Standard for Automatic Commercial Ice-Makers

ARI Standard 810: Standard for Automatic Commercial Ice-Makers

For engineers and designers specifying or integrating commercial refrigeration systems, understanding performance and safety benchmarks is paramount. ARI Standard 810 provides an essential framework for achieving this by defining objective criteria for automatic commercial ice-makers, ensuring consistency and reliability across the industry.

What is ARI Standard 810?

ARI Standard 810, originally published by the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI), establishes comprehensive guidelines for the testing, rating, and performance of automatic commercial ice-makers. Its primary purpose is to provide a standardized methodology for manufacturers to declare product capabilities and for specifiers to compare equipment objectively, ensuring predictable performance in diverse commercial applications.

Scope & Purpose

This industry-leading standard governs factory-made automatic commercial ice-makers, encompassing both self-contained and split-system units. It defines critical performance metrics such as ice harvest rate, water usage, and energy consumption under specified conditions. The standard also details requirements for published ratings, marking, and nameplate data. It is important to note that this standard focuses on the ice-making equipment itself and does not directly cover installation practices, sanitation protocols beyond water usage, or ice storage bins, for which separate standards may apply.

Who Must Comply?

• • Primary audience: Product design engineers, test engineers, quality control inspectors, HVAC technicians, and sales engineers involved with commercial ice-making equipment.
• • Industries affected: Food and Beverage Manufacturing, Hospitality (hotels, restaurants, bars), Food Service operations, and HVAC manufacturing.
• • Compliance nature: Voluntary, but essential for participation in ARI certification programs and for manufacturers seeking to validate their product performance claims.
• • Enforcement: Compliance is typically verified through third-party testing and certification by accredited laboratories, often as part of a manufacturer's commitment to an ARI certification program.

Key Requirements Overview

ARI Standard 810 outlines several core requirements for manufacturers:

• • Standardized Testing: The standard mandates testing according to recognized methodologies, such as ASHRAE Standard 29, to ensure consistent evaluation of performance.
• • Defined Rating Conditions: It establishes specific ambient, water inlet temperature, and pressure conditions for "Standard Ratings" to allow for direct comparison between different manufacturers' products.
• • Performance Metric Verification: Professionals must ensure that published ratings for ice harvest rate, potable water usage, condenser water usage, and energy consumption are verified through testing under these standard conditions.
• • Clear Labeling: Manufacturers are required to provide clear and comprehensive information on unit nameplates and in published literature, including all verified ratings and operating conditions.
• • Ice Quality Consideration: For cube-type ice-makers, the standard presumes a 100% quality of harvested ice, with specific methods for calculating ice harvest rate based on temperature and energy content.

Related Standards & References

ARI Standard 810 often works in conjunction with other industry documents. For instance, ASHRAE Standard 29 provides the foundational test methodology for ice-makers. Additionally, ARI Standard 820 (Ice Storage Bins) should be referenced when specifying integrated ice storage solutions, as ARI Standard 810 explicitly includes ice storage bins within its certification program scope when defined by ARI 820.