Food Service Equipment

Ice is 100% water, and as much as 70% of service calls on ice machines are water quality related. The three main water quality issues plaguing ice machines are lime scale accumulation, chlorine, and sediment. Both cubed and flaked ice machines suffer from the following water related problems:

•  Scale accumulation on evaporator plate or auger reduces efficiency by slowing the freezing process requiring the compressors to run longer.
•  Scale accumulation causes ice to “hang up” and “bridge” in the bin.
•  Sediment and scale deposits clog distributor tubes reducing ice harvest.
•  Sediment and scale deposits affect the operation of the float valve, circulating pump, and purge valve.
•  Chlorine present in municipal supplies can cause corrosion in ice bin, evaporator plate, auger, and cabinet.

Through proper filtration, the efficiency and life expectancy of the ice machine can be dramatically increased. Benefits include:

•  A reduction in maintenance requirements and service related costs.
•  Prolonged equipment life.
•  Increased ice production.
•  Decreased energy use.
•  Higher quality of ice produced.

Water-fed cooking equipment that uses steam for cooking, proofing, or glazing food products all have one thing in common, they evaporate water by heating it to produce steam and this process more than any other leads to mineral scale formation.

Evaporation – Where do the minerals go?

When water is heated and evaporated, the dissolved minerals must go somewhere.  In boiler-based equipment, the dissolved minerals stay behind in the boiler.  As steam is produced, the mineral content in the boiler increases along with mineral scale formation.  As the mineral content increases, so does the formation of scale.

In flash steam (boiler-less) applications, the dissolved minerals will either immediately precipitate out of solution as tiny particles or remain in solution in the water vapor, steam or condensate thus coming in contact with the stainless steel cooking cavity and its components often leading to corrosion.

• Most steam generators use a mechanism (usually electronic probes) to sense water levels. These probes get coated with scale leading to failure and equipment service.
• Drain valves may clog from loose scale deposits eventually leading to
• Gas and electric units may also suffer from accelerated stress, corrosion, & cracking from scale formation and other chemicals present that accelerate corrosion in boiler metals.
• Harsh cleaners which are employed for removal of scale can present a safety hazard, and harm equipment as well.
• Frequent maintenance requirements leading to downtime.
• High service and repair costs.
• Increased energy use.
• Slower cook cycles.
• Uneven cook cycles resulting in poor food quality.
• Warranty issues as most manufacturers will not honor warranty agreements where the water does not meet stringent quality requirements.

Dish machines spray hot water along with chemicals to remove food from dishes. The fact that heated water is being sprayed encourages the formation of scale. Scale build-up decreases the life and efficiency of dish machines. As the water is being sprayed inside the machine, one can expect that scale will form everywhere as well as causing problems from plugged nozzles to sticking mechanical parts.

Booster heaters are hot water fed and are placed prior to the dish machine. Booster Heaters are fed 140°F water and boosts it up to 180°F for proper sanitation.

The SFES HBW Series units are installed on the hot water line feeding the booster heater and dish machine.

When applying HydroBlend on booster heaters and dish machines, the results may vary depending on the water hardness, alkalinity, and other water characteristics. Since booster heaters maintain water pressure, one can expect elimination of lime scale inside the booster heater. In dish machines where the water is being released from pressure, expect a dramatic reduction in the amount of lime scale formation.  Any precipitation of minerals inside the dish machine will be powdery as opposed to hard mineral scale and can be cleaned much easier without the need for deliming.

As HydroBlend shows some wetting agent capacity, it may help with some spotting issues. However, spotting will relate to other factors beyond HydroBlend’s control, so do not promote HydroBlend as an anti-spotting solution.

Hot water machines are basically mini water/ booster heaters used in many foodservice applications especially where dry goods are used. For example, mashed potatoes, gravies, refried beans etc. are often made by mixing pre-packaged dry ingredients with hot water. The water temperature must be close to 200° F in order for the consistency of product to be of high quality.

If the heating elements are covered in mineral scale, then these temperatures are not obtained, leading to poor quality and consistency. Often, the foodservice operator must wait for the equipment to achieve dispensing temperature which is not acceptable during busy time periods.

The same systems used in Coffee/Tea/Espresso are applied to Insta-Hot Machines.