SnoWizard, Inc. * 101 River Road * New Orleans, LA 70121 * 1-800-366-9766 * www.SnoWizard.com
®
Another SnoBall season will soon be coming to a close for most operators. This is the
time to perform the annual maintenance on the SnoWizard SnoBall Machine
®
. A little
preventative maintenance now will prevent costly repairs later and your machine will be
ready to go at the start of the next season.
First, unplug the power cord to your machine
.
If your machine is like most, there will
be water spots and dried syrup on the exterior surfaces. Take a look at the underside and
you probably have a buildup of mold under the right side where water drips out of the
cabinet below the cutter head. There is probably a buildup of mineral or calcium deposits
on the interior of the machine and especially in the cavity where the cutter assembly fits.
Let’s start the cleaning by removing the belt guard and the cutter
assembly.
To remove the belt guard, loosen the four wing nuts that
attach it to the cabinet. These should be finger tight only with no tools
needed to loosen and remove them. Slip off the belt as you would a
bicycle chain off a sprocket.
Next, remove the entire cutter assembly from the cabinet.
Check the opening on the right side where the cutter
assembly fits for calcium build up and mold. Make a cleaning
solution of hot water, dishwashing detergent with 1
tablespoon of bleach per gallon. Wet all of the interior
surfaces with the solution to sanitize the interior. Use a soft to
mild stiffness brush to scrub away any mold. The bottlebrush
works great for cleaning the interior where the cutter
assembly fits. Be certain to check the topside of the interior as
well. Carefully tilt the machine back on its legs and scrub the
underside with a utility brush. Once everything has been
scrubbed, thoroughly rinse the cabinet clean. Look it over to
see if any areas need to be redone.
Now that everything has been cleaned, it is time to
apply a calcium deposit remover if
you have any buildup.
Lime or calcium deposit removers can be purchased at most
hardware and drug stores. Follow the mixing and application instructions on the bottle and
apply the solution to all parts of the cabinet that have buildup. Depending upon the brand
purchased, a waiting period may be necessary in order for the solution to dissolve the
deposits. A Scotchbrite
®
pad may be necessary to get heavy deposits off. If a
Scotchbrite
®
pad or other type of scrubbing pad is required, be certain to move the pad
back and forth in the same direction as the grain of the stainless steel. When all of the
deposits have been removed, thoroughly rinse the surfaces to remove all cleaner. A hose
works really well here.
With the wing nuts and belt
removed a firm tug will separate
the cutter head from the cabinet. It
is not necessary to remove any
additional nuts or bolts from the
cutter assembly.
