Hoshizaki ice machine maintenance: cleaning, beep codes and the manual
By Vimal Bhaya, Founder and Lead Systems Architect · Last reviewed 5 November 2026
This is a continuation of Ice machine maintenance by brand, a 4-part tutorial. You are on part 3 of 4.
Hoshizaki cubers have a stainless steel evaporator, so any commercial ice machine cleaner works. A nickel-safe one is not needed. Hoshizaki names its own Scale Away, and Lime-A-Way. Clean and sanitize a KM cuber at least once a year, and more often where the water is poor.
One, two or three beeps from a KM cuber mean a high evaporator temperature, a long harvest or a long freeze.
Hoshizaki says its stainless cubers take any commercial ice machine cleaner
Check your machine's manual before you choose a cleaner. Some Hoshizaki models need a specific cleaner, and the manual for your model comes first.
Hoshizaki's own FAQ is direct. Its evaporator is stainless steel, so any commercial ice machine cleaner can be used. A nickel-safe type is not needed. It names Lime-A-Way and its own Scale Away.
Some technicians say nickel-safe cleaner should not go in a Hoshizaki. Hoshizaki's tech tip says it can. It just loosens scale less well. A few small Hoshizaki units have plated plates, so check your manual.
The KM clean: 30 minutes of cleaner, then 45 minutes of sanitizer
- The cleaner: 14 fluid ounces (414 ml) of Scale Away, poured into the water tank on the KM-340 to KM-901. Open the cleaning valve, and wait a minute before you switch to WASH, so it does not foam.
- The wash: 30 minutes, then the control switch to OFF, drain, and one rinse.
- The sanitizer: 0.78 fluid ounces (23 ml) of chlorine bleach with no additives, which cause foaming. WASH for 45 minutes, drain, then three rinses.
- The bin: wash the liner with a neutral cleaner, such as dish soap, and rinse it well. The sheet warns against ammonia cleaners.
- Bad water: the sheet adds a soak of the parts in 5 ounces of Scale Away per gallon of warm water, with the power off.
- At the end, close the cleaning valve. The machine will not make ice with it open.
- How often: at least once a year on KM cubers; at least twice a year on its DCM ice dispensers.
Hoshizaki's steps take the front panel off to reach the control switch. Follow the sheet exactly, keep hands away from the wiring, or have a trained person do it.
One, two or three beeps name the alarm on a KM cuber
Beeps | Alarm | What it means | Causes in Hoshizaki's documents |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | High evaporator temperature | The evaporator read above 127°F (53°C) | Hot water entering the machine, a harvest that will not stop (a stuck valve or relay), a faulty sensor |
2 | Harvest backup timer | The harvest ran over 20 minutes, two cycles in a row | A part that stops the harvest, such as a valve not opening, a faulty sensor or low refrigerant: call |
3 | Freeze timer | The freeze ran too long, two cycles in a row | A float switch stuck closed, a leaking inlet valve, a pump not pumping, low refrigerant |
The reset is the ALARM RESET button on the control board, behind the panel. It is pressed with the power on, so it is a technician's job. An owner can note the beeps, check the water and the room, and call.
Hoshizaki's ranges: 45°F to 100°F air, 45°F to 90°F water
- Air around the machine: 45°F to 100°F (7°C to 38°C) on KM cubers.
- Water coming in: 45°F to 90°F (7°C to 32°C). Hot water entering the machine is one cause of a one-beep alarm.
- Water pressure: 10 to 113 psig.
- The air filter: on models that have one, such as the KM-255BAH, check it at least twice a month, and the condenser once a year.
Hoshizaki's manuals are found by model number
Hoshizaki America's parts and manuals lookup takes your model number, with its dashes, and gives the parts diagrams and the manuals.
The Hoshizaki PM schedule
Task | How often | Who | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Clean and sanitize the water system | Every 6 months for most makers (Hoshizaki KM: at least yearly), or the manual's interval. More often with hard water | Trained staff or a service company | Use the cleaner and sanitizer the manual names. Never mix them |
Wash the bin | At each clean | Trained staff | With the solution the manual gives |
Throw away the first batches after a clean | At each clean | Trained staff | Ice-O-Matic says the first two batches after cleaning, and again after sanitizing |
Change the water filter cartridge | On its date or its gallons, whichever comes first | Trained staff | Write the date on the cartridge |
Check and clean the air-cooled condenser | At each clean, or as the manual says (some makers say monthly) | Trained staff, power off | Vacuum or soft brush |
Check the condenser air filter, where fitted | Twice a month (Hoshizaki KM-255BAH) | Anyone | Rinse or replace as the manual says |
SiteWise keeps the ice machine's PM on schedule and the history in one place
A Hoshizaki that beeps three times on a Saturday needs the right person to know about it, with the model and the last clean on hand.
And the clean is one job on one machine. The same machine needs a sanitize, the bin washed, the filter changed and the condenser kept clear, each on its own interval. A kitchen or a site often has 10 to 15 machines like it, each with a list of its own. A paper checklist on the wall cannot keep that many dates, and it cannot tell anyone when one is missed.
SiteWise keeps all of it on your phone, in a free app. Yes, really free: the free plan has unlimited work orders (100 open at a time), 20 locations and 250 assets, far more than 15 machines.
Or open renergytech.com/download/sitewise on your phone.
SiteWise is a CMMS (a computerized maintenance management system): software that holds the assets, schedules the PMs, issues the work orders and keeps the history.
- The PM. Set the clean every 6 months, or the interval your manual gives. SiteWise creates the work order a set number of days before it is due, or schedules the next one from when the last was done.
- The procedure. Attach the maker's steps, with photos, to the PM, so whoever does the clean uses the right cleaner at the right amount.
- The parts. Keep cleaner, sanitizer and filter cartridges as parts with a minimum per storeroom. SiteWise reserves the parts for a planned PM 30 days ahead.
- On the phone. Technicians create, update and close work orders and PMs offline, on every plan, add photos and videos up to 30 seconds, and scan the machine's QR code to open its history.
Download the PM schedule above as a spreadsheet: ice machine PM schedule (CSV). The plans are on the SiteWise page.