Outdoor ice maker undercounter seem like the perfect choice for a patio bar or restaurant, but they can be a lot more trouble than they are worth. Looking for the best undercounter ice cream maker, we have a list you can check.
Ice Machines Are Not as Tough as They Look
Industrial ice machines, let’s face it, aren’t exactly stealthy. Installing an ice machine outside appears enticing because they’re enormous, heavy, and generate a lot of heat. It’s out of the way and keeps the heat away from your company. If you have an outside bar, adding an outdoor ice machine will allow you to be closer to your clients and eliminate the need for bartenders to transport ice back and forth.
The Goldilocks Rule
Ice producers must keep a steady temperature to generate a regular amount of ice, which is not easy to do if you have an outside ice maker. The ice production rate of a unit is affected by air and water temperatures. Ice makers perform best when the air and water temperatures are 70 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively. Do you remember Goldilocks and the Three Bears? Ice machines, like Goldilocks, don’t like it when the temperature is too hot or too cold. When you leave the 70/50-degree air and water, a few issues can arise.
What Happens to an Outdoor Ice Maker Undercounter When It’s Too Hot?
Ice output decreases when an ice maker is exposed to air and water temperatures above 70 degrees. The heat that enters the unit makes the refrigeration system work harder, reducing its ability to freeze water.
If the temperature continues to increase beyond 90 degrees, the refrigeration system in your ice maker will begin to work overtime. If this continues for an extended period of time, ice machine components will fail, necessitating costly repairs.
The heat from the sun can also melt the ice in the ice maker’s bin. Bins aren’t refrigerated, but they do provide good insulation. However, they have limitations. When an ice machine is exposed to extremely high temperatures, the ice inside the bin melts more faster.
Before installing any ice machine, Easy Ice conducts a full site study. High temperatures, for example, are something we monitor for because we know how much they can effect your overall ice cube manufacturing pace. If you want to put an outdoor ice maker in place, you’ll need to make sure you can keep the temperature stable, which isn’t easy.
What Happens to an Outdoor Ice Maker Undercounter When It’s Too Cold?
The creation of ice by your ice maker might also be affected by cold weather. Temperature monitoring components, such as a thermistor or a thermostatic bin switch, are used in some ice machines to determine when to start or stop making ice. The cold surrounding air can fool these components when the temperature drops below 45 degrees. Under these conditions, the unit will produce ice slower or stop producing ice altogether.
You run the risk of water lines freezing in temperatures below 32 degrees. Frozen water lines can cause ice production to halt because water cannot reach the ice machine – but this is likely the least of your concerns. When water freezes, it expands, and if this happens inside your water line, it can crack, putting your machine out of use until the problem is remedied.
Outdoor Ice Maker Undercounter are Susceptible to the Elements
When you put an ice machine outside, you’ll face more than just extreme temperatures. The elements might also be extremely harsh. Dirt from the outside is pulled into the condenser fan of an air-cooled unit, forming a coating surrounding the condenser.
Dirty condensers can create a variety of issues, including decreased ice production, component damage, and the device going into fail-safe mode. An ice machine can be affected by sunlight as well. Sunlight not only produces higher temperatures (and all of the problems we’ve already covered), but it can also damage the unit’s exterior and melt the ice in the bin.
Finally, rainwater or humidity can wreak havoc on your equipment. Moisture can cause external and interior components to rust, cracking and breaking them. This will result in significant maintenance and replacement costs in the future.
Storms might cause electrical problems with your ice machine or cause your ice maker to flood. If you know a storm is coming, cover the machine with plastic bags and turn off the ice maker.
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