Starting up? Everything you need to know about ice.

[Grand Tiki]

Now that I've been in this business for a few years, I have learned a
few things I wish I knew way back when... Here is one of them:
Ice is *the* essential ingredient for this business. Without it, you
have nothing to sell.

Unfortunately, ice seems to be the LAST thing considered by start-up
operators as they plan their business.

People argue endlessly on this forum about the types of machines, and
an almost religious fervor surrounds these discussions.

Ultimately, machine decisions are better made by researching the
SUPPLY OF ICE AVAILABLE where you live, and how much money you have to
invest, BEFORE you decide anything else.

There are three main styles of machines in use in this industry. Each
uses a different type of ice:

***Horizontal Block Shavers (called a "Tractor" by some here) are made
by Snowizard, Southern Snow, Gold Medal and a few others. (Note:
Southern Snow "private labels" their machines to other companies such
as Kavern and FlavorSnow. They are actually Southern Snow units with
different labels on them.)

HORIZONTAL PROS: These machines are very fast (3-4
times the output of a vertical machine) and can RELIABLY operate on
120 or 12 volts all day long. They are simple, bullet-proof and the
wear-prone items like motors, belts, and switches are easily found
from many industrial sources (like grainger.com). I have personally
seen 30+ year old units still in daily operation.

HORIZONTAL CONS: They can clog in ultra-high-volume situations.
Expect a 10-40% ice waste rate depending on how high you pile the top
of the snoball. They take up a lot of counter space. They do not
produce as finely shaved ice as a vertical shaver. They require a
little bit of skill to operate (typically a 1-2 hour learning curve
for a newbie operator to produce the very best results.) They have
the potential for injury if operated carelessly.

***Vertical Block Shavers (called "Spinners" by some here) such as the
Hatsuyuki HF-500E and Swan SI-100E are touted as producing the finest
shaved ice, and in my experience, they *do* make a "smoother" product.
This comes at the expense of speed. It requires AT LEAST two "Spinner"
machines (with two operators) to achieve the output one person with
one "Tractor" can achieve.

Some say you need "round ice" to operate them, but I know of one
successful operator who uses blocks from a "Tractor" style block maker
and cuts them in half with a small cordless circular saw and a wooden
jig he made. (From my observations of his "Spinner-only" shop, the
square blocks work just fine.)

VERTICAL PROS: A lot less counter space is needed. They make the best
texture ice. (To be fair: The average customer wouldn't know the
difference unless it was pointed out to them in a side-by-side
comparison – and your goal should be to impress your customers, not
your competitors down the street) The blade can be adjusted on the
fly to account for differences in ice or desired texture. Results
require limited operator skill and gives predictable results since the
feed rate is controlled by the machine.

VERTICAL CONS: More expensive to buy. Requires operator to catch
snow in gloved hand (most jurisdictions) which means more paid
employees per given output. Use many proprietary parts that are
expensive and often fragile. Though some are advertised as operating
on 12 volts, small 12 volt motors (that will fit in the housings) are
inefficient (prone to consuming batteries quickly and/or overheating)
and almost every mobile "Spinner" operator I've visited (doing any
serious volume) has a generator running a 120 volt machine instead of
a 12 volt unit.

***Cube Shavers, such as the Hatsuyuki HC-8E, Snowie 3000, or Swan
FM800EA are popular choices for new operators. They produce a decent
product, though it is noticeably "chunkier" than either of the block
shavers – it seems about 80% shavings with about 20% crystals in a
given cup. They are very easy to operate by anyone. Speeds are
variable: The "Hat" machine will take about 30 seconds to fill a 12
oz. cup. A Snowie 3000 ($2500) will do the same thing in about 3-5
seconds (on par with a $1700 "Tractor").

CUBER PROS: They are foolproof: Dump in the ice and hit the switch.
But the largest appeal cubers have is that cube ice is available
EVERYWHERE, (including the fridge in your own kitchen). Machinery for
producing your own ice is widely available (making it much less
expensive per pound of production capacity) and the ice maker can
operate UNATTENDED. (Scoop-and-Go beats the daily harvesting and
filling of ice mold containers hands down.)

