Commercial Ice Machines Seattle

New Atosa commercial ice machines for Seattle restaurants, bars, cafes and hotels: undercounter units, 23" and 31" modular heads, a hotel ice dispenser and matching ice bins. Every machine is new, with a 2-year parts and labor and 5-year compressor warranty, and orders of $500 and up ship free with liftgate service to Seattle and anywhere in the lower 48 states. Looking at used ice machines? Read our new vs. used guide below the products, or call or text +1 (206) 419-5801.

Commercial Ice Machine Buying Guide for Seattle Restaurants

Ice is one of the few things every food and drink business uses all day, every day. A coffee shop goes through it in iced lattes, a bar in every shaken cocktail, a restaurant in water glasses, soda, seafood display and prep, and a hotel on every guest floor. When the ice machine stops, service slows down within the hour.

Many Seattle owners start their search by looking for a used ice machine, and that is how a lot of people found the original Encore Seattle, which sold used restaurant equipment before it closed. Today Encore Seattle is run by The Restaurant Warehouse and sells only new Atosa equipment. This guide explains why we think a new ice machine is the better buy for most kitchens, then walks you through choosing the right type, size, bin, power and install so you order the right machine the first time.

In this guide

Find your ice machine fast
New vs. used ice machines
Undercounter, modular or hotel dispenser
How much ice do you need?
Compare every Atosa ice machine
Matching the right ice bin
Half-dice vs. full cube ice
Power, water, drain and placement
Cleaning, sanitizing and water filters
Quick troubleshooting
Free freight: we handle the hard work
Ice machine questions

Find Your Ice Machine Fast

Your business	Start with	Why
Coffee shop, cafe or juice bar	YRU0140A-161	Up to 140 lb a day with a built-in 88 lb bin, fits under a counter, plugs into 115V
Busy bar or quick-service counter	YRU0280A-161	Same undercounter cabinet, twice the ice: up to 280 lb a day
Hotel floor, break room or self-serve drinks	YDS0350A-161	Push-chute dispenser keeps hands out of the ice; 350 lb a day, 160 lb bin
Restaurant with tight wall space	YRS0350A-161 or YRS0450A-161	23" wide modular heads on 115V, paired with the 23" BYR0300 bin
Full-service restaurant or high-volume bar	YRM0600A-261	Up to 600 lb a day on a 31" head with the 400 lb BYR0400 bin
Banquet kitchen, hotel bar or event venue	YRM0800A-261	The largest head in the lineup: up to 800 lb a day

New vs. Used Ice Machines

A used ice machine can look like a bargain on a listing. The cabinet is stainless steel, the photos look clean and the price is a fraction of new. The trouble is that almost everything that matters on an ice machine is inside, where a quick look will not show it.

Why ice machines are the riskiest used purchase

Ice is food. It goes straight into your customers' drinks with no cooking step to kill anything. That makes the inside of an ice machine more important than the outside, and the inside is exactly what you cannot judge from a photo or a short walk-around.

Scale on the evaporator: minerals in the water build up on the evaporator plate over time. Scale slows the harvest cycle and cuts how much ice the machine makes, so a machine sold as "450 lb a day" may produce far less.
Slime and mold: machines that were not cleaned and sanitized on schedule can grow slime on the evaporator, water curtain, water trough, lines and bin. It is hard to see and hard to fully remove.
Worn water pumps and valves: reduce water flow and cause thin, cloudy or incomplete cubes.
Tired compressors and condensers: an air-cooled condenser packed with grease and dust makes the compressor run hotter and longer. Used machines often come out of hot back-of-house spaces where that has been happening for years.
Bin damage: cracked liners, worn door gaskets and broken hinges let warm air in, so stored ice melts faster and the head has to work harder to keep up.
Old refrigerants and missing paperwork: older machines may use refrigerants that are being phased down, and a used machine rarely comes with a model history, service records or a working manual.

The warranty gap

Most used ice machines are sold as-is. If the compressor fails a month after you install it, the repair is yours. Every new Atosa ice machine on this page carries a 2-year parts and labor warranty and a 5-year compressor and evaporator warranty, the two most expensive parts on the machine.

