About Frozen Drink Machines

At the heart of a Frozen Drink Machine Rental business is the Frozen Drink Machine. The machines come in many different types. They range from values of $600.00 to $5000.00. They can weigh 75 pounds or 275 pounds. Some freeze in 45 minutes while others can take 3 hours. The type of machine can dictate the type of service a rental business can provide.

There are two primary types of machines used by rental companies. Each one has a different pros and cons associated with them. Other types do exists, but they are not usually rented parties, but rather for restaurants. The first type we will discuss is what is commonly referred to as a stainless steel machine.

Commercial Grade - Stainless Steel
The Stainless Steel machines are durable and fast. A good example of one of these machines is a Frosty Factory 127 or a Crathco 3311. They work on the simple principle of freezing a metal cylinder embedded with in the machine. This metal cylinder is usually can hold 1-2 gallons depending on the type of machine. Once the machine is in operation, this cylinder drops in temperature. The cylinder becomes so cold that any liquid that touches it will freeze.

Liquid is introduced into the machine through a hopper. It essentially is a holding area where liquid is poured into the system. The hopper has a small hole that allows liquid to flow into the freezing cylinder. This type of system is commonly referred to as a gravity fed system. Once the machine is engaged and the cylinder becomes cold, the frozen drinks are on their way.

Example Stainless Steel Machines

The actual 'frozen' drink comes in when the liquid (margarita, daiquiri, rum runner mix, etc) comes in contact with the cylinder wall. Once it touches the metal it will freeze onto the cylinder wall. This is the first step in converting the liquid into a frozen drink. In order to make sure all of the liquid becomes frozen, these machines have what can be called a 'scraper' which runs itself on the inside of the cylinder removing the frozen mix which has built up on the inside. This allows more liquid to touch the cylinder wall, freeze, and then be scraped off again. Eventually, all the liquid will have touched the wall causing the entire contents of the cylinder to be frozen.

A simpler way to image this is to think of a a square flat aluminum pan which can hold an inch of water. If you place this sheet of water on super cold surface, say a block of ice, it will get cold enough that the water touching the pan will start to freeze. Now, take a spatula and scrape the bottom of the pan so that the ice is pushed off the bottom and begins to float. Wait another minute an scrape again. Eventually, you will end up with slush in your pan with no water. If you replace the water with margarita mix, bend the aluminum pan until it is a round cylinder, and design a scraper that runs along the inside, you will have a simple working version of a modern day frozen drink machine. Of course the ice will have to be replaced with a refrigeration system.

Freezing Time
These machines offer the greatest flexibility as far as placement goes. They work will indoors as well as outdoors. Freezing time can be anywhere from 15 minutes (the best condition) or over an hour (less than best conditions). There are many variables to take into account when trying to predict when a machine will have drinks ready. These variables include the following:

• Machine Placement - machines in a hot area or in direct sunlight will take longer to freeze.
• Alcohol - alcohol will lower the freezing point of the frozen drink mix. Non-alcohol drinks will be ready faster.
• Mix Temperature. The temperature of the mix can make or break you when trying to serve guest. Think of it like this, no matter what temperature the mix is when you place it into the machine, it must reach at least 40 degrees before it will freeze. So, if you're need drinks fast, chill your mix. Get it as close to freezing as you can before you place it into the machine.
• Electrical - Many of the modern machines require 15 to 20 amps. If you place a machine in a location where you're not allowing enough amperage to reach the machine, you're asking for trouble. This normally happens when an extension cord is required and that extension cord spans a long distance. The longer the cord, the more likely you will have a delay in getting your drinks frozen.

Clear Plastic Bowl
The Clear Plastic Bowl TypeMachines offer a similar type of system for frozen drink production. The look quite different from the Stainless Steel machines but use the same basic concept for freezing. These machine are often seen in gas stations, movie theaters, bars, and restaurants in public areas. Unlike with the stainless steel industrial machines, you can see the product (drink mix) in the machine as its freezing. This is primary a marketing issues. Sugar and/or alcohol will sell itself, so having your product on display keeps you from having to add signage or other marketing items.
In the case of the Stainless Steel Machine, the liquid is poured inside the cylinder (from the hopper). In a plastic bowl machine, the whole system is visually inverted. The liquid is held inside a plastic bowl along with the freezing cylinder. The cylinder still becomes super cold and freezes any liquid in comes in contact with. A difference here is that the cylinder is hollow on the inside and freezes the liquid on the outside. Once the liquid is poured in, an auger continuously scrapes the frozen drink mix which has attached to the freezing cylinder. Note: this brings us to a noted difference in the clear bowl versus the stainless steel. Clear bowl machines always mix their entire contents. So, when the level of mix gets low, you must all more mix to the clear bowl. If you are adding 70 degrees mix to a freezing cylinder, your are starting from scratch on your wait time. The stainless steel machines have a hopper which separates the liquid mix from the frozen mix. If you keep liquid in the hopper, your machine will continuously freeze in a much faster time.

Example Clear Bowl Machines

These machines take longer to freeze their product due to the exposure to light. Rental companies do use this type of machine for business, but steps need to be taken ahead of time to insure the product will be frozen by the time the party starts. In many cases a rental company will pre-mix your margaritas or daiquiris without alcohol. They'll let it run in the machine hours before they deliver it to your party location. Before leaving their office they place the already cold mix in plastic containers for transport. Once they arrive at your location, they add the already cold mix back to the machine along with any alcohol you may want to add. Alternatively, some rental companies will deliver your machine and mix many hours before your party starts. This methods has the advantage of knowing the machine will work properly very early in the day as well as having the sealed mix be opened in from of the customer.

Other Types
There are blender based machines which require ice and special purpose mix, but I prefer not to cover them here. Many times restaurants will purchase these blender machines for their cocktails. Most rental companies don't like dealing with them because of the need for ice.