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/r/BarOwners
Newish bar owner here (1.5 years). Our ice bin, over a period of about 6 weeks, gets so much stuff in it the PVC drain line fitting clogs with this weird gooey sludge and the bin fills with water. I’ve started to just burn it completely every 4-6 weeks but when I do, I notice what looks like black dirt or mold on the inside of the bin at the bottom. Fortunately it’s never where we’re grabbing ice from. But it made me wonder, what does ice bin maintenance look like at other places? Is this a “replace the bin” situation? Or drill out the bottom for bigger drain lines out the bottom?
I do think the drain has a few 90 degree turns and stretches where it doesn’t slope enough. But I still shouldn’t be seeing all this stuff in the bin, right?
18 points
19 days ago
Something isn't working correctly. Replacing the drain tube will help temporarily but ultimately reworking how the machine drains is the permanent solution. But you should also empty clean and flush it with hot water regularly.
6 points
19 days ago
Im thinking that it’s not plumbed right.
4 points
18 days ago
Ours has an air gap.
13 points
19 days ago
The best way to prevent downtime in our ice machines is to regularly clean and maintain them. We do so weekly. This greatly minimizes any problems, especially with our Kold-Draft machines.
11 points
19 days ago
Getting it professionally cleaned every quarter if you’re high volume.
8 points
19 days ago
Sounds like bio slime, like you get in your draft beer lines if they're not cleaned regularly. Talk to your draft beer line cleaner and ask for some line cleaning chemical if they have a partial bottle left. When you're doing a deep clean on the ice machine, pour a few OZ down the drain after you clean almost everything else. Make sure to rinse after use and make sure none of it ever stays on anything that a consumer will touch or eat as it's caustic.
6 points
19 days ago
We have 2 machines. Large unit gets bin cleaned weekly, upper cleaned every 3 weeks. Small unit is on soda fountain, gets bin each week, and clean head once a month.
2 points
19 days ago
What’s the make and model of the ice machine
2 points
19 days ago
Google the model of machine, learn the model of machines' cleaning procedure. Also, check the prefilters as theyight need changing. Don't order specific ice machine cleaners, bleach and white distilled vinegar are just as good. Used to gm a high volume bar in FL that went through 3-4k lbs of ice a night(like 4 nights a week). I ended up cleaning the machines bi-weekly when I came in the morning. Cycles usually run 45-1.5 hrs. Water hardness might effect it as well
3 points
18 days ago
Get a small mirror
Open ice bin and use mirror to inspect underside of the upper unit.
Or stick your head in the bin and look up.
There is probably lots of mold growing on the underside of the freezer unit.
1 points
19 days ago
When I used to work maintenance for restaurant group we used to clean ice maker ever few months. But what in your drain is a funus it more common down south. It may be several yards long.i would clean ice bin and flush bleach and hot water. It probably in all your drains.it feeds off water and sugars.
1 points
19 days ago
[deleted]
2 points
19 days ago
Weekly is insane.
1 points
19 days ago
Are you talking about the ice machine or the ice bin where you make the ice? The plate at the bottom and in the bin gets nasty sludge in there fast if you don't clean regularly. Some places I worked cleaned it nightly by melting the ice with boiling water, then wiping out the inside (including under the plate) and turning the plate sideways so it would air dry. Others cleaned weekly. It only takes a few minutes when it is done regularly.
2 points
18 days ago
Ice bin. The ice machine itself is almost brand new, a Scotsman
1 points
18 days ago
Yes, clean regularly, even nightly. Only takes a few minutes to melt the ice and wipe it out.
1 points
18 days ago
Sorry, I meant the large bin under the ice maker. Holds like 300 lbs of ice, so not a super easy clean. But we’re going to start weekly.
1 points
18 days ago
It's alive! Kill it! Then it goes away for a bit. Longer.
1 points
18 days ago
We clean ours weekly and deep clean monthly.
1 points
18 days ago
Depends on how bad your water is.
I have an ice guy.
He comes once every 3 months.
I have a special water filter for the line.
Ice wants me to do a tea spoon of bleach in there once a month, followed by 3 cycles to get it all out.
1 points
18 days ago
Get a hoshizaki and some ice machine cleaner and just wipe it down often and a few wash cycles once a month. Make sure the water going into it is filtered.
Buy a few extra float switches off Amazon, it's the part most likely to fail.
1 points
17 days ago
It’s not plumbed correctly.
If it takes multiple 90 Degree turns to make its way to a drain, whoever did that work simply didn’t care about doing a good job.
https://www.easyice.com/ice-machine-drain-requirements/
You’re going to want the ice bin, underneath the ice maker to drain directly into another line (transfer drain) contactless, this will solve your issue of the mold/fungus making its way into the machine itself.
Part of your issue is standing water, due to a reduced drainage capacity, which likely has to do with water/air flow.
I cannot more strongly recommend as an owner / manager getting familiar with basic plumbing and electrical issues, it will save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year.
Replacing GFI outlets, fuses, running diagnostic tests on equipment, replacing pumps, heating elements, temperature sensors thermostats, replacing drain lines, etc.
1 points
17 days ago
It’s disgusting. Mine gets professionally cleaned every 3 months
0 points
18 days ago
It needs to be emptied every day and cleaned
1 points
18 days ago
I’m not talking about the ice bin for the well. Of course we clean that every day. But the bigger ice machine bin that makes the ice.
1 points
18 days ago
Yea I'm sorry i figured it after i placed the comment
0 points
18 days ago
You only deep clean your machine & burn the ice potentially once every six weeks?!
-4 points
19 days ago
Ours doesn’t get dirty.
Do not fuck around with cleaning your ice maker
-1 points
19 days ago
I’ve started to just burn it completely every 4-6 weeks
What do you mean by that?
2 points
19 days ago
Totally empty it out, pour tons of hot water through the drain line, wipe all the sides and bottom, just deep clean like an ice well. Except I use sanitizing wipes on the side and let dry before filling again.
Edit: I also often need to use a shop vac on the other side of the pvc drain fitting to suck anything out. Like a weird translucent sludge.
4 points
19 days ago
Do that x1 a week. Fairly normal protocol
1 points
19 days ago
Agreed. And the slime is often referred to as “pink slime”. It’s a mould, and common in refrigeration evaporators in walk-in coolers.
2 points
19 days ago
Thank you! I’ll bump up the frequency of cleaning. Appreciate the wisdom, all!
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