Category: Soft-Serve Machines

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Machine Maintenance

The start of a new year is aSLX400En excellent opportunity to take a look at your soft-serve machine and make sure that it is primed and ready to go for 2016! This includes not only continually cleaning your machine, but also proper lubrication and checking for any wearable parts that may have seen better days. Annually is a good time to remove the side panels and visually inspect for leaks from the motor casing and loose connections. You should also take the temperature of the hopper and freezing cylinder on standby and auto modes and compare that to what the machine is saying to check that it is calibrated correctly still. Ensuring that your machine is running properly and that it is consistently producing a quality product throughout the year will be essential to your customer base and overall margins at the end of the year.

Cleaning your machine is an important aspect of maintenance to help the longevity of your machine. Get in the habit of cleaning your machine at least once a week. This process includes running a sanitizing agent through the machine, effectively killing any bacteria that may have grown or built up.  If your machine goes weeks without being thoroughly and properly cleaned harmful bacteria may build up and could potentially lead to spoiled product.

Once the sanitizing agent is mixed with water and poured into the hopper of the machine, put the machine on the wash cycle and allow the product to cycle through the machine for a period of 5 minutes. This will allow the sanitizing agent to reach all of the nooks and crannies of the machine, killing any remaining bacteria. Be careful not to enable a feature on the machine that willPacket x2 freeze down the product, as the process of the water freezing could severely damage your machine. Every other week, we recommend pulling all of the machine components such as the face plate and the freezing cylinder shaft and let them soak in hot soapy water as well. The process of cleaning the machine is simple in its procedure, and it can be done any employee if they are properly trained how to do so. Check out http://frocup.com/product/sanitizer-packets/ to get started today!

Lubrication is another key technique in keeping your machine running for an extended period of time. The main component of the machine that requires lubrication is the back end of the shaft that sits deeper inside the freezing cylinder. Pull this out and pull off the rubber gasket that fits on the end of it. Lubricate around the square piece at the end of the shaft and place the gasket back onto the lubricated piece. When you pull out the freezing cylinder shaft to clean it is an excellent time to lubricate it as well. Tubes of all-purpose lube are also sold at http://frocup.com/product/machine-lube/.

There are various wearable machine parts that can become damaged and wear down over time. The scraper blades, for example, attach to the shaft on the inside of the freezing cylinder wear down and don’t scrape the edge of the cylinder with the exactness and precision that they once did. This leads to the freezing of product on the edge of the cylinder and can lower the overall quality of your product. These scraper blades are different with each individual machine company so make sure the blade is rated for your model of machine before buying replacements. You can find various machine springs, seals, and O-rings as replacement parts at http://frocup.com/product-category/supplies/.

Look for general brittleness or the wearing down of plastic parts as key points in replacement. Replacing parts before they go out will save you from costly damage to other components of the machine and keep you from having a non-functioning machine during your peak season. Understanding your machine is very important in maintaining it over time. Pulling out all of the main components and familiarizing yourself with them as you sanitize, lubricate, and replace any necessary parts will help you to keep your machine running strong throughout 2016 and beyond.machine breakdown diagram

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Frozen Yogurt Training Videos

We’re excited to introduce three new training videos available on our website. We’ve kept them short and sweet, but packed with useful demonstrations.

The videos include:

  • How to Prepare Nanci’s Mix
  • How to Add Air into Mix
  • Soft-Serve Machine Overview

You can view the videos at www.nancis.com/training

Here’s our new Intro to Nanci’s video as a teaser…

 

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FrozenYogurtParts.com Guest Blog

Frozen Yogurt Parts Logo

Happy to have a guest blog article from our friends at FrozenYogurtParts.com today…

“January is the best time to replace your soft-serve machine’s wearable parts for the new year.  Each machine runs best with new blades, o-rings and lube.  Preventative maintenance includes not only regular cleaning of your machine, but also proper lubrication and checking for any wearable parts that may have seen better days.

Now is a good time to remove the side panels and visually inspect for leaks, debris or loose connections.  You should also take the temperature of the hopper and freezing cylinder on standby and auto modes and compare that to what the machine is saying to check that it is still calibrated correctly.  Ensuring that your machine is running properly and that it is consistently producing a quality product throughout the year will be essential to your customer loyalty and profit margin at the end of the year.

Cleaning your machine is an important aspect of maintenance to help the longevity of your machine. Get in the habit of cleaning your machine at least once a week.  This process includes running Stera Sheen sanitizer through while the machine is on wash mode, effectively killing any harmful bacteria.  If your machine goes weeks without being thoroughly and properly cleaned bad bacteria may build up and could lead to spoiled product.  The process of cleaning the machine is simple and can be done by any properly trained employee.

Lubrication is another key element to keep your machine running reliably.  The main component of the machine that requires lube is the back end of the shaft that sits deep inside the freezing cylinder.  Pull the shaft out and pull off the rubber seal that fits on the end of it.  Lubricate between the seal and the shaft.  O-rings should also be regularly lubed after each cleaning.  The best values on Stera Sheen, Petro Gel and Haynes lube are found at FrozenYogurtParts.com.  These lubes work great for frozen beverage and other types of machines as well.