The real cost of a used ice machine

Cost	Used ice machine	New Atosa ice machine
Purchase price	Lower up front	Higher up front, with financing available
Pickup and delivery	Usually yours: truck rental, helpers and loading	Free freight with liftgate on orders of $500 and up
Deep clean before first use	Descale and sanitize before any ice is served	Starts clean
Repairs in year one	Paid by you	Covered by the 2-year parts and labor warranty
Compressor failure	Paid by you	Covered for 5 years
Actual output	Unknown until it runs in your kitchen	Built to its rated capacity
Water filter	Often missing or overdue	3M water filter system included
Energy use	Older machines often use more power	ENERGY STAR certified

When you add the hidden costs together, a new machine often costs less over its first few years than a used one, and it is far less likely to shut down your bar on a Friday night.

If you still buy used, check this first

Run it for a full day and weigh the ice it makes.
Look at the evaporator and water curtain with a flashlight for scale, slime or pink and black growth.
Check the condenser for packed dust and grease.
Inspect the bin liner, door gasket and drain for cracks and leaks.
Ask for the model and serial number, the refrigerant type, the age of the machine and any service records.
Budget for a professional cleaning, a new water filter and possibly a new pump or water valve.

If that list sounds like a lot of work, that is the point. With a new Atosa machine, none of it is on you.

Undercounter, Modular or Hotel Dispenser?

Undercounter ice machines

An undercounter machine makes and stores ice in one cabinet. The YRU0140A-161 and YRU0280A-161 are both 24-1/4" wide, 28-3/4" deep and 38-1/2" tall including 6" legs, with a built-in 88 lb bin, a slanted door and a scoop included. They plug into a standard 115V outlet.

Choose undercounter when ice is used in one spot, such as behind a coffee bar or a cocktail station, and your daily use is light to moderate. The YRU0140A-161 makes up to 140 lb a day. The YRU0280A-161 uses the same cabinet and bin but makes up to 280 lb a day, so the bin refills faster during a rush.

Modular ice machines

A modular machine, also called an ice machine head, makes ice and drops it into a separate bin underneath. Modular heads give you much more output and let you choose the bin size you need. Atosa makes two widths:

23" YRS heads: the YRS0350A-161 (350 lb), YRS0450A-161 (450 lb) and YRS0600A-261 (600 lb). Choose these when wall space is tight.
31" YRM heads: the YRM0450A-161 (450 lb), YRM0600A-261 (600 lb) and YRM0800A-261 (800 lb). Choose these for full-service restaurants, busy bars and banquet kitchens.

Modular heads do not include a bin. You order the head and the matching bin together. See matching the right ice bin below.

Hotel ice machine and dispenser

The YDS0350A-161 makes up to 350 lb of full cubes a day and stores 160 lb in a built-in bin. Guests press a single push chute instead of scooping, which keeps hands and scoops out of the ice. It is built for hotel guest floors, break rooms, offices, healthcare and self-serve drink stations. It is 23" wide, 29-1/2" deep and 70-3/4" tall including 6" legs, and it plugs into 115V with a 9' cord.

How Much Ice Do You Need?

The number in each model name is the most ice the machine can make in 24 hours under standard test conditions. A hot kitchen, a warm back room or warm incoming water will lower that number, so size with some room to spare.

These common industry rules of thumb are a good starting point:

Type of business	Rule of thumb
Restaurant	About 1.5 lb of ice per customer per day
Bar or cocktail lounge	About 3 lb of ice per seat per day
Hotel	About 5 lb of ice per room per day
Self-serve soda and drink stations	Plan on more ice than a server-poured operation
Seafood display, salad bars and food prep	Add these on top of drink ice

Add up where your ice goes

For a closer number, add up each area of your business separately:

Bar and drinks: usually the biggest user. A typical drink, from a soda to a shaken cocktail, takes about 8-12 ounces of ice. Multiply that by your daily drink count.
Kitchen prep: ice baths for blanching vegetables, cooling stocks quickly and holding seafood and produce. A busy kitchen can use 50-100 lb a day for prep alone.
Displays: seafood cases and salad bars use a lot of ice, roughly 35 lb per cubic foot of display.

