How to Match an Ice Machine Filter Head and Replacement Cartridge

ice machine water filters  · 

The head stays. The cartridge has to lock into it

The filter head is the housing plumbed into the potable water line. The cartridge is the part you change. A replacement has to seat in that head. Twist-lock and threaded canisters are not the same joint. A cap that almost fits leaks at the O-ring or lets untreated water slip past into the machine.

Read three labels before you buy:

If those three agree, order that cartridge. If they disagree, stop. Two machines that look the same from the front often have different heads, because the filter was chosen at install and may not be what the current sheet lists for that cuber.

On a water-cooled condenser, the condenser supply is a separate line. Leave it unfiltered unless the machine’s own literature says otherwise. Filter the potable line that feeds the inlet valve and the reservoir.

Fittings are part of the match

Manitowoc’s ArcticPure sheets list 3/8 inch John Guest connections on those heads. Other heads use NPT threads or a push-in tube. Those ports are not interchangeable without an adapter, and every adapter is another place for a slow drip.

When you only change a cartridge in a head that is already plumbed, the ports stay. Check the cap profile and the O-ring. When you add a head to a machine that has never had one, confirm the incoming line size and the connection at the water inlet valve, and leave room for a shutoff upstream. A gauge before and after the cartridge is the simple way to see when the cartridge is loading up.

Flow and micron come from the sheet for that cartridge

A cartridge can thread in and still starve the cuber. The machine needs enough inlet flow to refill during freeze and harvest. A finer micron rating catches more and usually loads sooner. Compare the gallons-per-minute figure on the sheet for the cartridge you are buying with what that machine requires. Do not copy the flow number from an older sheet onto a later cartridge.

Manitowoc’s own ArcticPure sheets are the worked example. The older performance sheet and the later K00540-series sheet use different cartridge numbers, different micron ratings, and different flow figures for heads that share the names AR-10000, AR-20000, and AR-40000. The table and the sources are on Manitowoc ice machine water filter cartridges. Use the sheet that belongs to the number on your head.

A prefilter is a separate cartridge for dirty water. On the older sheet that is K00337 in an AR-Pre head, used with a primary cartridge. On the later sheet the prefilter number is K00542. It is not a substitute for the primary cartridge.

What the media does, and what it does not do

Most ice-machine cartridges combine sediment reduction with carbon. Sediment is the sand, rust, and pipe scale that clogs the inlet-valve screen and fouls the water-level control. Carbon reduces chlorine taste and odor that would otherwise carry into the ice.

Dissolved hardness is a different problem. It drops out as scale on the evaporator, the distribution tube, and the sump. Some cartridges add a scale inhibitor, often a polyphosphate. That slows crystal growth. It is not a softener, and it does not remove scale that is already on the plate. The machine still needs the cleaner named in its manual. That job is covered in cleaner, descaler, and sanitizer.

Capacity is printed as gallons treated. Heavy sediment uses the cartridge up sooner than the label. Change on the gallon rating, the calendar interval in the sheet, or a pressure drop, whichever comes first. Both Manitowoc sheets say at least every six months.

Cross-brand cartridges

A listing that says the cartridge fits most commercial ice machines is a shape claim, not a match. The same cap can hide a different flow rating, a different micron rating, or no scale inhibitor. Buy the cartridge the head was built for. If the head is not a Manitowoc ArcticPure head, use that manufacturer’s chart. This page does not cross Hoshizaki, Scotsman, or Ice-O-Matic part numbers onto Manitowoc heads.

Flush a new carbon cartridge before the machine refills the reservoir. Carbon fines cloud the first ice and can clog the inlet screen.

Shop the number on the head

These lookups are for the later Manitowoc cartridge numbers. If your head still carries a K00338, K00339, or K00337 label, order that number instead. A Plus head uses its own cartridge. Read the label.

Manitowoc K00540 cartridge Manitowoc K00541 cartridge Manitowoc K00542 prefilter cartridge

Check the part number on the product page against the head before you pay. A search result is not a fit confirmation.

FAQ

Can I replace only the cartridge if the head is already installed?

Yes, when the new cartridge locks into that head and the part number matches the head. The fittings stay. If the head model and the cartridge number disagree, resolve that before you order.

Does a scale-inhibitor cartridge soften the water?

No. It interferes with scale crystals. It does not remove hardness. High hardness can still need treatment upstream, and the machine still needs its descaler.

Will a cartridge from another ice-machine brand fit a Manitowoc head?

Not because the cap looks similar. Hoshizaki, Scotsman, and Ice-O-Matic cartridges can share a thread or a cap shape and still differ in flow, media, and the head they were built for. Match the head you have.