1

This is a draft document and does not represent a definitive view of the agency on the questions
addressed.

This and other guidance documents are accessible on the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy web site at: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/guidance/default.aspx?pid=2&spid=1

.

Guidance Type : Test Procedures Category : Commercial and Industrial Equipment Product : Automatic Commercial Ice Mak ers Guidance Version : DRAFT Issued : January 28, 2013 Comment Period Closes: February 28, 201 3

DRAFT Guidance Document for Testing Automatic Commercial Ice Makers

The following is a draft U.S. Department of Energy (DOE or the Department) guidance document regarding the test procedure for automatic commercial ice makers (ACIM). This draft guidance document represents the Department’s interpretation of its existing regulations and is exempt from the notice and comment requirements of the Administrative Proced ure Act. See 5 U.S.C. § 553(b)(A). Therefore, the Department is accepting comments and suggestions from the public until February 28,
201 3 . Comments and suggestions should be provided in WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, PDF, or text file format by sending an e mail to ACIMGuidance

- 2012

- 0044@ee.doe.gov

. Please also include the docket

n umber EERE

- 2012

- BT

- STD

- 0044. At the end of the comment period, this draft guidance document may be adopted, revised, or withdrawn.

Q: May an automatic purge water control ( which adjusts the purge water quantity based on the supply water ’s hardness) be us ed during testing of an automatic commercial ice maker (ice maker) ?

A: A utomatic purge water control automatically adjust s the amount of purge water used to flush dissolved solids out of the automatic commercial ice maker based on measurement s indicating the need for purging, which depend s on the qua ntity of dissolved solids in the supply water ( usually referred to as the supply water ’s “ hardness ” )

. The DOE test procedure for automatic commercial ice maker s is found in the Code of Federal Regulations at 10 CFR 431.134, Subpart H
, and incorporates by reference AHRI Standard 810

– 2007 with Addendum 1, (AHRI 810), Performance Rating of Automatic Commercial Ice

- Makers, March 2011 and ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 29

– 2009, (ANSI/ASHRAE 29), Method of Testing Automatic Ice Makers (including Errata Sheets issued April 8, 2010 a nd April 21, 2010)

. The DOE test procedure has no discussion of the use of automatic purge water controls and does not provide any specific requirements for the hardness of the supply water used during testing.

Models tested using the automatic purge se tting could have varying test results depending on the supply water’s hardness that is available or used at the test location. Testing such equipment in the automatic purge setting could therefore result in inconsistent test results depending on the relat ive2

hardness of the water used in testing. To ensure consistent test results, automatic commercial ice makers with automatic purge water control should be tested using a fixed purge water setting as described in the automatic commercial ice maker’s writte n instructions shipped with the unit as being appropriate for water of normal, typical, or average hardness in accordance with section 4.1.4 of AHRI 810’s requirement that the “test unit shall be set up for testing per the manufacturer's written instructio ns provided with the unit.” The automatic purge setting should not be used for testing. Further, purge water settings described in the instructions as suitable for use only with water that has higher or lower than normal hardness (such as distilled water or reverse osmosis water) should not be used for testing.

If the model has no option for fixed purge water control or if the re are no fixed purge water setting s described in the written instructions as suitable for water of normal, typical or average water hardness, the m anufac turer of the ice maker should petition DOE for a test procedure waiver. DOE’s regulations allow manufacturers to apply for a waiver when a manufacturer determines that a given basic model contains one or more design features tha t would cause the prescribed test procedures to evaluate the basic model in a manner so unrepresentative of its true energy consumption characteristics as to provide materially inaccurate comparative data ( See 10 C

. F

. R . § 431.401).