There are various important machine parts that wear down over time.  The scraper blades, for example, which attach to the shaft on the inside of the freezing cylinder wear down and don’t scrape the edge of the cylinder with the exactness and precision that they once did.  This leads to the freezing of product on the inside surface of the cylinder and can lower the overall quality of your product.  These scraper blades are different with each individual machine make and model so be sure the blade is rated for your model of machine before buying replacements.  FrozenYogurtParts.com makes it easy by packaging all the wearable parts together in an easy to order kit for each machine model.  Best practice is to replace the blades every 3 months.

Replacing parts before they crack will save you from costly damage to other components of the machine and keep you from having a machine down during peak season.  Understanding your machine is important to maintaining it over time and creating your finished soft-serve or frozen yogurt masterpiece.”

Contact info@FrozenYogurtParts.com to see if they can save you money on replacement parts today!  Use coupon code NANCIS5 for a first-order discount at FrozenYogurtParts.com

View Taylor and Stoelting Machine Service Manuals and Parts Diagrams

FrozenYogurtParts.com also lists service manuals and parts diagrams for the most popular ice cream machines made by Taylor, Stoelting, Donper, Spaceman, Electro Freeze, and Aurel – Pasmo. From there you can also buy parts to replace the wearables on your ice cream machine.

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How to Get the Most out of Your Machines

Frozen yogurt machines have two main jobs: 1) freeze the frozen yogurt mix, and 2) whip air into the mix. There are a few settings and components you should be familiar with on your machine to get the best performance and to make the best frozen yogurt.

Air

Air is the secret ingredient to making frozen yogurt come out smooth and creamy. If your product is coming our icy, dense, and dark in color then it doesn’t have enough air in it. Look at our blog article or our instructional video on how to get set the air.

Temperature

If your frozen yogurt comes out wet or soft, it’s because the temperature settings on your machine are not cold enough. Frozen yogurt should come out firm and stiff with no visible “wetness”. A good test of the right consistency is if you can make a curl at the peak of the yogurt swirl. If the machine is too cold the product in the hopper can freeze and the product in the freezing cylinder won’t come out (which can damage your machine).

The ideal temperature for the hopper is 36-40 degrees Fahrenheit or 2-4 degrees Celsius and the ideal temperature for the frozen yogurt as it is dispensed is 16-17 degrees Fahrenheit or about negative 8 degrees Celsius.

Parts

One of the main causes for icy frozen yogurt is worn out scraper blades. Although each frozen yogurt machine is slightly different, they all have a beater that scrapes the inside of the freezing cylinder. This makes sure no frozen ice particles build up on the edges. If the scraper blades are worn down they can’t adequately scrape the inside of the freezing barrel, making the frozen yogurt icier than it should be. The scraper blades on most machines can be pretty easily replaced and they should be switched out every month or so depending on the usage of your machine. O-rings are another part that wears out and should be replaced according the machine manufactures recommendations.

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Importance of Cleaning and Sanitization of Frozen Yogurt Machines

Cleaning your frozen yogurt machines properly can help produce better tasting product and prevent any issues of harmful bacteria. Most manufacturers recommend that you clean and sanitize your machine at least once every three days, but some municipalities may require you to clean the machine every day. Check with your local health department for your local regulations. Dairy products can breed many kinds of harmful bacteria, so it’s important to stay on top of your cleaning and sanitization schedule.

The first thing to do before any cleaning is to look in the owner’s manual for the proper procedure. Many machines will come with a special brush kit to get product out of every part of it. The manual will tell you where to use them. The manual will also tell you what types of sanitizer are and aren’t okay for your machine, and which parts you should inspect every cleaning for possible replacement.

Most frozen yogurt machines follow these procedures. First, drain the machine of product. Depending on the age of the product you could put it into a freezer and reuse it. Next, get access to the hoppers and pour in water. Turn on the cleaning cycle and let it run for the recommended time. Drain the water and use your brushes to any speck of product out. Repeat the rinsing and brushing until it looks clean, then remove the scrapers and any other recommended parts. Clean these thoroughly, and check the hopper again for any missed product.

Once your parts are clean, it’s time to sanitize them. Make sanitizer according to the package directions, then soak any parts you removed for the recommended time. Make another batch to put into the hopper and use it according to your owner’s manual. Once you’re done soaking, rinse out the hopper and the parts, replace them, and then put your product back into the hopper and turn the machine on as normal.

In about 20 minutes, you should be ready to go again with fresh frozen yogurt in a clean and safe machine. Not only that, but your frozen yogurt will taste much better too. The first batch out of a clean machine is the best! Try it yourself and see.

About the Author

Emily is the customer information “champion” at Spaceman USA – a friendly manufacturer of soft serve and frozen yogurt machines. With technical knowledge of the machines and understanding of soft serve business, Emily writes in various topics – from business management to delivering the best food quality to customers.