Flake or nugget
Both come from the same kind of machine. An auger turns inside a chilled cylinder, lifts the ice as it forms and pushes it out through a head at the top. Flake ice leaves soft and damp and moulds around whatever it touches, which is why it lines fish counters, produce displays and salad bars. Nugget ice is squeezed harder into small, chewable pellets that suit soft drinks, smoothies, hospitals and aged care. Hoshizaki, the Japanese maker, lists seven of each in its FM range.
Flake ice machines
Two self-contained models make 105 kg a day at 21 °C. The FM-120KE-HC is 640 mm wide and holds about 26 kg, while the FM-120KE-50-HC stretches to 940 mm to hold about 57 kg. Above them sit five modular heads: the FM-300AKE-HC-SB at 250 kg, FM-480AKE-HC-SB at 400 kg, FM-480AKE at 425 kg, FM-750AKE at 650 kg and FM-1000AKE at 890 kg a day.
Nugget ice machines
Three nugget units are self-contained. The FM-120KE-HCN and FM-120KE-50-HCN both make 96 kg a day, holding about 32 kg and 65 kg, and the FM-150KE-N makes 120 kg with 32 kg of storage. The four heads make 210 kg (FM-300AKE-HCN-SB), 330 kg (FM-480AKE-HCN-SB), 360 kg (FM-480AKE-N) and 500 kg (FM-750AKE-N).
Pairing a head with a bin
The nine heads make ice only, so each one sits on a storage bin. Hoshizaki lists four bins holding 144 kg, 217 kg, 348 kg and 578 kg on the Hoshizaki bins, dispensers and filters page. The heads are 560 mm or 762 mm wide, so the bin and any top kit have to suit the footprint as well as the volume. A fish counter takes its biggest load before opening, so the bin should cover the morning set up.
Site checks for an auger machine
- Room temperature. All 14 machines are rated for rooms from 5 °C to 40 °C. Output still falls as the room warms: at 32 °C air and 21 °C water the FM-1000AKE drops from 890 kg to 740 kg, and the FM-120KE-HCN from 96 kg to 75 kg. In a hot Perth plant room, plan from the lower figure.
- Power. Eleven take a 10 amp plug. The FM-1000AKE, FM-750AKE and FM-750AKE-N need a 15 amp plug and a matching outlet, so book an electrician before the install if you do not have one.
- Water. A flaker turns nearly all its water into ice, unlike a cube machine that sends a share down the drain. The FM-120KE-HC is listed at about 105 L of water a day for 105 kg of ice. It still needs a cold supply with an isolating tap, a filter, and a drain for melt from the bin.
- Heat out. The FM-480AKE-HC-SB gives off 2,190 W at 32 °C and the self-contained FM-120 units 655 W.
- Refrigerant. Eight models, the HC and HCN codes, use R290, a natural refrigerant. The FM-480AKE, FM-750AKE, FM-1000AKE, FM-480AKE-N and FM-750AKE-N use R404A, and the FM-150KE-N uses R134a.
Installation
Sam confirms the water, drain and power before you order. He positions and levels the machine, seals a head to its bin, connects the supply and filter, and runs it until clean, dry flakes or firm nuggets are falling into the bin. Ask Sam about taking an old flaker away. If your own trades are connecting it, the machine can go out by courier instead.
Servicing and repairs
The auger, its bearings, seals and gear motor carry load every hour the machine runs, and scale on the cylinder makes them work harder still. Sam services and repairs Hoshizaki flake and nugget machines, including noisy augers, wet ice and leaks, at $75 + GST to attend and $180 + GST an hour plus parts, with the price agreed before he starts. See Hoshizaki repairs and servicing, ice machine repairs in Perth, scheduled maintenance or the full Hoshizaki range.
