Three phase machines may be less expensive to operate in terms of power (kW/hr) consumption depending on your power supplier’s tariff charges for three phase supply.
Three phase machines do have a less chance of specific electrical parts failure and service related requirements. Add to this, machine downtime waiting for repair, lost sales and lost customers.
Single-phase motors require extra electrical components, generally a start capacitor, a run capacitor and an electrical switching relay to assist in both starting and running the motor. These additional components will eventually wear causing motor start / run failure and can be even more troublesome when on a generator supply.
The number of starts and stops each time product is drawn by a customer increases the rate of wear and tear, leading to component failure.
An example of this was a client with a yoghurt shop in Australia with six three-phase units. Statistics showed average draw counts of 60 to 70 per eight hours on one barrel. This meant the compressor started and stopped the same number of times the handle was drawn. Multiply this by seven days and you have approximately 4,000 starts in one week. Multiplied by the number of trading days per year, this meant significant work for the motor.
With such work, the relay can fail, causing a domino effect blowing the start and / or run capacitor, leaving the single phase machine unable to operate.
One of the main differences between gravity and pump machines is the produced overrun. Pump machines will produce up to 50% or 60% overrun compared to between 30% and 40% with gravity machines. Consequently, a pump machine will give you a 30% increase in output capacity.
When looked after properly, our soft serve / frozen yoghurt machines do not require scheduled maintenance. However, there are a few steps you need to take to ensure the machine is kept in good working order, extending the life of your equipment.
These steps include:
• Cleaning and lubricating the machine as per the manufacturer’s instructions. See Cleaning and sanitising procedure.
• Replacing ‘wear items’, such as o-rings, seals and scraper blades, as directed in your machine manual’s user’s guide.
• Allowing enough air circulation as per the guide’s instructions.
The cleaning and sanitising procedure you need to perform on your machine will depend on your machine’s manufacturer and model. Always follow your local health code and the manufacturer’s recommendations. You can find this information on the user’s guide or cleaning quick reference guide for your specific machine model.
The machine barrel freezes if there is either not enough water or too much water due to incorrect mixing instructions followed. In either of these cases it is best to discard the mix and start again. If this is not the cause of the problem, your machine needs technical assistance.
Please make sure the feeding tube is not blocked causing the barrel to starve and the small screw in the handle bar is set correctly. Please note, the screw should not be too open or too closed (refer to the user’s manual).
If you have forgotten to switch your machine to standby overnight your cones will more than likely be sloppy and will not hold form. You can solve this problem by putting the machine on wash cycle for five minutes to liquefy the soft serve in the barrel. Drain it in a sanitised container, prepare a fresh mix and pour into the machine – just enough to fill the barrel only. Now mix the drained mix (called re-run) with the fresh mix at a ratio of no more than 40% re-run to 60% fresh mixture and pour into the machine’s hopper.
You can but it is not recommended. Depending on the frozen yoghurt mix you are using it will not be the same results. We strongly recommend a machine with an agitator in the hopper for a frozen yoghurt as it will keep the mix infused. For soft serve it does not really matter, you can use both machines (with or without agitator).
Being a dairy product we strongly recommend it to be fully washed and sanitized every two days