How Does a Commercial Ice Maker Work?

There are four main parts to every ice maker: the compressor, the condenser, the expansion valve, and the evaporator.

Running through each of these components is the magic ingredient—refrigerant. This chemical cools everything down enough to transform from liquid to ice.

The compressor is the pump that pressurizes the refrigerant. It'll keep the refrigerant moving through the system throughout the ice-making process.

In the first stage, the compressor heats up the refrigerant. This sounds counterproductive, but it's a crucial step in the process. This actually vaporizes the refrigerant so it can pass through the condenser (a narrow tube) into the evaporator through the expansion valve, which allows excess heat to escape.

Once in the evaporator, the refrigerant depressurizes, helping it to cool down rapidly and expand. From there, it converts back into a liquid in the condenser. This cycle occurs again and again to convert water into ice.

Where does water come into play? It won't touch or integrate with the refrigerant. Instead, it flows from an intake valve into an ice tray. As the commercial ice maker performs its refrigerant functions, the water is slowly chilled until it becomes ice.

Ideally, the machine should freeze the water layer by layer. This is what creates clear, picture-perfect ice. If the water freezes all at once, it creates telltale cloudy cubes that look less than ideal.

Great ice starts with great water. No one wants cloudy cubes in their drink. Commercial ice maker water filters help to reduce contaminants that can cause substandard ice, giving your customers the most refreshing cubes in town.

Every commercial ice maker has sensors that can detect when ice is completely frozen. Once this happens, it triggers the harvest cycle.

The machine runs either hot gas or hot water through channels in the evaporator plate to help loosen the ice so it can pop out of the tray with ease. Then, an agitator mechanism (or good old gravity) dislodges the cubes. They'll land safely in the storage bin, ready to be used in whatever chilled masterpiece you're serving.