For any catering or food business, it's essential to have access to the high-quality machinery that you need to run your business. The services trade will nearly always need to sell cold drinks - from restaurants and cafes through to bars and pop-up shops, and even to attractions, amusement parks, family tourist destinations and ice-cream vans.

A cold drink demands ice in order to have that professional finish, and the easiest way to get this quickly and on tap is by investing in the right commercial ice machines. These offer the capacity and functionality that businesses need in order to operate at a high standard.

Varied Production

You'll find that every commercial ice machine on offer has a different capacity and size, as well as a varying design depending whether or not your equipment is located front of house or in the kitchen. You'll need to understand the estimated throughput requirements in order to buy the right size. Do you need to access ice regularly - for example, for a hotel bar or restaurant - or is it just sporadically and at certain times of the day, such as in a small tourist tea room or attraction?

Assessing Your Needs

You choose the correct machine by assessing the volume of ice required. A 50kg unit with a 24-hour capacity means that it will make two kilograms of ice every hour until the interior storage bin is filled to capacity. The ice storage bins on commercial ice machines also vary in size, so you'll need to think about this carefully before you select the right model for your business. Most ice-cube machines and ice-making equipment in general will be fed by the water mains, so they will need drainage. Check that they come supplied with the 13-amp plug and necessary connection hoses, and get advice on installation as necessary.

Installation Advice

For non-modular under-the-counter ice machines, the installation is much like that of a washing machine. The ice-maker will have a mains-fed water hose, an outlet for drainage and a plug. A plumber will need to do this for you, or you will probably find that the retailer selling the ice machine will offer the service as an add-on.

Removing Water Build-up

Make sure you use a scale reducer or water filter with your machine to prevent limescale build-up - especially if you live in a hard water area. Without this, the build-up will cause problems with the machine's operation over time. You can often buy water filters at the same place that you are buying your ice machines from.

A Note on Warranties

One final point to note is that you will need to get a warranty with your new ice maker, or you will find that repairs can be expensive. Most will come with a standard parts and labour warranty for a year, but you may wish to purchase an extended warranty to protect you against any costly bills for a longer period.