The Difference between Air Cooled and Water Cooled Ice Machines

After you conclude the style of ice you need for your food service business as well as the equipment outline, you will need to choose what type of condenser your equipment will use.

The cooling system that drops the temperature of the evaporator and eliminates the heat from the condenser can be a water-cooled or an air-cooled system. Air cooled condensers can either be internal, self-contained mechanisms within the unit or remote condensers with the condenser situated external to the unit, normally mounted outdoors, and frequently on the roof of the founding.

Internal: Air Cooled Condensers

An Air-cooled, internal condenser uses vents and fans in the ice machine cupboard to pull in the nearby air. This air is dispersed around the condenser coils that have heated up due to that of the density of the refrigerant. The heat is moved to the circulating air and hot air is emitted out of the ice machine cabinet, which can add to the heat of the possibly already hot environment of a commercial kitchen.

Thus, air temperature and air circulation is very significant when bearing in mind an air-cooled, internal condenser. This can surely upsurge your air-conditioning electrical costs, so bear that in mind when selecting the condenser’s cooling system. Though, many air-cooled ice machines are energy-efficient and have gained the ‘Energy Star’ rating.

Condensers: Water Cooled

A Water-cooled condenser makes use of water coils to handover the heat from the condenser coils. A waterline, discrete from the water used to make ice, transports the water into the cabinet. The water flows through the system, effectively eradicating the heat. This hot water is then drained out of the ice machine component.

In an establishment where the nearby air temperatures are normally 80 degrees to 100 degrees Fahrenheit on a regular basis, such as in a profit-making kitchen, a water-cooled condenser may be more logical since an air-cooled unit would quickly be overtaxed trying to cool the condenser with excessively warm air. Mainly in states where the climate is hot for many months, a water-cooled condenser can function more efficiently, meaning a longer lifetime for your ice machine equipment.