Safer ice for hospitals

XSafe from Scotsman protects ice makers from bacteria and viruses

Hubbard Systems has launched XSafe, a new system that sanitises the insides of icemakers, destroying 99% of bacteria and viruses, including coronaviruses.   The Covid-19 pandemic has raised the importance of keeping ice production equipment hygienically clean in order to fight the spread of infections.  XSafe is a totally natural system which is fully integrated inside the ice machine.

XSafe uses the natural disinfectant power of UV light to help keep the interior of ice machines in peak hygienic condition. The UV converts oxygen into ozone, then the ozone is converted into activated oxygen. This activated oxygen is blown throughout the interior of the ice machine, attacking a wide spectrum of contaminants, including germs and bacteria. It does this by destroying the bonds in the molecules of the contaminating material, making them harmless.

UV systems have been used in icemakers in the past, typically by putting a lightbulb in the storage bin – but that leaves anything covered by the ice untreated. The XSafe innovation is its use of an integrated unit that processes air constantly, pumping activated oxygen evenly throughout the interior. This means that XSafe sanitises the whole interior of the icemaker, as opposed to just the exposed surfaces – it’s even active under and throughout any accumulation of ice in the bin.

XSafe operates silently and automatically 24/7 and requires no day-to-day maintenance. It works silently in the background whenever the ice machine is in normal production mode, providing continuous protection of the ice. As well as destroying bacteria and viruses, it substantially reduces the formation of mould, mildew, yeast and slime within the machine.  Being highly effective at keeping the interior hygienically clean, it not only enhances ice safety but also reduces staff workload, since they don’t have to clean the machine as often.

Ice is used extensively in hospitals, in a variety of different applications, including chilling food and drink, hydrating patients, for physiotherapy and in laboratories.  These different applications require different types of ice, and Scotsman has developed XSafe versions of a variety of ice machines, including those making cubes, flake and nugget ice.  They range in size from compact undercounter units to high volume modular systems.