Why is Your Hoshizaki Ice Maker Beeping and How to Fix it

Why is Your Hoshizaki Ice Maker Beeping?

Ice Equipment is essential for keeping any commercial kitchen running smoothly. Hoshizaki is one of the mainstays in making ice, manufacturing a wide variety of models that create different cubes or special shapes.

When you hear your Hoshizaki ice machine beep, it can be alarming at first but don't worry! These machines have several different Ice maker beep patterns associated with them, so you can easily identify the issue at a moment’s notice.

These are some common reasons why your Hoshizaki Ice Maker is beeping and ways to troubleshoot.

• 1 Beep: High-Temperature Warning
• 2 Beeps: Long Harvest Cycle
• 3 Beeps: Long Freeze Cycle
• 4 or 5 Beeps: Circuit Issues on Mechanical Bin Sensor
• 6 or 7 Beeps: Incorrect Allowable Supply Voltage 
• 8 Beeps: De-energized gear motor relay
• 9 Beeps: The Ice Bin is full

One Beep: High-Temperature Safety Warning

Hoshizaki ice machine uses a thermistor to prevent damage from excessive heat. When the temperature reaches 127 degrees F, the machine shuts down.

What causes 1 Beep?

• Hot water in the unit
• A shorted thermistor
• Hot gas valve(HGV) complication
• Control board relay issue
• De-energized gear motor relay

Troubleshooting for 1 beep:

• If there is a mechanical problem, check to see if the hot gas valve sticks open or if the control board relay sticks.
• Check for a temperature difference across the hot gas valve
• To check if there's a stuck relay, use a multimeter to check voltage on pin #2 on the K1 connector (the one closest to the power supply).
• Hot water migration can sometimes cause this problem. Typically, this occurs at night when the only equipment requiring water flow is an ice machine.
• Usually, hot water migration is caused by a defective mixing valve in an existing plumbing system. Check the pre-wash area of the dishwasher for any leaks.
• Check for a short circuit in the thermistor. If the thermistor reading is approximately 500 ohms or lower, the control board will lock out.

Two Beeps: Long Harvest Cycle

When ice is ejected from its ice mold, the machine's harvest cycle begins. The control board has a defrost backup safety timer that protects against long harvesting. This alarm is telling you that the machine has run a consecutive 20-minute harvest cycle, resulting in two beeps and an Orange LED marked "20 min."

What Causes 2 Beeps?

• Thermostatic expansion valves (TXV) leak
• Open thermistor
• HGV not opened
• Compressor defect

Troubleshooting for 2 beeps:

• Make sure the freon level is accurate.
• Check for a water leak and ensure that the incoming flow was correct.
• Change your water filter if you have one.

Three Beeps: Long Freeze Cycle

When a Hoshizaki Ice Maker beeps three times, it means your ice machine has had two elongated freezes in a row. Once the ice mold has been filled with water, the ice maker’s freezer cycle begins and ends when all of the water has been frozen into ice cubes. If the float switch fails to open for 60 minutes, then the control board shuts down automatically. A yellow LED will light up with “60 min,” kicking in the freeze backup timer.

What Causes 3 Beeps?

• Float switch is closed (up position)
• HGV leaking
• Water valve is open or leaking
• Low charge
• Compressor defect

Troubleshooting for 3 beeps:

Some of the most difficult to diagnose are Hoshizaki 3 beeps. It could be one issue or a combination of issues that causes an extended freeze cycle.

• Ensuring that your ice machine is running at the right temperature is your first line of defense. That means keeping the room temperature as close to 70 degrees Fahrenheit as you possibly can.
• Ideally, the temperature of the water should be close to 50 degrees.
• Regular cleaning of air filters and air conditioning units is your next step. It can be difficult to keep an ice maker clean, so you may want consider hiring a professional to help out.
• Preventive maintenance is essential for commercial ice machines. Preventive maintenance and cleaning can increase the lifespan of commercial ice machines and help prevent issues that lead to ice machine repair service codes.

Four or Five Beeps: Circuit Issues on Bin Sensor

This alert is mostly relevant to older Hoshizaki models with a mechanical bin control. These beeps are usually heard on KM-280s, KM-500s, KM-630s and KM-900s.

What Causes 4 or 5 Beeps?

• The four-beep alarm: when the bin control’s K-4 connector has a short circuit.
• The five beeps occur: the bin control’s K-4 connector has an open circuit.

Troubleshooting for 4 or 5 beeps:

• Check the connections and repair them if necessary.

Six or Seven Beeps: Incorrect Voltage Supply

It is important for Hoshizaki ice makers to have the correct voltage. When your machine beeps six or seven times, a wiring problem or a voltage surge must have occurred.

What Causes 6 or 7 Beeps?

• The six-beeps alarm: If the voltage dips below 92 volts plus or minus five percent, the unit will beep six times and the control board will automatically shut down. The machine will restart when the correct voltage is restored
• If the voltage reaches 147 volts +/- 5 percent then a seven-beep alert will sound and the unit will be shut down.

Troubleshooting for 6 or 7 beeps:

• To reset the alarm, press the "ALARM RESET" button on the cuber's controller board with the power supply turned on.

Eight Beeps: De-energized Gear Motor

What Causes 8 beeps?

When the gear motor is de-energized, it sends a signal to the compressor to shut down which halts ice production.

Troubleshooting for 8 beeps:

If the problem persists, turn the ice machine on and then off again. This will usually fix the error code.

Nine Beeps: Bin Control Check

What Causes 9 beeps?

• The ice bin is almost full, which automatically shuts off the ice machine’s ice production.
• The proximity switch opens the machine and the control board shuts it off.

Troubleshooting for 9 beeps:

• If you keep getting the same error code, turn the machine on and off several times
• Empty some of the ice from the bin.

Getting Hoshizaki Ice Maker for Your Business?

Ice Equipment is crucial for operating any kitchen. Here at Culinary Depot, we are eager to help you find the right Ice Maker.

May it be:

• Air-Cooled Ice Machines
• Undercounter Ice Machines
• Water Cooled Ice Machines
• Combination Ice and Water Machines
• Remote Condenser Ice Machines

Visit our online store or contact us today for more information.