CUBER CONS: Very slow, both due to limited shaving speed in some
units, and must be refilled with ice frequently. Though not horrible,
the ice quality is clearly not as good as either of the other shaver
styles. Durability of these units is modest at best – 5 years is a
common replacement timeframe. Snowie in particular is overpriced on
almost everything they sell (in my opinion).

*********************************************

Now (finally), lets talk about ice. You can make it or buy it:

Buying ice is initially attractive. There is often no investment,
though some vendors may try to charge a new business a one-time
"freezer delivery fee" of $50-100 if they supply you a freezer. (This
is often negotiable, and I would suggest a $100 refundable "deposit"
to the company rather than paying the "freezer fee".)

HINT: Always get a sample of ice from a potential supplier and let it
melt so you can drink some of the water. The difference in taste
between water sources is amazing - some are really bad and are
*barely* suitable for cooling (cheap) beer cans.

***Bag ice is usually $0.50 to $0.65 per 10lb bag (delivered) where I
live (North Carolina). Several companies supply it and it is
competitively priced. I expect most areas will have a similar
situation.

***Block ice is available from only two companies in my area. One has
"real" block ice and specializes in providing ice to commercial
fishing boats. They charge $2.25 per 12 lb. block, do not deliver
(100 miles away), require 48 hours notice, payment in cash, and their
ice is made from a brackish municipal water source (making it taste
terrible).

The other company charges less than half this, has a pristine water
source, delivers ice on demand, and has responded with great customer
service when confronted with the occasional mistake. (Guess which
company I use...) Unfortunately, they only provide "compressed ice"
which is cubes pressed tightly together and refrozen. This ice is
softer than "real" block ice which means I get about 25% less servings
for a given size block of ice.

Though some claim compressed ice shaves poorly, the difference between
it and the solid blocks (I make those too) is very subtle, and
compressed ice can be instantly brought to shaving temperature by
hosing it with water – solid blocks will crack if you do that.

The best part of buying ice (if you can get it where you live) is I
call a 1-800 number, and the next morning the Magical Ice Fairies fill
both of my (free) freezers out back. The down side is that I write
multi-thousand dollar checks to them each season. I also have only
one supplier, and if they stop making ice blocks, jack the prices, or
start requiring delivery fees (talked about when fuel was $3.50 gallon
last year), I will have to make significant changes in my business
model.

If you can't buy ice, you HAVE TO make it:

Ice is not free. Making it *is* less expensive than buying it, but
the "hassle factor" varies from moderate to high depending on type of
ice you need. Do not forget you must buy equipment, maintain it, have
a place to make ice, store the ice, and prepare the ice for use – all
of which takes time or money. Note: you always trade one for the
other when you are in business.

***Cubes: Commercial grade ice cube makers are made by a dozen
companies, are used everywhere from motels to bars, and are very
reliable. Decent used units are frequently available at restaurant
supply stores for cheap. Service is as close as the Yellow Pages and
most areas will have several companies that will service such units.
They require a decent water supply, a waste water drain, a
weather-protected area and standard 120 volt/20 amp electric service -
all of which can usually be found in the typical suburban garage.
Monster capacity units will operate cheaper on 220 volts, but unless
you already have a 200 amp main service coming into a recent-era
house, the electrician will cost more than you will save during
several years.

Hint: You will get more ice per dollar spent on a cube maker (than a
commercial block maker) due to price competition, a thriving
second-hand market, competitive service costs and modest environment
requirements – even if you need MORE THAN ONE to meet your ice
consumption. It can also operate unattended – scoop and go always
beats harvesting and filling ice mold containers. (Read on to see how
a cube maker can help you, even if you require blocks...)


***Blocks: Make no mistake, producing ice blocks is a time-consuming
process that requires a significant investment of money, a suitable
production location, and a decent source of water.

