Hospital ice maker scale in an intensive care unit
Hospital ice maker scale was building up in the Hoshizaki machine serving the intensive care unit at a hospital in Central Kentucky. Hard deposits covered the ice-making tray, biofilm grew inside the chute, maintenance was difficult and time-consuming, and contaminated ice was a potential risk to staff and patients. One HydroFLOW® HS38 was fitted to the cold-water supply feeding the machine and evaluated for 90 days. Existing scale and biofilm were progressively removed, and the tray and chute stayed visibly cleaner. Routine maintenance became easier, the risk of contaminated ice and of disease outbreaks such as Legionella was reduced, and the reduced maintenance gave a projected payback of under one year.
The Challenge
- Hospital ice maker scale accumulated across the ice-making tray of the ICU machine
- Scale and biofilm were visible inside the ice chute
- Heavy deposits covered the internal ice-making surface
- Regular maintenance was difficult and time-consuming
- Contaminated ice was a potential risk to staff and patients
The Solution
- Unit installed: one HydroFLOW® HS38
- Installation point: cold-water supply feeding the Hoshizaki ice maker
- Trial: 90-day product evaluation
To treat the hospital ice maker scale at source, the unit went on the cold-water supply to the one machine serving the intensive care unit. The signal changes the way dissolved minerals behave in the water and disrupts the conditions biofilm needs to bond to surfaces. Over 90 days, existing deposits were progressively removed from the tray, the chute and the internal ice-making surface.
Testimonial
“It certainly reduces maintenance issues due to hard scale and makes regular maintenance much easier.” — Director of Facilities, Central Kentucky hospital
