Ice Machine Audits

Assessment, Guidance, Education, and Filtration Solutions for Ice Machines

Can ice machines make you sick?

Ice machines are notorious environments for biofilm and slime growth, harboring millions of pathogens and creating serious risks of illness. Temperatures inside these machines can reach 100°F – a perfect breeding ground for Legionella. The growth of Legionella, and other pathogens, is an especially serious concern in hospitals and healthcare facilities where ice machines are used for patient support. As specified by the Joint Commission, ice machines in healthcare facilities are high-risk utility system components, and therefore regarded as a critical control point in a facility’s water management plan. Having a protocol in place to address potential contamination in ice machines will go a long way in creating a safe environment for your patients.

Recommended review and maintenance for ice machines

Routine cleaning, descaling,  and sanitization are required by manufacturers and help eliminate contaminants from the machine’s surface and inside the bin, ultimately improving performance. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) additionally requires the development of an alternate equipment maintenance program (AEM) to document and facilitate the additional assets and/or actions necessary to ensure safe use within a hospital.

Nephros offers comprehensive support for ice machines and AEMs, including an ice machine audit, during which we assess housings, tubing, and water sources; identify any maintenance gaps or opportunities for improvement; and evaluate the efficacy of any filtration currently in place. Additionally, the deployment of a Nephros DSU-H ultrafilter can reduce preventative maintenance, typically from quarterly to semi-annually, and give facilities engineering departments the ability to direct their time and resources toward other activities. The placement of our ultrafiltration immediately preceding the machine brings a dramatic reduction of microbiological contaminants and contributes to a reduction in biofilm formation. This impact is further enhanced by the comprehensive disinfection practices we have developed for DSU-H in-line installations.

Recommended products for ice machines

If your hospital or healthcare facility utilizes ice machines for patient care, are you using a filter FDA-cleared for infection control? Commercial ice machine filters do an excellent job of solving for taste, odor, and scale, but they do not retain bacteria. The Nephros DSU-H point-of-use, in-line ultrafilter for infection control is FDA 510(k)-cleared to retain bacteria, as well as with viruses and endotoxins. When used downstream of a standard commercial filter, the combination of solutions creates a multibarrier approach to help protect your patients, staff, and visitors.