Ice Machine Safety for Food Service

Posted by Barry Greenberg on Wed, Jun 1, 2016 @ 13:06 PM

How to clean, descale and sanitize your icemaker, to ensure optimum customer safety. Clean and sanitize ice machines.


ICE MACHINE CLEANING AND SANITIZING PROTOCOL FOR FOOD SEVICE


Poor ice machine maintenance can lead to illness. Outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness, including noroviruses, have been traced to contaminated ice.

Since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Code defines ice as food, it is held to the same handling and cleanliness standards as everything else in retail food.

 ICE MACHINE CLEANER DESCALER

 

The law states ice machines must be cleaned "at a frequency specified by the manufacturer." In most cases, this is between two and four times per year, or "at a frequency necessary to preclude accumulation of soil or mold. Additionally, ice contact surfaces must be sanitized after each cleaning. Failure to do so and if a customer becomes ill, the fines can be as much as $100,000.00.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that just changing the water filter will keep the ice machine clean and sanitized. It takes a two-step process to properly clean and sanitize your ice maker. 

  1. The first step is to cycle the cleaner through the machine. Turn off the ice machine and drain the water reservoir. Refill with fresh water, adding the appropriate amount of CLEAN ICE Ice Machine Cleaner. Start the water circulating pumps, run 15-20 minutes and drain the system. If your machine has nickel plated or galvanized surfaces, use SHINY NICKEL Lime and Scale Remover. 

 

2.  Second, refill the system with a solution of 1 oz. of EPA-registered FINAL QUAT No-Rinse Sanitizer per each 1.5 gallons of clean water. Flush the system thoroughly and allow the equipment to air dry. When you return machine to service make sure to discard the first batch of ice.

It is a good practice to clean and sanitize ice machines before the summer peak season begins and plan to clean them again, in early fall.


ice machine cleaning, ice machine cleaner     Shiny_Nickel.jpg            Final_Quat_3580.jpg   

You can click on the image to view the Technical Data Sheet. 

We ship from various locations throughout the USA. Please call for pricing.

    Chemex Line Card

Click Here to Request More Information or Pricing