Hensall, Ontario —A new pump from Rena OEM Sales (Charlotte, NC) is making ice sculptures crystal clear. The submersible pump constantly circulates up to 160 gallons of water per hour at a head of more than 31/2 ft. Without constant circulation, the ice formed be-comes cloudy, which affects the quality of the sculptures.
A block maker forms the ice blocks weighing 300 lbs and measuring up to 40 inches long by 20 inches wide. Iceculture Inc. mounts the Rena pump so that the intake and discharge are just below the water surface. At the start of the block-making process, the discharge is pointed downward. Gradually, the direction of the discharge raises, until it is parallel with the water surface. The entire process takes four days.
"We like the pumps because they are magnetic and generate virtually no heat," says Julian Bayley, owner of Iceculture. "It didn't make sense to keep using a pump that generates heat when you are trying to make ice!"
Bayley also likes the pumps for their cost. "The pumps we used previously were about $125 each," he says. "We use 500 of them. The RF600s cost us about $15 each, so if one goes down, we can afford to throw it away and not worry about it."
The RF600 uses no oil or seals. Its applications also include beverage dispensers, parts cleaning machines, and photographic development equipment.