Regular cleaning and maintenance are the most important factors in getting the best output from your ice cream machine. Downtime for any industry in the ice cream business dictates a loss of costs; thus, it is important to be preventive in the maintenance of your high-demand equipment. Neglecting your ice cream machine such as a Taylor C712 soft serve freezer will result in less-than-ideal performance and lost profit opportunities.
Be sure to keep on an establishment cleaning schedule, check for any wear and breakdown problems, and address any potential issues before they become a big problem. So, with some inspection and routine service, you’ll mitigate these expensive breakdowns, securing your profitability by consistently serving your clientele the best in soft-serve products.
Wash and Clean the Ice Cream Machine
An ice cream machine should be washed properly after each use to ensure excellent service and increased lifespan. Be sure to clean all the parts that are used with the frozen ingredients, especially the moving parts. Most of them have many removable parts, and the cleaning process is easy. Still, some are a little bit challenging, and in that regard, ensure that you do this as per the manufacturer’s best recommendation.
Part Replacing
Not everything comes up from cleaning; at times, parts just wear out and need replacement. To avoid downtime, just ensure that all the parts that may need to be replaced are available, including the O-rings. An O-ring is quite simply a round plastic seal, which is used to close gaps between connecting parts in various machines. They can be found almost everywhere and are easily replaceable, so finding replacements should not trouble you for a bit. Parts kept in excess will see one’s ice cream machine remain in good working condition with the least downtime.
Check for Overheating
For an ice cream machine, overheating can be a result of a jammed paddle, strained motor, or damaged power cord. As time progresses, in case you find your equipment overheating, you may have to change your operating and cleaning habits. Other cases of persistent overheating may be a result of blowing fuses. As such, being able to take note of some of the symptoms of overheating, which include unusual warmth or interrupted services, will bring out maximum action to mitigate further damage.
Do Not Pause
Avoid stopping the ice cream maker while in operation as the ice cream begins melting and the consistency of the ice cream becomes a mess in the churning process. The compressor has to run continuously for a while before it reaches a proper re-freezing stage of the mixture. Stopping the machine is also likely to be caused by paddles or dashers that are jammed; hence, one should ensure to make regular checkups for problems of the machine to avoid involuntary stops.
Pre-Cooling
The equipment should be pre-cooled before ice cream manufacture. That helps to prevent the unwanted growth of bacteria in dairy products and to keep the mix fresh during manufacturing. This is particularly important with equipment that has stood unused for quite some time. Additionally, there’s a need to check whether the mixing cylinder has an airtight seal and whether the beaters can scrap mix off the walls of the cylinder properly after freezing.
Routinely Check if It Is Working Properly
Check your ice cream machine often to ensure that it is not giving you any abnormal indication regarding the ice cream coming out. For example, a different texture from all the other products in your freezer. This may be a symptom that the mixing paddle is not turning the ice cream correctly. You could replace the paddle or go the extra mile and get a technician to repair this fault. Overloading the machine or not hitting the right consistency in preparing the ice cream may also be indicators that maintenance or modifications are required.
Conclusion
Routine maintenance and proper care for an ice cream machine are necessary to ensure peak performance while minimising very expensive downtime. Stick to a cleaning routine, act fast when signs of wear or damage appear, and follow the manufacturer’s suggestions for maintaining your equipment to maximise its life expectancy and product quality. Proactive maintenance keeps you rolling along, continuing to please your customers with quality soft-serve ice cream.
