Ice Machine Water Filtration

Ice Machine manufacturers claim that over 70% of the service calls on their equipment are directly related to poor water quality and the lack of proper water treatment.  Many ice machine manufacturers are now voiding warranties of equipment lacking the proper water treatment systems.

The most common type of ice machine water filtration is sediment, chlorine, taste, odor, and scale (CTOS).  This is a sediment and carbon filter with a core that releases a polyphosphate scale inhibitor into the water.  The sediment filter removes large particles of dirt and debris, the carbon removes (1) chlorine which can corrode your equipment, (2) any taste and (3) odor, and the polyphosphate is introduced into the water to bond with the calcium to reduce the amount that adheres to your machine.

For most water supplies we do not recommend a pre-filter, however if you are on private well water or your area is known to have high sediment content or ferric iron, a pre-filter can give you better results and increase the life of your main filter.  We do recommend you make a habit of changing your filters at least every 6 months.

Drop-In Filters have what is referred to as a head that mounts on the wall.  The water in and water out lines are attached to the head.  There are hard shells called sumps that screw on to the head.  These hard shells contain the filter cartridges.  Drop-In style filters are economical, have high flow rates and large capacities.  They can however be messy to change as the hard shell must be unscrewed from the head and the water poured out.  The cartridge then must be disposed of and a new filter cartridge is “dropped-in”.  The shell is then reattached to the head and the system is refilled with water.

Quick twist filter systems are made to be simple and clean to change the filter cartridge.  Most are just a push up and twist to remove and a push up and twist to reinstall.  There is no messy water filled shell to empty and there are no tools required to change the cartridges.  It is sanitary because you cannot touch the inside of the cartridge with your hands.  Quick twist cartridges tend to be more expensive than the drop-in cartridges, they have lower flow rates and capacities than drop-in filters and they are not as environmentally friendly as drop-in cartridges as they tend to put more plastic into the land fills.