Your ice machine evaporator is one of the most important ice maker components as far as producing ice is concerned. The evaporator is responsible for freezing, forming, and releasing ice cubes.

From a refrigeration standpoint, the evaporator plate is where ice-cold refrigerant freezes water into ice. This ice machine component helps to freeze ice into its designated ice shape, whether it’s crescent ice, square ice, or other shapes.

The Chinese evaporator also works to release ice off of it and into a storage compartment (either a dispenser or ice storage bin). Different manufacturers have specific ways to release the cubes off the evaporator plate. For instance, Hoshizaki ice makers rely on water harvest to release the cubes.

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Manitowoc ice makers use hot gas created during the ice-making process. A hot gas valve (another expensive ice machine component to repair) redirects this gas to the evaporator, where it’s used to heat the plate until the ice falls off.

There are a number of issues that can lead to big repair costs. They include:

Warping of the plate

The plate separating

Nickel plating on the evaporator stripping off

Separator rows falling out

Evaporator repairs can cost as 1000s of dollars to fix. Large ice maker evaporator repairs might be so expensive the price of a new ice machine might be cheaper than the repair itself. Routine maintenance is the best way to prevent most of these issues from occurring.

When it comes to nickel-plated evaporators (common on Manitowoc ice machines), using harsh acids can lead to severe damage. If you plan on cleaning your evaporator plate, make sure to use a nickel-safe cleaner and follow the instructions on the label.