Ice Maker with Bin
How to Choose Your Commercial Ice Maker with Bin
An ice-filled drink is irresistibly tempting as a way to beat the heat, especially on boiling hot days. Not only that. Companies in many industries cry out for ice to preserve and transport their chilled food, fresh fruit & vegetables, or medical products. A commercial ice maker with bin fulfills these requirements by both producing and storing ice.
The need for an ice machine with bin is crystal, but choosing the right one is not so. While browsing through commercial ice bins, you will face a host of attributes. Condenser type, ice storage bin capacity, and water filtration are the key points to consider. Yet, the nitty-gritty of the task is to know the type and amount of ice you need.
Ice Type
Depending on what you serve, ice type can add delicacy to your treat. For instance, the sizeable full-cube ice and gourmet ice can elevate the picture quality of your premium drinks. As they melt very slowly, you can minimize the number of trips back and forth to your commercial ice maker with bin. Nugget ice soaks up the flavor of a drink, turning it into a chewable crunchy snack. Flake ice is perfect for displaying meat and seafood in a convenience store. If you need ice only, and shape is not your primary concern, your pick is a commercial ice maker with bin that produces half-cube ice.
Capacity
Consider production and storage separately. An ice maker with bin does not have insulation, so stored ice will last for only a few hours. That means you should calculate the production to storage ratio accurately. A general rule of thumb is to select a commercial ice maker with bin that can store around two-thirds of the ice it can produce. You can thus prevent possible problems due to booms in your business volume.
Refrigeration
A self-contained system houses all the operating components in it. Although self-contained systems reduce installation and maintenance costs, the downside is they may give off heat and noise. Additionally, you need to spare sufficient clearance around your commercial ice maker with bin to allow airflow. Remote systems, however, remove this need, as the refrigeration is installed in a separate location. They are more costly, but if there are multiple ice machines with bins and high ambient temperatures in your place, a remote system can be a better choice.
Ice Maker Types
There are mainly three types of ice machines with bins. After weighing the size, purpose, ventilation, and ambient temperatures of your business, you can choose a countertop, undercounter, or a floor model commercial ice maker with bin. Their door opening styles create further variations.
Cooling
An air-cooled commercial ice maker with bin blows air to cool down its parts, whereas a water-cooled one does the same by pumping water. Air-cooling is more cost-effective yet requires attention to clearance requirements. Water-cooling commercial ice maker with bin is more energy-efficient but increases water consumption and might be subject to local codes in some stats.
Whatever the season, a commercial ice maker with bin is a must for the comfort of your customers and the safety of your products. In choosing one, the type of your serving and your business volume should guide your decision.