Ice machine repair, descaling and cleaning across London and the South East
An ice machine that slows to a trickle gets noticed at the worst moment: the first hot weekend of the year. Our engineers repair cube, flake and nugget ice machines from Hoshizaki, Scotsman, Foster and the other major brands, and we descale and sanitise machines so the ice stays clean.
- Cube, flake and nugget machines
- Descaling and deep cleaning
- 24/7 emergency call-outs
- F-Gas certified, Refcom registered
Certified, accredited and insured
Common ice machine faults
Ice machines are half refrigeration, half plumbing, and they fail on both sides. Water quality causes as many breakdowns as compressors do. These are the faults we see most.
No ice, or slow production
Start with the simple things: the water supply is on, the machine is not stuck in a cleaning cycle, and the bin is not full against the sensor. Beyond that, slow production is usually scale on the evaporator, a weak inlet valve, a choked condenser, or a refrigeration fault. On water-cooled machines, a scaled or restricted condenser water supply slows production the same way.
Small, cloudy or hollow cubes
Cube shape tells a story. Small or hollow cubes point to low water flow over the evaporator: a scaled distribution tube, a weak pump or a tired inlet valve. Cloudy ice is often trapped air and minerals from hard water. These are water-side faults far more often than refrigeration faults, and they are inexpensive to put right.
Water leaks
Leaks come from perished inlet hoses, blocked drains, cracked water troughs, or scale forcing water over edges it should never reach. A leaking machine needs prompt attention, because water plus electrics is how a small leak becomes a dead machine or a tripped supply.
Scale build-up
London water is hard, and scale coats the evaporator plate, the water trough and the sensors. Production drops, cubes stick and refuse to harvest, and the machine works harder for less ice. Descaling is maintenance, not a repair, and a scaled machine that is never descaled ends up needing the expensive kind of attention.
Cleaning and sanitising
Ice is classed as food, and the inside of an ice machine is a food surface. Bins, augers and curtains grow slime and mould if they are not cleaned, and an EHO who lifts the bin lid will form a view of the whole kitchen from what they find. We deep clean and sanitise machines, and we can set a cleaning routine that fits your site.
Water filters
A filter protects the inlet valve and pump, improves the taste and clarity of the ice, and slows scale. An overdue cartridge does the opposite: it restricts flow and starves the machine of water. We fit and replace filter cartridges and size them for your water hardness and usage.
What our engineer does on a visit
We always look at the water side first, because that is where most ice machine faults live.
- Step 01
History and symptoms
When did production drop, has the machine been descaled, and what does the ice look like? The answers point the diagnosis before a panel comes off.
- Step 02
Water and scale inspection
Inlet pressure, valves, pump, distribution tube, trough and filter all get checked, and the evaporator inspected for the scale pattern that slows production.
- Step 03
Refrigeration checks
Condenser, fans, pressures and the harvest cycle. Refrigeration faults on ice machines are rarer than water faults, but they happen and we are equipped for them.
- Step 04
Clean, descale, report
Where scale or hygiene is the issue, we descale and sanitise the machine, then tell you plainly what it needs and how often, so production stays up.
Who we repair ice machines for
Nobody thinks about their ice machine until the bin is empty. We repair, descale and clean machines for:
- Pubs and bars
- Restaurants and hotels
- Cafés and coffee shops
- Clubs and late-night venues
- Takeaways
- Gyms and leisure centres
- Care homes and hospitals
- Event caterers
Ice is food, so the machine needs cleaning like it
Everything the ice touches, the evaporator, the bin, the scoop, the chute, is a food contact surface. Warm, wet and dark, the inside of a bin is also a perfect home for biofilm, the pink or grey slime you sometimes see around the bin door. Customers have got ill from dirty ice, and environmental health officers know it, which is why they check ice machines on inspections.
A sensible routine: scoop with a clean scoop stored outside the ice, never a glass; wipe bin door handles and chutes daily; and have the machine deep cleaned and sanitised on a schedule. We can carry out the deep cleans and leave you with a simple log that doubles as due-diligence evidence at your next inspection.
Hard water, scale and London machines
Most of London and the South East sits on hard or very hard water, and ice machines feel it first because they freeze water constantly. Scale builds on the evaporator plate and the harvest suffers: cubes stick, freeze together, or come out thin. Left long enough, scale damages the plate coating and the sensors, and then a maintenance issue has become a repair.
