Power options explained.

Ice Shaver Power Options Explained

A quick and simple guide to power and power options.

Right so you’re all set to purchase your very first Ice Shaver. You’ve extensively researched and are seemingly now very au fait with everything Shave Ice related, however one thing you’re not so au fait with yet with is how to power these ice shaver machines. As we’ve always got your back here at The Shave Ice Company we’ve put together a quick and simple guide to help you out.

First of all power options are always determined by the location of the Ice Shaver….

So, Is the Ice Shaver in a permanent location i.e. shop, café or bar etc – If so the premises will have a 220v main supply and your choice of machine here will be a Hatsuyuki HCS32A or the Sno-Maker 4000 both these machines are 220v mains operated machines.

If the Ice Shaver is going to be mobile and used for festivals and events where a 220v main supply cannot always be guaranteed then the only sensible solution is a Hatsuyuki HC8EDC which is a 12v DC which runs from a 12v battery.

 Power Option “Workarounds”.

 Both 220v main supply machines can be operated using a mobile 220v generator, providing it has a minimum output of at least 2.5 kVa.

Both 220v main supply machines can be operated using a power invertor(a device that steps up 12v DC current to 220v AC current) – providing the invertor has a minimum output of at 5000w – in reality this is not a sensible “workaround” as power invertors are notoriously unreliable and incredibly expensive – we therefore do not recommend this “workaround”.

 The 12v Hatsuyuki HC8EDC can be operated by using a power transformer(a device that converts 220v main supply to 12v DC current) providing the transformer has a minimum continuous output of 30 amps. Once again this is not a “workaround” we would recommend because of the load imparted on the transformer which over time tend to “burn out”.

 12v Battery Options for the 12v Hatsuyuki HC8EDC ice shaver.

 The HC8EDC will operate using any 12v battery – 12v batteries outputs are measured in amp/hrs – a car battery will have a rating typically of 60 amp/hrs whereas a lorry, boat or caravan battery which are much larger will have a rating of 110 amp/hrs or more. A typical 110 amp/hr battery will run a HC8EDC for a sufficient time to make approximately 1000 products, whereas the smaller car battery will do proportionately fewer i.e. 545 portions. We always recommend using at least a 110 amp/hrs battery

Beware….

 It has been brought to our attention that unscrupulous suppliers of cheap Chinese ice shavers are recommending using them with power invertors in mobile situations. The only reason they make this recommendation is because they haven’t got a specific 12v machine. When using a power invertor the question is not whether the invertor will fail but when the invertor will fail. Remember when the invertor fails that’s you out of business until the invertor is replaced – if you are mobile get the right tools for the job which is a machine built to be powered direct from the battery the Hatsuyuki HC8EDC.

We hope this guide has helped go some way to explaining how ice shavers are powered. Always remember….location matters and we’ve no doubts power is so much simpler in the real world as opposed to when it’s attempting to be explained in guides like this one. 

If you have any questions, queries or worries regarding power or power options please don’t hesitate to contact us and we’ll do everything in our power to help you.

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