Soft serve ice cream machine troubleshooting

Q: Why is my ice cream machine not freezing?

Its as simple as this: If the freezer bowl that goes with your ice cream maker isnt cold (like, really cold), your ice cream is never going to freeze. → Follow this tip: In order for the machine to freeze the ice cream as it churns, it needs to be cold — like, totally and completely, rock-hard, ice cold.

Are you interested in opening your own frozen dessert venue? Here at Slices Concession, we have a wide assortment of frozen dessert machinery, including Taylor frozen dessert machines, that can further enhance the experience of your venue. Whether it be a low volume countertop model to add a few additional menu items, or a full standing model to carry you through your grand opening and beyond. We are the number one distributor in the nation of used ice cream and frozen drink machines. We feature popular brands such as Taylor, Stoelting, and Carpigiani. We have machines with both single and three phase capability, as well as air or water cooled. Our experts will help guide you in picking the best machine for your venue. With an east coast and west coast office, as well as stellar reviews on both Facebook and Google, you will see why we are trusted as the best. Visit our website, or if you are in the area, set up an appointment to stop by!

Table of Contents Show

How To Check & Reset The Breaker
How Do I Check The Breakers?
Check Out Our Ice Cream Machines
Or Call Us: 775-338-3545
Why is the ice cream machine not working?
Why is my ice cream machine not freezing?
Why is my ice cream not thickening?
Why is my soft serve too soft?

* Follow all local and national health codes. Always refer to local and national rules. This article is just a suggestion.

When it comes to investing in technology, especially high quality machinery, it would be nice to think that nothing ever goes wrong. No stress, time, or money would be spent on fixing a problem, that most of the time, the operators of the machinery don’t know much about.

Uh oh! That doesn't sound too good...

How To Check & Reset The Breaker

If your biggest nightmare becomes a reality and your Taylor frozen dessert machine unexpectedly stops working properly, the first step in repairing it is to check the breaker.

*Side note*, This is the first step not only for a Taylor ice cream machine, but also for any machine that plugs into a power outlet. The machine requires a lot of power when the motors and compressor are running. Sometimes a voltage drop in your incoming lines will create an amperage surge and trip a breaker.
-Chino Leong, CEO Slices Concession

Power flowing into your building is not constant; the fluctuations in power occur as equipment is turned on and off. Any surge in power (or drop) coming into the building can cause a surge in amperage. Because breakers are tripped by amperage, this can cause a trip. When a breaker is tripped consistently, the next step is to see what is causing the over amperage situation.

Now, if your breaker does trip, it’s important to acknowledge some potential causes. Learn some Taylor soft serve machine troubleshooting tips below.

1) Restricted airflow to the unit: An adequate amount of airflow is necessary in order for the machine to regularly cool down and clear out the built up dust on parts inside. The compressor must work harder and run longer to make up for the lack of airflow, should this be the case, which can cause overload and in the grand sense, a blown breaker.

2) An excessive amount of output: The machine must have time to recover regularly. Producing more output than the machine can handle will dramatically reduce that amount of time. Again, this can cause the machine to overload, which can blow the breaker.

3) Low Voltage into your machine: Required incoming voltage is stated on the machine's data plate. Let's assume for example your machine has a rating of 208v-230v 10 amps. If the voltage drops to 180v incoming to your machine, you will need 13 amps causing a 10 amp breaker to trip.

4) Bad motor or capacitor: Common part failures are capacitors, each motor has 2, one for start and one for running. If your capacitors fail, the motor will pull over amperage to try and compensate. When your machine is under a load the motor will not start and a breaker will trip. Most capacitors are cheap and if fixed quickly will not damage the motor. We recommend you having a professional check the capacitors, and motor for damage. Capacitors store a large electrical charge and can injure or kill you if handled improperly.

Make sure for Taylor ice cream machine troubleshooting, that you know the rating of the breaker that your Taylor soft serve machine has. The breaker should align with the maximum breaker size on the data plate, as shown below.

If you find that the machine breaker is blown often, it is probable that there is an underlying problem. In this case...

How Do I Check The Breakers?

Always check the breaker on the wall first. For the breaker in the machine, locate the red reset button on the breaker. With the machine in the off position, press the reset button and try to operate the machine again.

If your specific machine doesn't have a breaker, check the breaker on the wall. Whether you are checking the breaker on a Taylor, Stoelting, Electro Freeze, or Carpigiani machine each company has a similar electrical layout on their machines.

Check Out Our Ice Cream Machines

Or Call Us: 775-338-3545

* Follow all local and national health codes. Always refer to local and national rules. This article is just a suggestion.

Why is the ice cream machine not working?

There are many reasons why your ice cream maker might not be working. From under or overloading it, to a damaged cord, a bad outlet, or a jammed paddle. The possibilities are nearly endless.

Why is my ice cream machine not freezing?

It's as simple as this: If the freezer bowl that goes with your ice cream maker isn't cold (like, really cold), your ice cream is never going to freeze. → Follow this tip: In order for the machine to freeze the ice cream as it churns, it needs to be cold — like, totally and completely, rock-hard, ice cold.

Why is my ice cream not thickening?

If your ice cream is soft-serve texture, place it in the freezer for 2-4 hours to fully firm up. If your mixture is not a soft-serve texture but still liquid and doesn't appear to be thickening up after 30-45 minutes, you may have a problem. Your mixture may not be have been cold enough, or the bowl not chilled fully.

Why is my soft serve too soft?

Product is Too Soft If the ice cream or mixture is too soft, look for possible issues below: Viscosity needs to be adjusted – Contact an authorized technician to remedy the issue. Worn scraper blades – The scraper blades wear out with consistent use. Make sure to replace them regularly at the first sign of wear.

soft serve ice cream machine troubleshooting