Commercial ice machine repair and descaling

The Salt Lake hard water problem

Water hardness across the valley ranges from about 8 grains per gallon in South Jordan and West Jordan to roughly 21 grains per gallon in Draper, which is among the hardest municipal water in the region. Salt Lake City proper sits near 12 grains, West Valley City near 13, Sandy near 18.

Ice machines are essentially scale factories: they freeze pure water and leave every dissolved mineral behind in the sump. In 8-grain water, the manufacturer's six-month cleaning interval is roughly right. In 18- or 21-grain water it is far too long. Scale builds on the evaporator plate, harvest cycles lengthen, production drops, and eventually the machine short-cycles itself into a service call.

If you run an ice machine in Sandy or Draper on untreated water, quarterly cleaning and a filtration cartridge are the schedule your water actually calls for. Together they cost less than one emergency call a year.

Common symptoms and causes

• Low ice production. Scale on the evaporator, a dirty condenser, low charge, or inlet water temperature that has crept up.
• Cloudy, soft or fast-melting cubes. Mineral content and a sump that needs cleaning. Also the first thing a customer notices in a drink.
• Machine runs but never harvests. Harvest valve, water level sensor, or a scaled plate the ice will not release from.
• Slime or pink film in the bin. Biofilm, which is a health-inspection finding rather than a housekeeping detail.
• Machine cycles on and off rapidly. Bin thermostat or level control, often a cheap part.
• Water leaking under the unit. Drain, sump seal, or an overflowing bin drain.

Cleaning, sanitation and inspections

Ice is a food product under Utah's food code, and ice machines are a routine inspection point. A machine with visible biofilm in the bin, a scaled evaporator or a bin scoop stored inside the ice is a finding waiting to happen.

Scheduled cleaning produces documentation as well as a clean machine. We leave a dated service record you can hand an inspector.

Brands we service

Manitowoc, Hoshizaki, Scotsman, Ice-O-Matic, Follett, Cornelius and Koolaire, in cube, half-dice, nugget and flake configurations, including remote and air-cooled condensers.

Service area

We cover Salt Lake, Davis, Utah, Summit and Weber counties. Same-day dispatch valley-wide, 2-hour target on refrigeration emergencies.

• Salt Lake City
• West Valley City
• Sandy
• Draper
• West Jordan
• South Jordan
• Murray
• Midvale
• Millcreek
• Taylorsville
• Lehi
• American Fork
• Park City
• Ogden
• Provo