Regardless of the beverage ice is used in, filtered water allows the ice to do its job without altering the flavor of the drink. It also provides aesthetically pleasing clear ice that is free from cloudiness and particulate matter. Whether you need your ice filtered for your home or for your restaurant, a water filter for your ice machine enhances the quality and flavor of ice for all your beverages. In this article, you can learn what ice machine filters are and why they are important in both households and restaurants.
Why should you use a filter for your ice machine?
Ice filtration removes particles, chemicals, and other contaminants from water to provide high-quality ice that does not interfere with a beverage’s flavor. Water gets its taste from minerals, debris, chemicals, and other elements that contaminate it. By filtering these contaminants, you can produce water that tastes refreshing, contains no odor, and looks clear and refreshing when turned into ice. If water tastes bad, smells foul, or contains particles, your ice will look, taste, and smell like the water. As a result, filtering the water before it is frozen is essential in creating the best ice possible.
How does ice filtration work?
An ice filtration system filters the water feeding the ice machine to get rid of chlorine, particulate matter, and other contaminants that make the ice cloudy, taste dirty, and smell foul. One particularly pesky contaminant while making ice is water hardness. Water hardening minerals leave dust on top of ice cubes, so softening the water is essential to making the best ice possible. Hard water creates scale, which is a problem for making ice. As the water freezes, hardness minerals come out of solution and create scale right on the ice cube. As well as harming the ice itself, the inner workings of the ice machine suffer from the formation of scale. Scale can cause an early death for ice machines, making scale control critical for ice machines. Many different methods of scale control exist, including water softeners, phosphate, or a scale control cartridge.
Learn more: How to prevent limescale buildup in your home
What do ice filters remove?
The type of water treatment system you use determines the number and types of contaminants removed from your ice. For example, a simple activated carbon filter will primarily remove the below contaminants:
- Chlorine
- Foul taste and odors
- Sediment
Carbon's primary purpose is to remove chlorine from water, but it also removes other contaminants. Some carbon filters are rated to remove many more contaminants than those listed above. If you have hard water, then you should use scale control that eliminates the threat of water hardening minerals causing mechanical problems in your ice maker.
In homes, refrigerator filters are most commonly used to filter water that flows into the ice maker, but a reverse osmosis system can be hooked up to the ice maker as well. These systems remove almost all contaminants from water, making them an excellent ice filtration option.
Learn more: What is a reverse osmosis system?
Is ozone a good ice filter?
Ozone is a powerful water disinfection method. Ozone disinfection systems oxidize bacteria, pathogens, and other microbial water contaminants including sulfur, pesticides, herbicides, and heavy metals like iron and manganese. Bacteria can cause ice to discolor and foul its taste and odor. Additionally, bacterial presence in ice can expose the consumer to potentially harmful waterborne organisms. Ozone is noted for its ability to rapidly disinfect water, eliminating microorganisms without sacrificing flow rate or impeding ice production. Unlike traditional disinfection processes like chlorination, ozone can disinfect water without any chemical additives.
Just like you need to protect your ice machine from scale deposits that damage the internal mechanisms of the machine, you must also protect the machine’s cleanliness. Ice machines are notoriously difficult to clean. Lackluster water quality can lead to pink slime and algae coating the insides of the machine, making cleaning that much more difficult. An ozone disinfection system before an ice machine ensures that all the water entering the machine is of pristine quality. The elimination of all bacterial content from the water maintains a stellar degree of cleanliness within the ice machine, reducing the need for frustrating monthly maintenance and cleanings.
How do you install an ice machine water filter?
Every ice machine is fed with a waterline. The water filter is installed somewhere along this waterline before it connects to your ice machine. A commercial ice machine requires a larger filter with more complicated installation, but a simple ice maker in your refrigerator only requires an inline filter that feeds both your refrigerator’s water dispenser and ice machine. For commercial systems, consult the instructions for installing your specific machines. For a general guide on replacing refrigerator water and ice filters, continue reading.
How to install a refrigerator water and ice filter
To install the water filter in your refrigerator, follow the below steps:
- Locate the filter. In many cases, the refrigerator filter will be located somewhere above the top shelf of the fridge. However, in many Whirlpool refrigerators, the filter is located between the floor and the bottom of the fridge door. If you struggle to find the location of your fridge’s water filter, consult the manual of your specific model.
- Remove the filter cover. Not all fridge water filters contain a cover, but if yours does, it must be removed before you can access the old filter. Simply turn the cover counterclockwise or hit its release button and slide the cover out.
- Remove the old filter. Once the cover has been removed, you can remove the old filter from its compartment. Some fridges may require you to swing the cartridge out and then twist it, while others may simply need a counterclockwise twist to loosen the filter. To avoid damaging any pieces of the filter compartment, ensure you consult your filter’s installation instructions. If a cartridge is meant to pull straight out and you attempt to remove it with a twist, you could damage some plastic components that lock the filter in place.
- Install the new filter. Now that the old filter is removed, you can insert the new filter into the empty compartment. The installation process should be identical to the removal process with the exception of the direction you twist. If you twisted the cartridge counterclockwise to remove it, twist the new filter clockwise when you install it.
- Reset the filter indicator. If your fridge has a filter change indicator light, you should reset it before flushing your filter. Most fridges have a reset button on the control panel that you can hold to reset the indicator.
- Flush the new filter. You should always flush a new fridge filter to remove any excess carbon particles. Most fridge filter manufacturers recommend running between 3 to 5 gallons out of a new filter upon installation.
Learn more: How to change a refrigerator water filter
How often should you change the filter on your ice machine?
A home ice filter should be changed once every six months to one year, and a commercial ice filter should be changed once every six months. In most cases, water for ice machines is filtered with carbon to dechlorinate the water and remove chloramines. If a carbon filter is not changed frequently enough, the filter can make the water quality worse, resulting in more contaminated ice. Carbon filters on a high-volume ice machine might require a filter change every six months, while the ice water filter at your house requires a change every six months to one year. If your family is comprised of four people who regularly drink or cook with refrigerator water, for example, the filter should be changed twice each year. Do not let a carbon filter stay in place for longer than a year, as the adsorption properties of the carbon are likely gone after this time.
What is the Ice Wand?
The Ice Wand is an antimicrobial stick for ice machines. Airborne bacteria gets into the reservoir of an ice machine, but the Ice Wand inhibits the formation of slime and bacteria in an ice machine. It contains a specific proprietary blend of material that inhibits any kind of bacterial growth. This scale stick drops into the ice machine’s reservoir and prevents slime from growing. Before installing an Ice Wand, you must clean and sanitize the reservoir thoroughly. This unit should be replaced once every three to four months.
The Ice Wand inhibits the growth of slime or bacteria. It does not help the filtration process, but it keeps slime from creeping into the water supply, feeding the ice machine, and influencing the taste of the ice. The Ice Wand and the ice machine work independently, but they both result in better ice.
Learn more: A guide to commercial food and beverage filtration
If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.