The gap behind the bar looks perfect. There is a tap nearby, a power point on the wall and just enough room for the cabinet. Then the installer asks where the water will drain. The machine has been chosen; the installation has not.
A useful ice machine site survey answers three different questions: will the complete system fit, can the site support its operation, and can people actually use and maintain it? A photograph and an advertised daily output cannot answer all three.
Use the worked survey below to turn a promising location into a quote-ready brief. Record what you can observe, label what remains unknown and give each unresolved item an owner. The aim is to expose expensive assumptions before the order, rather than hand the supplier a confident-looking checklist full of guesses.
Survey the whole installation, not the empty gap
Begin with a sketch of the proposed position, then trace the route from the delivery vehicle to it. Record dimensions in millimetres. Include walls, benches, doors, overhead shelves and the nearest heat-producing equipment. Take photographs from far enough away to show the surroundings; close-ups alone hide the obstacles.
Use photo references such as P01 and P02 in the survey. A written measurement without a location can be surprisingly hard to interpret when someone else opens the brief.
| Survey item | Useful evidence | Question it resolves |
|---|---|---|
| Installed space | Width, depth and height; fixed obstructions; photos of all sides | Can the complete assembly meet its operating and service requirements here? |
| Water and treatment | Supply location, existing treatment identification, available records | What supply checks and treatment arrangement does this model need? |
| Drain route | Outlet destination, approximate route and level changes; installer assessment | Is the proposed drainage arrangement suitable, or does it need redesign? |
| Electrical supply | Accessible outlet photographs and reliable circuit documentation | Can the electrician confirm compatibility and any work needed? |
| Delivery and use | Narrowest route, turns, steps; bin opening and collection position | Can it get in, and can staff use it without blocking the room? |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
Do not remove covers or investigate live electrical equipment to fill in a row. “Unknown—electrician to confirm” is useful information. An invented answer is not.
A worked survey: the bar alcove that is not ready yet
Hypothetical example: a bar wants a self-contained cube ice machine close to its drinks station. These are invented site observations, not a customer's installation or a recommended machine specification.
| Observation | What it means | Next action / owner |
|---|---|---|
| Alcove: 900 W × 750 D × 950 H mm | Available space only; clearance and access requirements remain unknown | Supplier to overlay the exact model's installed envelope |
| Water point photographed; no supply measurements | A connection exists; suitability is unconfirmed | Plumber to assess supply and treatment needs |
| Waste connection is across a walkway and higher than the proposed outlet | Drainage is the first unresolved design question | Installer to assess route; supplier to identify permitted options |
| An outlet is visible; circuit details are unavailable | Electrical compatibility cannot be assumed | Electrician to confirm against the selected model |
| Delivery doorway: 760 mm clear; turn beyond it unmeasured | The doorway measurement does not establish delivery access | Venue to measure turn; delivery team to assess packaged dimensions |
| A collection tub would stand in the staff route | Convenient machine position, awkward collection position | Bar manager to mock up collection before fixing the location |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
The correct outcome is conditional, not approved. The venue can seek proposals, but it should not order on the assumption that the visible connections make installation straightforward.
Its next move is specific: resolve the drain route, test a collection position, measure the delivery turn and have the supplier draw the complete installed arrangement. If the alcove remains unsuitable, compare another position before committing to cabinetry or buying a different machine to rescue the original idea.
Four decisions the survey should settle
1. Cabinet dimensions or an installed envelope?
The cabinet is only one shape on the drawing. Add the manufacturer-required clearances, connections and space needed to open the bin and reach service items. For modular equipment, name the machine head, compatible bin and any required adapter together. Ask for assembled dimensions rather than combining separate brochures yourself.
The Hoshizaki self-contained installation manual linked below treats location and ventilation as installation requirements and warns against obstructed openings and nearby high-heat equipment. Its instructions apply to the listed models. Use the current manual for your shortlisted Australian model; do not turn one manual's clearance diagram into a rule for every ice machine.