Size for your busiest day, not your average day. Then add about 20 percent for growth, hot summer days and busy weekends. For example, a restaurant serving 250 guests a day needs roughly 375 lb of ice, plus 20 percent, or about 450 lb. That points to a 450 lb head such as the YRS0450A-161 or YRM0450A-161. If you also run a busy bar, step up to the YRM0600A-261.

Two more tips:

Production and storage are different. A machine that makes 450 lb a day does not hold 450 lb. Your bin has to hold enough ice to get through your busiest stretch, and the head refills it between rushes.
When in doubt, size up. A machine that is too small runs nonstop and still runs out. A machine that is slightly large simply fills the bin and shuts off.

Compare Every Atosa Ice Machine

Model	Type	Ice per 24 hr	Width	Power	Bin
YRU0140A-161	Undercounter	140 lb	24-1/4"	115V, 5.3 A	Built-in, 88 lb
YRU0280A-161	Undercounter	280 lb	24-1/4"	115V, 8.6 A	Built-in, 88 lb
YDS0350A-161	Hotel dispenser	350 lb, full cube	23"	115V, 11.6 A	Built-in, 160 lb
YRS0350A-161	23" modular	350 lb	22-3/4"	115V, 10.6 A	BYR0300
YRS0450A-161	23" modular	450 lb	22-3/4"	115V, 11.9 A	BYR0300
YRS0600A-261	23" modular	600 lb	22-3/4"	208-230V, 6.8 A	BYR0300
YRM0450A-161	31" modular	450 lb	30-3/4"	115V, 11.9 A	BYR0400
YRM0600A-261	31" modular	600 lb	30-3/4"	208-230V, 6.8 A	BYR0400
YRM0800A-261	31" modular	800 lb	30-3/4"	208-230V, 9.1 A	BYR0400

Every machine above is air-cooled, NSF and ENERGY STAR certified, makes half-dice cubes (except the YDS0350A-161, which makes full cubes) and includes a 3M water filter system. All but the YRM0800A-261 use R290 refrigerant; the YRM0800A-261 uses R404A.

Matching the Right Ice Bin

Undercounter machines and the hotel dispenser have their own bins. Modular heads need a separate bin, and the bin must match the head's width.

Bin	Holds	Size (W x D x H)	Use it with
BYR0300	300 lb	22-1/2" x 32-1/4" x 41-1/2"	23" YRS heads: YRS0350A-161, YRS0450A-161, YRS0600A-261
BYR0400	400 lb	30-1/4" x 32-1/4" x 41-1/2"	31" YRM heads: YRM0450A-161, YRM0600A-261, YRM0800A-261. A 23" YRS head fits with the optional BYR0400235001 adapter, sold separately.
CYR400P	395 lb	30-1/4" x 32-3/4" x 41-1/4"	Replacement bin for the older YR450-AP-161 and YR800-AP-261 heads
CYR700P	700 lb	48-1/4" x 32-1/2" x 41"	Large replacement bin for the older YR450-AP-161 and YR800-AP-261 heads

Stated capacity vs. usable ice

A bin's listed capacity is not all ice you can reach. Ice drops into the bin in a cone, and the top of the pile and the back corners are hard to scoop. Plan on about 70-80 percent of the listed capacity being easy to use. A 400 lb bin realistically gives you about 280-320 lb of scoopable ice, so if your rush needs 300 lb on hand, choose the 400 lb BYR0400 over the 300 lb BYR0300.

Why the head and bin must match

Not every head fits every bin, even within the same brand. The width and the mounting points have to line up to make a stable, sanitary seal so ice falls where it should and nothing can get into the gap. That is why we list the matching bin on every Atosa head. When a pairing is not a direct match, such as a 23" YRS head on the 31" BYR0400, use the bin adapter made for it.

The BYR bins have an insulated, anti-condensation foam door with an anti-pinch damper hinge, and both include an ice scoop and bin adapter. All bin heights include 6" legs. Stack height matters: add the head height to the bin height and check it against your ceiling, shelves and any hood or soffit above the spot.

