Commercial Ice Machines

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Tips & Advice to help you make your decision on Commercial Ice Machines

If you run a restaurant, bakery, catering company, or any type of company that offers perishable foods and beverages, ice machines are sure to be an important part of your business. These machines are very commonly found in hotels, church halls, and schools as well. Of course, the ice is essential for serving cold beverages; however, ice is useful to have on hand for packing perishable food items in as well as for cold food displays, such as salad bars or ice cream stations. Ice is also useful in some cooking applications and may be necessary for properly preparing certain dishes.

Fortunately, there are several models and styles to choose from when selecting ice machines for your company. You can elect to have several small machines placed strategically around the premises or opt for a very large machine capable of producing copious amounts of ice for your daily needs. Most ice machine models have cold storage bins attached to hold the finished product until your staff needs it. Of course, the rate of production and the temperature of the bin are all programmable for your convenience. In most cases, all you have to supply is the space and water lines for the unit.

Consider some of the reliable resources on the left for more information.

Supplies for Commercial Ice Machines

Commercial ice machine makers come in all shapes, sizes and uses. Whether supplying your customers with ice for soft drinks, making snow cones or shave ices in a beachside stand or producing tons of bagged ice daily to supply stores for resale, there are certain supplies you'll need to get the most out of commercial or industrial ice making machines.

You'll need to know where to order supplies for use with new machines or when needing to maintain used ice machines. When buying or leasing commercial or industrial ice makers, you should also remember to:

1. Buy supplies like bins, scoops and water filters to get the most use out of commercial ice machines.

2. Find bags, baggers, signage and even plant designs for large-scale ice plants that use industrial ice machines.

3. Get cups, cones, straws, flavors and portable carts to use with commercial shaved ice machines for your snow cone or shave ice business.

4. Know where to obtain replacement parts and service and parts manuals for maintenance of commercial ice machines.

Find accessories and supplies for commercial ice machines

To best utilize commercial ice makers, buy supplies such as dispensers, portable or stationary bins, scoops and buckets. These supplies and accessories are available where you find ice machines for sale including manufacturers and restaurant suppliers.
Try: Buy ice dispensers, buckets for filling dispensers and bins, water filters, scoops and scoop holders from J.E.S. Restaurant Equipment. Restaurant Source carries portable ice caddies that keep ice cold for days via reservoirs to keep the ice out of any standing water. They also carry ice valets and dispensers for use in hotels. Katom Restaurant Supply sells a wide variety of ice scoops, funnels, buckets and other totes.

Secure supplies, service and consulting for packaging the products of industrial ice machines

When mass-producing ice to supply gas stations, grocery stores and other businesses with bagged cubed or block ice, you'll need to decide how you want to process your product. You have a variety of baggers, bags and sealing supplies from which to choose. You can even find online design ideas and ongoing support for your business.
Try: Find baggers, bags and sealing tape from Mission Restaurant Supply. Modern Ice offers bagging equipment, merchandisers, packaging supplies and custom ice signage. They also offer downloadable ice plant designs as well as project management, training and support for your large-scale ice production company.

Stock up on everything you need to make commercial shaved ice machines profitable

Make your shave ice or snow cone stand profitable by stocking up on supplies like cups, cones, straws, flavors and even portable carts or a wearable cup or cone holder to meet customer demand.
Try: Buy cups, ice scoops, signage, uniform shirts and even a business manual at 1-800-ShavedIce. ConcessionStands.com by Jarco Industries offers shavers for shaved ice and snow cone stands as well as flavor juice, cups, cones, straws and portable carts.

Know where to find replacement parts and service information for commercial ice making machines

As with any piece of equipment, you will eventually need to repair or upgrade ice makers you use for your business. Find parts such as pumps and water filtration systems online as well as online service manuals you can download and print.
Try: Find parts and service manuals for the models of the most popular commercial and industrial ice makers (Manitowoc, Scotsman and Hoshizaki) at PartsTown. Ice Machine Parts offers a variety of valves, compressors, evaporators, brackets and service manuals for repairing your Manitowoc machine. GalaSource sells remote condensers and water filtration systems for ice machines.

Ask restaurant supply houses and ice machine manufacturers about maintenance agreements and manuals for new, used or leased equipment to make sure you know what repairs or replacement parts are readily available.