An ice maker basically refers to either the consumer device that’s used for making ice which is found inside a freezer (a stand alone appliance used for making ice), or industrial machines used for making ice. Mostice makers normally use electric motors, electrically operated water valves and electrical heating units. An ice maker, ice generator, or ice machine may refer to either a consumer device for making ice, found inside a home freezer; a stand-alone appliance for making ice, or an industrial machine for making ice on a large scale. The term “ice machine” usually refers to the stand-alone appliance. In order to provide sufficient power to the aforementioned elements, you need to hook your ice maker up to an electrical circuit which powers your refrigerator or freezer. You also need to hook your ice maker to the plumbing lines in your home in order to provide clean fresh water for ice pieces. Both the water intake tube and the power line, run through a certain hole that’s located at the back of your freezer. The portable ice makers normally work a bit differently. After you learn how to use an ice maker, you will know that instead of filling up the mold of portable ice maker with fresh water and putting it into a freezer, the portable ice maker basically freezes the fresh water directly, meaning it takes less time to fully complete your batch of ice. Here is a well detailed explanation in regards to how to use an ice maker.
Most ice makers use an electric motor, an electrically operated water valve and an electrical heating unit. To provide power to all these elements, you have to hook the ice maker up to the electrical circuit powering your refrigerator. You also have to hook the ice maker up to the plumbing line in your house, to provide fresh water for the ice cubes. The power line and the water-intake tube both run through a hole in the back of the freezer. Some ice makers direct the incoming water behind the evaporator plate or over the ice to use the heat of the incoming water to assist in the ice-harvesting process. This step also serves to prechill the incoming water and cuts energy use significantly.
Consumer ice makers will use these techniques for making ice :
- Freezer ice makers
- Portable ice makers
- Built-in and freestanding ice makers
Ways how to use an ice maker :
- Water is added to the device’s water reservoir to its’ fill line. When it comes to portable ice makers, they aren’t connected to the water line thus should be filled manually. This means you just need to pour water directly to the unit with a jug, faucet or bucket.
- The water is then pumped through a hole at the bottom of reservoir up to the freeze tray which is at the unit’s top. Any overflow will spill back to the reservoir.
- When refrigeration cycle starts, the 1/2″ prongs that are on heat exchanger will get lowered to the water on the freeze tray. The submerged spikes will get cold quickly, and the ice will start to form in just a few minutes.
- The size of your ice pieces will depend on just how long prongs get left inside the water. Longer cycles mean thicker ice pieces. Small ice pieces usually take about six minutes, whilst the large ice pieces are about twice that time period; although the freezing times may get affected by ambient temperatures and the period of time the unit(s) has been running.
- When the ice reaches the proper size, freeze tray empties the remaining water back to the water reservoir(s). At that same time, heat exchanger will reverse itself and spikes will start to gradually heat up; just enough for the ice pieces to slide off unit’s prongs, and tumble towards the storage basket which is on top of the water reservoir.
- A 2nd sensor on the storage basket will monitor the amounts of stored ice and will shut off the system when it gets way too full.
Here are some more details on how to use an ice maker you need to remember:
-Portable ice makers are not freezers. Once you learn how to use an ice maker and the ice gets well made, it wont keep the stored ice frozen. You either need to use it straight away, or you can move the ice into your freezer to prevent it from melting.
-After you learn how to use an ice maker, you will notice that the ice which melts in storage bin drains back to the water reservoir and can be reused.
-Since the freezing elements of portable ice makers gets placed directly into the water, they can make the ice much faster than the regular freezers, which lower the air temperature.
Ice makers use batch models tend to produce ice that is purer than its source water, because the freezing process separates out the impurities. In continuous units, chemicals tend to remix in an ice/water combination. Controls for batch ice makers are more complicated—they must end the freezing process at the proper time to start a thawing cycle, and resume the freezing process after the ice has been harvested.
How to use an Ice Maker 