Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker

Is there a way to help your soft serve ice cream maker run efficiently?

Yes there is: regular maintenance.

If you've read other pages on this site you've probably seen this theme before: maintenance helps air conditioning and refrigeration equipment run reliably and efficiently.

Do I stress this because all I've ever done is clean equipment?

No, but I've been on a lot of service calls where cleaning the soft serve ice cream maker solved efficiency and reliability problems, and where dirty equipment caused failure of compressors and other components.

These are the types of expensive service calls that equipment owners and operators can avoid by taking the time to do some careful maintenance.

It's important to get the operator's manual from the manufacturer, and follow the guidelines carefully.

If the machine runs constantly there are probably parts like plastic scraper blades, o-rings, and alignment bushings or collars that will wear out on a regular basis, so you need to stock up on these so you can replace them when they wear out; and you'll also need to keep food-safe lubricant on hand.

These items aren't expensive, and they definitely help the machine produce high quality product.

Disassemble your soft serve ice cream maker as often as the manufacturer recommends, which in most cases is daily.

Clean, inspect, lubricate, re-assemble, and sanitize the parts according to the manufacturer's recommendations.

When you mix the product, be careful to follow the manufacturer's specifications carefully.

If the mix is too watery the product quality will be poor; and if the mix is too rich, you'll sell less product and reduce your profit margin.

On a regular basis open the panels of your soft serve ice cream maker and make sure the inside of the machinery compartment is clean, and make sure the condenser coil is clean.

If there are drive belts, make sure they're in good shape and adjusted correctly.

Make sure there's a clear path for air to flow through the condenser, and that no other appliances are venting hot air into the condenser coil.

The condenser is where the heat picked up from the freezing product is released to the relatively cool air flowing through the coil.

If air flow through the coil is blocked, or if hot air is flowing into the coil, the system can't release the heat efficiently.

The compressor will run longer to bring the product temperature down, which will increase power consumption, and in severe cases the compressor will break.

Taking a few extra minutes to maintain your soft serve ice cream machine carefully will definitely help it keep generating profits for you reliably.

I hope this page has helped, and please, feel free to contact us with any specific HVAC questions you might have, including questions about refrigeration on Guam, and air conditioning on Guam.