health and safety laws, ice machine filters are a great investment to for your ice machine.

Benefits of Ice Machine Water Filter

The main reason you should filter the water coming into your ice machine is so that you can lessen the number of hard minerals entering the unit and avoid the production of bad-quality ice. It basically ensures the effectiveness and reliability of your commercial ice machine. Let's dive into why they are a vital investment for your business.

Extended Equipment Longevity

Ice machines are prone to scale buildup caused by minerals present in water. Over time, this scale can negatively impact the performance and efficiency of the machine, leading to breakdowns and costly repairs.

Some ice makers may also be delicate to the caustic or "aggressive" nature of your water supply. The corrosiveness of water can be affected by a number of elements, such as its pH, electrical conductivity, oxygen concentration, and so on. Having your water tested and making sure it's filtered properly for your ice machine is an excellent idea.

Water filters help minimize scale buildup, extending the lifespan of the ice machine and reducing maintenance expenses.

Model Featured: Manitowoc UDP0310A

Reduced Maintenance and Downtime

The mineral buildup in your system will shorten its lifespan if you don't properly filter the water that goes into it. This means that you would have to remove the present mineral accumulation and run the descaler more frequently or replace the system earlier.

By preventing scale deposits and other contaminants from accumulating in the ice machine, water filters help reduce the frequency of cleaning and maintenance required. This can result in less downtime for the machine, allowing it to operate smoothly and consistently.

Improved Quality

You'll need an ice machine filter if you want crystal-clear ice to serve your customers. Ever wondered why ice can sometimes be hazy in appearance? That's because when frozen, the hard minerals in your water can turn murky.

Ice machine water filters are designed to remove impurities and contaminants from water, ensuring that the ice produced is of high quality and free from harmful substances.

These filters can effectively remove sediment, chlorine, bacteria, viruses, and other impurities that may cause unwanted tastes and compromise the safety of the ice.

Enhanced Taste

By removing chlorine and other unpleasant-tasting elements, water filters can significantly improve the taste of the ice produced.

This is especially important in industries such as food service, where the quality of ice can affect the overall customer experience.

Even though some of the hard minerals are removed during the ice-making process, some are left behind in your ice-making equipment. Any remaining impurities in your ice cubes will eventually melt into your drinks and alter their flavor.

The foul taste of your ice cubes may be due to contaminants. They include volatile organic compounds (VOCs), organic compounds, and disinfectants utilized by water treatment facilities.

If you have a good filtration system in your kitchen, you can start cooking with filtered water, make ice taste excellent, and always have clean drinking water on hand.

Compliance with Health and Safety Standards

There are strict rules and laws about the quality of the water used to make ice in many fields, including hospitality, healthcare, and food service. Businesses can make sure they meet these standards by using water filters. This protects the health and safety of customers.

As per the guidelines set by the FDA, it is essential for ice manufacturers to ensure that ice production, storage, and transportation are carried out under clean and hygienic conditions. Additionally, they must monitor the cleanliness and hygiene practices of their employees, use well-maintained equipment that is properly cleaned, and utilize water that is both safe and sanitary. These measures are crucial for maintaining the quality and safety of ice intended for consumption.

Customer Confidence

Customers will feel better about your business and its image if you give them clean, pure ice. With water filters, you can demonstrate a commitment to quality and customer satisfaction, making your establishment more appealing to potential patrons.

Cost Savings

Even though water filters cost money upfront, they can save you money in the long run. Businesses might save money in the long run if they don't have to spend as much on repairs, upkeep, and replacing equipment too soon.

How to Keep the Quality of Ice Machine

Water filters and routine system maintenance can help you avoid many problems. The amount of debris in the water passing through the ice maker's evaporator plate can be drastically cut down with a good and effective ice machine water filtration. Additionally, this will result in purer and good quality ice for your customers.

Change the filter routinely

The filter in your filtration system should be changed every six months as recommended by the manufacturer.

The type of filter would also depend on this so you may wanna read this article for more information.

Be mindful of the hard minerals in your water supply

Hard minerals are an issue since they reduce the efficiency and lifespan of your ice machine. "Scaling" refers to the mineral deposits left behind by hard water after it has been heated or evaporated. Hard water can cause scale buildup on practically any appliance and your ice maker is only one of several appliances that are prone to scaling.

The presence of mineral ions bound to water molecules gives rise to what is known as "hard minerals." These hard minerals primarily include calcium, magnesium, aluminum, barium, iron, zinc, and manganese. The exact composition and concentration of these minerals in your tap water can vary depending on your geographical location and the surrounding environment.

The hardness of water is primarily attributed to dissolved minerals, with calcium and magnesium compounds being the most significant contributors. The degree of water hardness can vary considerably based on the mineral content of the soil in close proximity to your water source.

If your water is only slightly hard or contains a modest quantity of dissolved minerals, the impact of this buildup will be less dramatic but your ice maker may generate less ice than usual, or it may have to work harder to maintain the same output over time. If your water is rich in dissolved minerals, the accumulation will proceed much more rapidly.

Perform a Routine Descaling

Descaling your ice maker on a regular basis will help reduce the negative impacts of mineral buildup. However, if your water supply gives you hard water, you will need to descale your ice maker more often to keep it functioning properly. Getting rid of the minerals in the water before it enters your body is a far better approach.

Best Ways to Filter Your Ice Machine's Water

Perform a Water Test

A water test can help you figure out the best approach to filter the water going into your ice maker. The best approach to find out how hard your water is and if there are any additional toxins in it is to have it tested. If you want to filter the water in your home, this is an excellent place to begin.

Check the Specifications of the Ice Machine

Water filtering is essential for some ice machines. While buildup from dissolved minerals is bad news, it's also important to make sure your ice maker's water supply is adequately conductive. Water's conductivity, or its capacity to allow an electric current to flow through it, is expressed as a number of Siemens per centimeter (S/cm). Some techniques of water filtration remove so much salt and hard minerals that the water no longer has the right conductivity for the ice machine.

If your ice maker specifies filtered water with a certain minimum conductivity level, it is in your best interest to check the specifications before investing in a filtering system.

Find the Best Type of Filter for Your Ice Machine

Using a filtration system that removes a wide variety of impurities will also help ensure that your ice is of the highest quality. By doing so, you may eliminate potential flavor-altering contaminants like chlorine and chloramines from your ice supply.

Filtered water for drinking, cooking, and brewing coffee or tea is another useful byproduct of reverse osmosis systems. A kitchen water filtration system is typically a great choice if you want the best water filter for coffee, cooking, or ice production. The use of reverse osmosis filtration complements standard methods, such as an ion exchange system, for getting rid of hard minerals in water. 

Model Featured: Hoshizaki H9320-51 Water Filtration System