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Yesterday’s visit to one of our sites highlighted a problem that is important for the longevity of your machine. Our products all dilute at 5:1. It appears that not everybody knows exactly what that means. For instance, I was quoted ‘we use 200ml of concentrate in 1 litre of water’. That’s NOT 5:1. That’s 4:1. The result of this incorrect mixing of concentrate was that the machine, after about 6 months use, blew a compressor. And that is expensive to fix.

A 5:1 concentrate mixes correctly like this: 1 part concentrate PLUS 5 parts of water. Taking the above example, if you use 200ml of concentrate you need to ADD 1 litre of water to get a correct mix.

Mixing of concentrate at 4:1 instead of 5:1 causes 2 problems; one, it’s more expensive to use because you use less water and more concentrate. Two, because of the higher sugar concentration of the mix, the machine has to work much harder to maintain a slush consistency and, eventually, blows a compressor because it is constantly being asked to operate OUTSIDE OPERATING GUIDELINES.

Tips to be gleaned from this?

* check your mixing procedure and make sure all staff are aware of how to mix the concentrate correctly.

* Read the operating instructions. I know, this is always the last thing most people resort to. But it will ensure that the equipment that you just paid 1000′s of dollars for, last you as long as possible.