2. Is drainage a resolved design or an assumed hose?
Draw where discharged water goes, including any rise or crossing. A nearby waste point is not proof that the proposed connection works. Give the installer the actual route rather than asking whether the machine “comes with a drain hose”.
Gravity and pumped arrangements are not interchangeable assumptions. Hoshizaki Australia lists a self-contained model with an integrated drain pump, demonstrating that pump-equipped options exist. That does not establish suitability for this alcove: the exact model, route and installation instructions still need assessment. Do not specify a generic pump as an automatic fix.
3. Can staff collect ice and clean around it?
Mark the open bin lid or door, the person collecting ice and the container they use. Walk through that movement during a normal service setup. Does it conflict with a dishwasher door, a tray trolley or the only staff passage? A taped floor outline makes the problem easier to see before equipment arrives.
Include access to cleaning and service points in the proposal. Food Standards Australia New Zealand's Safe Food Australia guidance states that ice must be made from potable water. Ask who will establish the cleaning routine and demonstrate it at handover; placing a machine near a tap does not answer that operational question.
4. Is output suitable under the proposed conditions?
Keep production, storage and installation as separate decisions. Ask the supplier to state the conditions behind the quoted output and how they relate to the proposed location. Then compare that answer with when the venue needs ice and how much usable storage is available.
For example, Hoshizaki's pump-equipped product page lists production at several air and water temperatures, with different results. A headline kilograms-per-day figure is therefore an incomplete comparison. This survey does not calculate a machine size: attach a separate demand brief showing the busiest collection windows, ice use and required format.
Build your own survey and close the open items
For your own supplier brief, record site measurements, photographs, model instructions and the owner of each unresolved decision. Replace the fictional inputs with actual evidence and leave unresolved decisions visible.
One row per decision, one owner per unknown
Use Observed, Open or Confirmed in the status column. “Confirmed” needs a named source, date and model; it does not mean that venue staff have certified an installation.
- Capture: measure accessible spaces and photograph the site. Do not select a clearance from a generic checklist.
- Assess: supplier and installers respond against a named model and complete assembly. Record changes to the proposed location or scope.
- Resolve: close each essential open item with written evidence. If it cannot be resolved, change the location, model or project scope before ordering.
- Handover: retain the final drawing, installation documents, commissioning record and cleaning instructions with the equipment information.
Reopen affected rows whenever the model, bin, location or connection route changes. A previous answer about a different arrangement is not evidence for the new one.
Send a brief that produces a comparable quote
Use this wording with the survey and photographs:
Please assess the attached location for the exact ice machine and bin combination you propose. Show the installed envelope, airflow and service access, water treatment, drainage arrangement and electrical requirements. Identify unresolved items and who must confirm them. Separately price delivery, positioning, connection, commissioning and any site works; state exclusions and the documents supporting your assessment.
A quote should distinguish an equipment price from an installed scope. Request the same scope from each supplier and keep alternatives in separate lines. “Installation included” is too broad if nobody has agreed what happens to the old machine, how the new one reaches the bar or who completes the connections.
Browse Atlantic's commercial ice machines with your survey beside you. Shortlist the ice format and production task, then establish whether the complete system belongs in the proposed space.
Sources and scope
Sources checked 18 October 2026. Manufacturer examples illustrate questions to resolve; they are not a universal installation specification or a claim of Atlantic stock availability.
- Hoshizaki self-contained ice maker installation manual, listed FM/CM models: location, installation responsibilities and ventilation. Confirm the current Australian instructions for the supplied model.
- Hoshizaki Australia pump-equipped self-contained cuber: integrated pump example and output figures published at different air/water conditions. Model naming differs within the page; have the supplier confirm the precise code and current documentation.
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand, Safe Food Australia, Standard 3.2.3 guidance: potable water for ice. Local requirements and the selected equipment still need assessment.
About this guide
Prepared by Atlantic Equipment. This guide turns site observations into an equipment and installation brief. The survey and hypothetical bar example show how to separate evidence from assumptions and assign unresolved decisions. It is a purchasing resource, not an installation procedure or a record of a tested venue. Qualified installers and the selected model's current instructions determine the final arrangement.
