Pumpin' Ice!
Hubbard's new Scotsman PWD advance promises major cost savings and added flexibility.
Installing a self-contained icemaker is about to get a whole lot easier, thanks to pioneering developments from Scotsman in conjunction with Hubbard Ice Systems, UK distributor of the brand. It's all down to an ingenious integral pump that means positioning your new Scotsman ice machine will no longer be restricted by the location of the drains. It might sound mundane, but Scotsman's 'PWD' (pumped water discharge) has been hailed as the most important advance in icemaker design in a decade.
The first prototype of the new system, installed in a Scotsman icemaker, was shown on the Hubbard stand at Hotelympia 2002 and brought a hugely positive reaction from the industry. The company plans to launch models incorporating the system in early summer.
Currently, the position of the drain is a critical and potentially expensive consideration when installing a self-contained, back of bar icemaker. This is because gravity is the force that empties wastewater out of the bottom of the machine, so the drain must be less than 100mm above floor level. If not, then the water won't drain away. In a typical backbar, the ideal will be to tap the ice machine's waste into the waste pipe from the sink - unfortunately, this is typically at least 300mm above floor level.
So, you either have to install a pump to get rid of the wastewater, or you have to move the drain. Either way, it's expensive and can add significantly to the cost of installation, since you'll need a plumber to come and modify your existing drains.
The Scotsman PWD will be fitted inside Scotsman icemakers and will pump wastewater up to a metre and a half high, making it easy to connect to the existing drains with no modifications. What's more, it can pump the wastewater over distances up to three metres, giving even more flexibility in positioning the ice machine.
"The PWD will save anything from £75 to £150 on installation costs in a typical site, potentially more in particularly awkward backbar layouts," comments Chris Davis, commercial director of Hubbard Ice Systems. "We've been working for some time with Scotsman to develop the system. Initial feedback has been incredibly positive - everyone is very excited by the potential, not just in terms of cost savings and ease of installation, but also because of the added flexibility of the machines. It means that, for the first time, users will be able to position the machines exactly where they want them, rather than where the drains dictate they have to be."
Once trials have been completed, the PWD will be installed on all Scotsman ACM self-contained icemakers.