Half-Dice vs. Full Cube Ice

Half-dice cubes are smaller and pack tightly in a glass. They cool drinks quickly, displace more liquid and blend well, which makes them a great all-around ice for soda, iced coffee, blended drinks, seafood display and food prep. Every modular and undercounter Atosa machine on this page makes half-dice ice.
Full cubes are larger and melt more slowly, which works well for cocktails, bagged ice and drinks that sit for a while. The YDS0350A-161 hotel dispenser makes full cubes.

Power, Water, Drain and Placement

Most ice machine problems on day one come from the install, not the machine. Check these before you order:

Power: the YRU, YDS, YRS0350A-161, YRS0450A-161 and YRM0450A-161 plug into a standard 115V outlet (NEMA 5-15). The YRS0600A-261, YRM0600A-261 and YRM0800A-261 need a 208-230V circuit with a NEMA 6-20 receptacle. Have your electrician confirm the circuit before delivery.
Water line: every machine needs a potable water supply line.
Drain: every machine needs a drain. Plan for a floor drain or properly installed drain line close to where the machine will sit.
Air flow: every Atosa ice machine on this page is air-cooled, which means a fan pulls room air across the condenser coils to carry heat away. Air-cooled machines are the simplest to install, with no extra water use or rooftop condenser to run, but they need room to breathe. Leave about 6-12 inches of clearance around the vents, keep them away from fryers, ovens and dishwashers, and avoid closets with no air movement. Heat lowers ice production.
Measure the path in: check doorways, hallways, stairs and turns from the curb to the install spot.
Installation: ice machines need plumbing and, on some models, a dedicated circuit. We recommend a licensed plumber or refrigeration technician for setup.

Cleaning, Sanitizing and Water Filters

A clean machine makes more ice, better-tasting ice and lasts longer. Atosa recommends cleaning and sanitizing at least every 3 months, more often in busy kitchens.

Cleaning and sanitizing are two different jobs

Cleaning (descaling) removes the chalky white mineral scale that water leaves on the evaporator and in the water system. Scale clogs lines, slows the harvest and cuts production.
Sanitizing kills bacteria and removes the slime and biofilm that grow inside the machine and bin.

Always clean first, then sanitize. A sanitizer cannot reach germs through a layer of scale.

Your routine

Descale with ATIMD01 Ice Machine Powder Descaler to remove scale and mineral buildup from the evaporator and water system.
Sanitize with ATIMR02 Powder Rinse Sanitizer, which comes in 48 pre-measured 1.2 oz packets.
Replace the water filter on schedule. We carry 3M replacement cartridges including the 5615103 and 5613305, and 3M High Flow systems for ice makers including the 5616015 and 5616203.
Clean the condenser so dust and grease do not block air flow.
Wipe the bin and scoop, and store the scoop outside the ice.

Mistakes to avoid

Household bleach: it can make plastic parts brittle, corrode metal parts and leave residue in the ice if it is not rinsed out completely.
Vinegar: it is not strong enough for commercial scale and it is not a sanitizer.
Generic water filters: a hardware-store filter is not built for the water volume of a commercial ice machine. Use the 3M cartridge made for your system.
Skipping the small parts: the water curtain, trough, drain line and door gasket are where slime usually starts.

Signs your machine needs cleaning now

Ice is cloudy, smaller than usual or oddly shaped.
Production has slowed or the harvest cycle takes longer.
You can see slime, black or pink spots, or white and gray scale.
The ice tastes or smells musty.

