Modular ice makers are by far the most common type of icemaking equipment found in the foodservice, hospitality, and supermarket industries. Modular ice makers consist of the icemaking unit only. Storage for the ice is provided in a separate piece of equipment. In many applications these ice makers will be mounted on some type of ice storage equipment, but they can also be mounted on top of an ice and beverage dispenser, for example.

Most commercial modular ice makers producing cube, flake, nugget or compressed nugget ice are available in a wide range of production capacities - generally from as little as 50 lbs of daily production to over 2000 lbs a day. Many are available in either water-cooled or air-cooled configurations. Some models are designed to allow components (such as the compressor and/or fan motor) that produce noise and heat to be remoted to another location, often the rooftop. While these models are generally more expensive than those without this feature, energy savings in air conditioning costs may offset the additional expense over time.

Most modular ice makers require that the ice maker be positioned on top of a separate piece of equipment in which the produced ice will be stored. This could be an ice storage bin, an ice and beverage dispenser, or a mechanical dispensing bin, for example. When the ice is produced, it falls by gravity through a hole in the top of the storage receptacle.

However, there are modular compressed nugget ice makers that do not have to be mounted on the storage equipment or dispenser. These ice makers can be remotely located - under the counter or in a back room, for example - and will transport the ice through a tube to the storage receptacle from 20 feet or more away. When used with an ice and beverage dispenser, this ability to fill the dispenser from a remote ice machine means a much smaller dispenser profile and the removal of the heat and noise associated with producing ice from the customer area.

Modular ice makers have come a long way over the years. Today’s offerings are attractive units with high reliability and features that help address sanitation and utility concerns. Many facilities will spend a great deal of time selecting the ice machine, but may give very little thought, if any, to the storage bin or dispenser to be used with it. And while having adequate ice production capacity is important, customers and staff do not interface with the ice maker on a daily basis as they do with the bin or dispenser. An equally important piece of equipment and one that should be selected carefully to meet the labor and sanitation needs of the facility is the ice storage equipment or ice and beverage dispenser that will be used with the modular ice maker.

Water-cooled or air-cooled ice makers
The decision on whether to select an air-cooled or water-cooled ice maker should be based on where the ice maker will be located and how expensive your water and sewer utilities are. Air-cooled ice makers require reasonably cool ambient air for cooling at the condenser. Look at the production table of the ice maker model you’re considering to see how significantly ambient air temperatures affect production values. An air-cooled ice maker that produces 600 lbs of ice at 70°F air and 50°F water will deliver significantly less ice in very warm ambient air or in an enclosed or tight location without good ventilation. In addition to producing less ice, air-cooled ice makers located in enclosed, poorly ventilated spaces will work harder and may have a shorter compressor life as a result.

Water-cooled ice makers perform well where ambient air temperatures are high or where the ice maker is located in a tight, confined space, but the trade-off is that they waste a significant amount of water. If you compare “water required per 100 lbs of ice produced” for air-cooled and water-cooled machines, you’ll see that water-cooled ice makers will use about 150 gallons of water more per 100 lbs of ice produced. This is because water is being used to cool the refrigerant at the condenser.