Hint: Use a real "potable water" (white) hose to get water to your
production area. (You can find them at RV or camping stores.) Why?
One of my arch-competitors uses a cheap Walmart garden hose running
from his house to the detached garage. Several of his *former*
customers now come to me after finding black specks in the bottom of
their cups that flecked off the inside of his stupid hose - he saved
$20 up front and lost hundreds later in loyal customers.

Harvesting ice blocks is something you will find you don't want to do,
needing to be done when you don't want to do it. (And you wanted to
be your "own boss" – Ha Ha Hee Hee!!! Welcome to Small Business.)

You can buy a commercial unit made by ClineBell, Star, Erskine and
Sons, or Delta Ice, Air & Heat. (Delta's units are relabeled by
Snowizard, Southern Snow, and FlavorSnow and sold at a mark-up from
what they used to cost when Delta sold them directly.)

I've seen more Delta units (under various names), including some
really old ones that work fine, than any other brand.

Most of these units are advertised as being capable of cycling a full
load twice a day. After speaking with quite a few owners of *all* of
the above brands, I believe this is an exaggeration.

During summer, with tap water, the BEST you can hope for is about an
18 hour cycle time – that means you get up in the wee hours every
other night to harvest ice and refill the cans (or lose a significant
portion of your daily production capacity.) That gets old fast, and
most people live with one harvest a day and plan their needs around
that.

Incremental harvesting throughout the day, (if your unit is on-site
versus at home) increases production slightly since you don't "shock"
the glycol tank with a bunch of warm water, but plan on your 20 block
unit making just 20 blocks a day and feel blessed if you get more.

Hint: If you ABSOLUTELY MUST get 40 blocks daily from your 20 can
unit, you can add cube ice (from your inexpensive cube icer) to the
cans when you fill them with water. This cuts down on freezing time
significantly and selling bags of ice is a good (though minor) add-on
sale to help pay for all this electricity. Let fishermen fill their
cooler for a buck and you'll make several extra dollars a day on
weekends.

Small commercial ice block makers (i.e. 9 cans) will operate on one
120 volt/20 amp circuit. Using my "Tractor" (horizontal shaver) that
has about 25% waste, I get about $20 from each solid (not compressed)
block (vertical shavers have almost no waste and can get $30+ per
block). That means if your shop does $200/day or less, this unit will
probably handle your needs.

Medium units (20 cans) require (1) 220 volt/15 amp service for the
refer unit, and (1) standard 120 volt/15 amp line for the mixer motor.
Cheat the electric feed and risk your expensive motors overheating
and dying an early death.

Block makers require a solid, level surface and a table (or harvest
tank) to use when harvesting and filling the ice cans. This is the
most common size for average-size operations. During peak weeks, a
cheap freezer loaded with ice made during slower days can see you
though on those 95 degree days where use exceeds production.

The biggest unit I've ever seen had 50 cans with (2) complete
220volt/30 amp cooling units feeding one glycol tank. It would cycle
all 50 blocks every 8 hours, even during the hottest weather. The
enclosure building had slat walls on all 4 sides to dissipate heat
(and needed it!) It pulled the equivalent of 7500 watts and needed
it's own utility meter because the guy only had 100 amp service at his
house.

He had two high-volume shops and sold ice to a few others. The problem
I found with this set-up is that a $30 pressure sensor failed in one
of the compressors in July and it crippled his (and the other people
he supplied ice to) business for the three days it took to get it
replaced. After that, I would never suggest someone create a system
where their business is totally dependant on any ONE piece of
equipment. Two smaller machines is a much better plan in my mind.

Warning: Everyone I've talked to has required service on their ice
block machines over time, even fairly new ones, and a common theme was
"EXPENSIVE", and parts aren't always immediately available since many
of these units are home-brew custom devices made in small shops around
the country. Anybody can service a Manitowoc or Scotsman Ice Cube
maker because they are national brands with published parts lists –
good luck with getting a local service outfit to fix a "Joe and Bubba"
garage-built Ice Block Maker quickly or cheap.