How often a machine needs descaling depends on your water hardness and how much ice you make, so we do not quote a fixed interval. What we can say from experience: if you cannot remember the last descale, it is overdue. A correctly sized water filter slows the build-up and pays for itself in avoided call-outs.
Areas we cover
Our engineers cover Greater London, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey and Berkshire. If you are close to the edge of those areas, call 020 3488 1889 and we will tell you straight away whether we can get to you.
Read up before you book
Plain advice from the people who fix these units, written for the people who own them.
We repair all the major commercial refrigeration brands
- Williams
- Foster
- Gram
- True
- Polar
- Precision
- Hoshizaki
- Scotsman
- Electrolux
- Adande
What Be Cool Group customers say
Commercial Fridge Repair is part of Be Cool Group. These are reviews from the group's customers.
Great Cold Room!
We had a small but difficult installation of a coldroom in our restaurant. Ali helped us minimise the downtime of our restaurant and installed a great coldroom for us!
Best Advice & Service!
I have known Ali from ‘Be Cool Refrigeration’ for the past year and he is a committed individual running a business that provides exceptional service. I had no hesitation to recommend one of my clients to him and not only did Ali deliver on a promise of great service but also recommended the right solution for the new showroom we had acquired for my client. This solution comprising of multiple units was not only effective given the size and format of the showroom it also has reduced the cost base and carbon footprint long term. Overall Be Cool Refrigeration has the right attitude and competence to be a trusted partner for whatever A/C, refrigeration, heating or similar systems you require. You are sure to be in the best hands with the best advice and service. I cannot recommend them highly enough.Read more
Knowledgeable! Professional!
Fridges, cold rooms, air-conditioning, ice machines, electric ovens, ice makers and MANY MORE…Be Cool have supplied and maintained our equipment since our restaurants, pubs and hotels opened (since 2010) and we have never look further…they have always responded to our calls and breakdowns. Knowledgeable! Professional!
Work to high quality
Be Cool have been working for us for over 5 years (since 2011), they install and maintain all the commercial refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment for our projects. Our trust has always grown in Be Cool and because of this we always follow their recommendations…. “They have simply never let us down attending emergencies immediately and undertaking the work to high quality”.Read more
The professionalism and quality of work was second to none!
We used BeCool Ltd. to install new air conditioning in one of our 800sqm London venues. Top class! This was a big project but took little over two weeks. From the initial consultation to the handover, nothing was too much. The professionalism and quality of work was second to none. Following that, we used them to upgrade the air conditioning in our second London venue. Could not fault Ali and his team and BeCool Ltd is now our go-to place for AC and refrigeration. Thanks!Read more
Huge thank you to Be Cool!
Huge thank you to Be Cool after picking up the phone on a Sunday and providing good fast advice which other companies had completely failed to do. Thank you.
Ice machine repair FAQs
How often should an ice machine be cleaned and descaled?
It depends on your water hardness and how much ice you make, which is why we do not quote a fixed interval. Manufacturers typically recommend cleaning and descaling every few months, and busy sites on hard London water often need the more frequent end of that. Visible slime, a musty smell or dropping production all mean now, not later.
Which brands do you repair?
Hoshizaki, Scotsman and Foster are the ones we see most, and our engineers work on the other major brands too, including Ice-O-Matic, Manitowoc and Brema. If yours is an unusual make, tell us the model when you call and we will confirm before booking.
Why are my cubes hollow or half size?
Almost always a water-side problem: scale on the evaporator plate, a scaled distribution tube, a weak water pump or an inlet valve that is not opening fully. Occasionally it is a harvest cycle issue. All of these are repairable, and most are inexpensive compared with the production you are losing.
Is the ice from a scaled-up machine safe to serve?
Scale itself is mostly a performance problem, but the conditions that let scale build usually mean the machine has not been cleaned either, and that is the hygiene worry. If you can see slime or the ice tastes off, stop serving from the machine, bin the ice, and book a clean and descale.
Do you supply and fit water filters?
Yes. We fit and replace filter cartridges sized for your machine and your water, and we can fold filter changes into a regular service visit so they never get forgotten.
Ice machine slow or stopped?
Call us with the make, the fault and your postcode and we will give you a realistic arrival window, or send the form and we will ring you back.