Quick Troubleshooting

Many ice machine calls turn out to be simple problems you can check first:

What you see	Most likely cause	Check first
No power, no lights	Tripped breaker or unplugged cord	Breaker panel and power cord
Runs but makes no ice	No water coming in	Water shut-off valve and water filter
Small or cloudy ice	Clogged filter or scale buildup	Replace the filter, then descale
Slow production	Hot room or blocked air flow	Vent clearance, nearby heat sources and a dirty condenser
Machine is hot to the touch	Poor ventilation or dirty condenser	Clear the vents and clean the condenser coils
Water on the floor	Clogged drain, stuck water inlet valve, cracked trough or leaking pump seal	Drain line first, then listen for water still running when the machine is off
Water pooling in the bin	Clogged bin drain or a bin that is not level	Flush the drain line and level the bin
Ice melting fast	Heat nearby, worn door gasket or blocked drain	Move away from fryers and ovens, and inspect the gasket

If the problem is mechanical, such as the compressor, pump or controls, call a refrigeration technician and keep your warranty paperwork handy.

Free Freight to Seattle and the Lower 48: We Handle the Hard Work

Buying a used ice machine usually means renting a truck, finding helpers and hoping it survives the trip. When you order a new Atosa ice machine from Encore Seattle, we handle the freight for you:

Free freight on orders of $500 and up to business addresses in Seattle and anywhere in the lower 48 states.
Liftgate service included. The truck lowers your machine to the curb or parking lot, so you do not need a loading dock or forklift.
Fast delivery. We offer 1-3 day delivery from 12 distribution centers.
Tracking sent to you. We email the PRO tracking number and the freight company's contact information.
Delivery Damage Promise. If the box is damaged, write "BOX DAMAGED" on the delivery receipt, inspect the unit and contact us within 48 hours. We deal with the freight company for you.

Delivery is curbside, so plan to have help or an installer ready to move the machine inside. We deliver to restaurants, bars, cafes and hotels in every Seattle neighborhood. See the Seattle neighborhoods we serve.

Ice Machine Questions

Does Encore Seattle sell used ice machines?

No. The original Encore sold used restaurant equipment. Today Encore Seattle sells only new Atosa ice machines and equipment, with full manufacturer warranties and free freight on orders of $500 and up.

What warranty comes with an Atosa ice machine?

Atosa ice machines carry a 2-year parts and labor warranty and a 5-year compressor and evaporator warranty. The BYR and CYR ice bins carry a 2-year parts and labor warranty.

Does a modular ice machine come with a bin?

No. Modular heads are sold without a bin. Pair 23" YRS heads with the BYR0300 and 31" YRM heads with the BYR0400.

Which ice machine plugs into a regular outlet?

The YRU0140A-161, YRU0280A-161, YDS0350A-161, YRS0350A-161, YRS0450A-161 and YRM0450A-161 all run on 115V. The 600 and 800 lb heads need 208-230V.

What size ice machine does a small restaurant need?

Many small restaurants land between 250 and 450 lb a day. Use the sizing rules above, add about 20 percent, and call us if you are between sizes.

Is a water filter included?

Yes. Each Atosa ice machine on this page includes a 3M water filter system. Replace the cartridge on schedule to protect the machine and the taste of your ice.

What is the difference between an ice bin and an ice dispenser?

An ice bin only stores ice, and staff scoop it out. A dispenser like the YDS0350A-161 stores ice and delivers it through a push chute, which keeps hands and scoops out of the ice. That is why dispensers are used in hotels, break rooms and self-serve areas.

Can staff scoop ice with a glass?

No. A chipped glass can leave tiny shards in the ice. Always use a dedicated ice scoop and store it outside the bin. Every Atosa bin and undercounter machine on this page includes one.

Why is my ice melting so fast?

Check the location first. A bin next to a fryer, oven or in direct sun melts ice quickly. Then look for a clogged drain that leaves ice sitting in water, and a cracked or worn door gasket.

How fast will my ice machine arrive?

We offer 1-3 day delivery from 12 distribution centers, and you will get a tracking number by email.

Should I lease or buy an ice machine?

Leasing keeps cash up front low, but you pay more over time. Buying a new Atosa ice machine gets you the full warranty, and you own it. Financing is available through our partner store, The Restaurant Warehouse.

Who handles pricing and checkout?

Pricing and checkout are handled by our partner store, The Restaurant Warehouse. Each product page has a button that takes you to the matching listing.

Questions about the right ice machine for your Seattle restaurant? Call or text +1 (206) 419-5801.