Note: There is a company called ClineBell that makes an unusual ice
block maker; Instead of plastic or metal cans, it freezes the water
directly in bags. I have no direct experience with this unit, so
someone else will have to comment on it.

***Making Ice: The Do-It-Yourself method:

Commercial Ice Block Makers run from $3500 to over $11,000. They are
difficult to find used since they are specialty equipment, and even if
you find one on eBay, it will probably be 5 states away and nearly
impossible to ship due to weight and glycol problems.

When we first started, we attempted to make our own ice with a couple
of Lowes freezers and a pile of $5 Rubbermaid bread containers from
Walmart. Each freezer would hold about 35 containers but they took
FIVE DAYS to freeze solid. The bread containers were also very
brittle and the slightest bump could crack the cold plastic, making
them useless, sometimes on the FIRST run which made that ice block
cost $5 (replacement cost for the mold).

We were not able to make ice fast enough (even with just one shop in
early April) and were forced to buy ice commercially within the first
few weeks because our volume far exceeded our capacity.

Note: I've also tried other containers like Home Depot fence posts and
milk cartons lined with plastic bags, none of which has been very
satisfactory. Freezing was no faster. (BTW, I still have several
dozen leaky bread containers available CHEAP if anyone wants them!)

Over the years we've grown to 4 outlets with 3 mobile units that
service a lot of daycares. Even with a huge ice block maker, it would
be difficult to produce all the ice we need with all the other time
constraints running this zoo involves.

However, after writing many huge checks to the ice company, I now
operate a hybrid system: We buy most of our ice during summer but
produce some of it ourselves too.

When the slow season comes, (November to February we only do limited
daycare runs) we make all our own ice and don't buy any.

Here's how to do it cheaply:

1. Get a few standard freezers (Try Lowes, Sam's Club, etc, if you
have no luck in the local newspaper or craigslist.org) and turn the
temperature as HIGH as it will go. (Ice blocks that are too cold will
crack – most freezers come set to sub-zero, which is way too cold.)
Note: Three of the ones I have are from a BBQ place that went out of
business and cost $25 each vs. the $400 these same units would cost
brand new. (Ask around – people have lots of serviceable, though
ugly, units sitting in their garages.)

2. Buy the WHITE horizontal ice block molds from Snowizard. They are
$15, but they don't fall over like vertical containers (freezing a
puddle in the bottom of the freezer) They also don't crack and they
make huge ice blocks (30% bigger than the ones I buy – which makes for
less ice changes at a busy daycare) I've never had a problem with
them... I've heard varied reports about the ones from Southern Snow.

3. Fill them with water and line them around the OUTSIDE walls of the
freezer. (Adding cube ice speeds things up if you have it, just like
the commercial ice makers.) Fill the area in the middle with already
made (bagged) ice blocks. The cooling coils are in the walls of the
freezer, so this is where heat is drawn from most efficiently.

4. On top of each layer, lay a "florescent light grid" like used in
fixtures for drop ceilings to create a floor for the next layer and
allow air to flow.

5. In about 18 to 24 hours, the ice blocks will be frozen enough to
harvest (very quick and easy with Snowizard's non-cracking, yet
flexible containers). Bag them up and put them in a "finishing
freezer" to completely harden them if the centers are still liquid
(watch for air bubbles to move).

Two "production" freezers and one "finishing" freezer will reliably
produce 25 or so BIG blocks per day, which should supply the average
shop nicely. Hint: A fourth "backup" freezer stuffed with ice is
always a nice safety measure.)

The Snowizard trays will cost about $750 (50), and three freezers
(new) will typically run less than $1000 – much less if used. No
special electric is required and these things run forever because they
come from multi-million dollar factories that have 100,000 unit per
year engineering histories behind them. Worse case is you toss your
dead unit to the curb and drag a brand new one home for $350 – less
than a typical service call for a commercial ice maker.


And thats what I know aboout ice.