Wash System

What it does

The ISS Bean Sprout Wash System carries sprouts through a stainless steel tank and into a set of cleaning fingers, where they are cleaned, hulled and de-rooted in one pass. From there they are conveyed to your air knife, centrifuge bucket, packing table or packaging machine. One machine handles the step that otherwise takes several, and it handles it the same way every shift.

Manual or automatic, whichever the day calls for

The ISS control panel runs in either mode. Automatic gives you maximum separation without physically damaging the finished product, which is what you want on a normal production day. Manual lets you pick up the pace when a shipping deadline is breathing down your neck. The panel controls every electrical component on the machine, including the rinse water on the exit conveyor, and it can be mounted right beside a key worker on the line instead of across the room.

Designed to be cleaned, not just designed to run

This is where most wash equipment falls down, so it is worth being specific. There is plenty of room underneath the machine. The clear acrylic conveyor covers and the gear covers come off without tools for cleaning. The entire system is wash-down rated, including the control panel and the motors. No belts, motors, gears or electrical parts are exposed to the product at any point. A three inch (7.6 cm) drain with a ball valve empties the tank quickly without clogging, and the adjustable entrance spray bar has a removable end plug so you can actually get inside it.

Why this matters for food safety

Sprouts are grown in warm, wet conditions, which is exactly what a pathogen wants, and the FDA treats them as a covered commodity with its own rules under 21 CFR part 112, subpart M. Equipment that can be taken apart and cleaned properly is not a nice extra in that environment. It is how you pass an inspection and how you keep a recall from ever starting. A wash system you can break down at the end of a shift is a wash system that gets broken down at the end of a shift.

Operator safety is built into the mechanics

If a worker falls into the machine or gets caught in it, every mechanical part has an idler arm that automatically adjusts the belts and lets them slip under extreme pressure, and the operator sets how much pressure that takes. An emergency cord runs around three sides and can be reached from all four. Pull it and everything stops. The gears and motors sit behind safety shields that still let you get at the tank from either side, and no motors or electrical parts are mounted over the tank or over the water.

Specifications

ISS manufactures wash systems in a range of sizes. The features and specifications below are for our most popular size.

• Capacity: 24 tons per day
• Dimensions: 6 ft (182.8 cm) high by 15 ft (457.2 cm) long by 2 ft 11 1/2 in (90.2 cm) wide
• Tank capacity: 750 gallons (2,840 liters)
• Shipping weight: 2,100 lbs (954.5 kg) crated
• Construction: stainless steel, wash-down rated throughout

If your throughput or your floor space does not match those numbers, say so. Sizes other than this one are routine for us.

Where it sits in the line

The wash system is the cleaning stage of a bean sprout line. Ahead of it, the Titan Bin Rotator empties grow bins into the process and the Vibrating Huller handles hulling and rinsing on a shaker deck where that approach suits the crop better. Behind it, the Cyclone Centrifuge System takes the water back out before packing. The full picture is on the Sentrex Mung Bean System page.

Talk to us about your line

Every sprouting operation is laid out differently, so sizing this machine is a conversation, not a catalog lookup. Tell us what you grow, how much of it you move in a week and what the room looks like, and we will tell you which configuration fits. Call (800) 277-7688 or send us a note and we will get back to you with specifications, lead time and installation detail for your situation.

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