Plumbing for an Ice Machine

[squidbilly]

Hello. My church recently purchased an air-cooled under-the-counter Manitowoc ice machine. In the cabinet slot where it is going to be installed (on the far end of the kitchen with its back against an exterior wall consisting of sheet rock/insulation/metal siding), we do have a water hookup available but do not have any drain to accommodate the gravity drain on the back of the machine (for ice melting in the storage bin).

We have thought about just piping a drain out the wall to the exterior of the church since it would be on the back side of the building. However, I don't really know the best way to do that. We would also like it to be where we could slide the machine out from the wall if needed for maintenance, etc. Also, we don't want bugs or other creatures getting in through the pipe. Is an air gap needed in the drainage? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[havasu]

I have a commercial ice maker at my vacation home, but it came with a flexible 6' drain line to accommodate repair removal. This line is tied into a 3/4" PVC line, with an air gap, which drains to the side of the house.

If this is an inspected commercial job, don't be surprised if the inspectors demand a trapped floor drain for the water to discharge into.

 

[squidbilly]

If this is an inspected commercial job, don't be surprised if the inspectors demand a trapped floor drain for the water to discharge into.

Thanks for your response.
We are out in rural MS, so we are not subject to code inspections or anything like that. Nevertheless, I would obviously like to do this so as to avoid future problems and ensure the safety of those using the ice it makes.

So, I could basically come out of the back of the machine with the necessary plumbing to an air gap ....below the air gap would be pipe that leads directly outside and empties behind the building? Do you have anything special on the pipe that empties outdoors? Have you had any problems thus far with your arrangement? Thanks again.

 

[havasu]

The discharge rate on my ice maker is only about 16 ounces a day. Have you considered a gravity discharge into your sink drain, if possible?

 

[squidbilly]

The discharge rate on my ice maker is only about 16 ounces a day. Have you considered a gravity discharge into your sink drain, if possible?

The sink drain is probably 40 ft. from the ice machine.

 

[Caduceus]

I wouldn't rely on a condensate pump to handle any large volumes of water such as defrosting and cleaning an ice bin, but to avoid a large project a Little Giant pump may work for you for melt water. You can connect a vinyl tube to it, run it up vertically then horizontally until you get above a fixture and run the tubing down to the drain. The pump may fit below the drain allowing for an air gap as well as providing access when servicing the pump or ice machine.

 

[squidbilly]

I was hoping to do something like the following if plausible:

1: Come out of ice machine and turn vertically down towards the floor (put a valve here so drainage line could be shut off if machine were to be pulled away from wall for maintenance/repair/cleaning)
2: Air gap approx. 2x the diameter of the pipe
3: Horizontal catch pipe (with P-trap) that runs through the wall to the exterior of the building
4: Once outside, turn pipe vertically down into buried 5 gallon bucket (bucket is 1/2 full with pea gravel and 6-8" pea gravel underneath).

This would prevent anything from getting through drainage pipe, would allow machine to be removed as it would not be rigidly plumbed in place, and would prevent any backups directly into the machine to avoid contamination of the ice/storage bin.

 

[havasu]

I was checking out the ice maker you are purchasing, and they come in two types. 1) Water cooled and 2) Air cooled. Do you know which machine you are purchasing?

 

[squidbilly]

I was checking out the ice maker you are purchasing, and they come in two types. 1) Water cooled and 2) Air cooled. Do you know which machine you are purchasing?

Air-cooled under-the-counter machine. We have already purchased it (Manitowoc UY-0190).

 

[havasu]

Air-cooled under-the-counter machine. We have already purchased it (Manitowoc UY-0190).

OK thanks.

I just confirmed with my bro in law who repairs ice machines, and he confirmed exactly what Cad had mentioned. It is called an electric condensate pan, should cost you about $90, and can be purchased at Grangers and many other places.

 

[squidbilly]

Thanks for the info about the pump as I might end up going that route. Anyway I have attached a simple schematic of what I had in mind. I also purchased an Everpure (EV910010) water filtration system. Thanks.