--- title: "Finding the ice machine model and serial number on the head, the bin and the screen" description: "A modular setup has two or three plates. Where each one sits, what the model string says about cube size and refrigerant, and what to do when the plate has…" url: "https://icemachinerepair.center/guides/find-the-ice-machine-model-and-serial/" date_modified: "2026-09-26" --- Troubleshooting # Finding the ice machine model and serial number on the head, the bin and the screen The ice machine model and serial number sit on a dataplate on the back of the cabinet, on a tag behind the front panel, and on many current machines in an information screen. Photograph the head's plate first, then the bin or dispenser and any remote condenser; the model string itself tells a technician the cube size, cooling type and sometimes the refrigerant. By [IceMachineRepair.center technical team](https://icemachinerepair.center/authors/technical-team/) Published September 26, 2026 ## At a glance. A modular installation is at least two products, a head and a bin or dispenser, and sometimes a third on the roof. Each carries its own plate, and the one a technician needs first is the plate on the ice-making head. Read the whole guide ### Where to look first The information screen or the back dataplate Neither needs a panel removed. ### Second plate A tag behind the front panel Scotsman prints the model in both places. ### Separate plates Head, bin or dispenser, remote condenser Each is its own product with its own number. ### What the model says Cube size, cooling type, voltage, refrigerant Manitowoc codes R-290 with the letter P. In this guide 1. Why a technician asks for both numbers 2. Where the plates are on each kind of machine 3. Reading what the model string says 4. Faded, missing or painted-over plates 5. Step by step 6. Questions ## Why a technician asks for both numbers The model number says what the machine is: its series, size, cube shape, cooling type and electrical supply. The serial number says which one it is, and with it the build date and the revision of parts inside. Two machines with identical model numbers can take different control boards or water valves if they were built years apart, which is why a parts counter asks for both. Having the ice machine model and serial number ready when you book also answers the questions that decide the visit: whether the unit is air-, water- or remote-cooled, what voltage it runs on, and whether it carries a flammable refrigerant that calls for a technician qualified on it. ## Where the plates are on each kind of machine Start with whatever you can read without moving anything. On current touch-screen machines that is the screen itself: Manitowoc's Indigo NXT shows model, serial number and installation date behind its information icon. On machines with lights instead of a screen, the dataplate on the back is the next place, which is easy on a modular head that sits above counter height and harder on an undercounter unit built into a bar. - Modular head on a bin: dataplate on the back of the head; a second tag behind the front panel on Scotsman. - Self-contained undercounter cuber: back dataplate plus a tag behind the front panel. - Remote-cooled system: the head carries the serial plate with the full refrigerant charge; the remote condenser on the roof has its own plate. - Ice bin or dispenser: its own plate, typically at the rear or just inside the front opening, separate from the head. - Residential undercounter and nugget units: often inside the door frame or on the back; the use and care guide shows where. ### An undercounter machine built into a bar Do not pull an undercounter ice machine out of its opening to read the back. It is connected to water, a drain and power, and the lines are short. Look for the plate inside the door frame first, check the paperwork from the installation, and if neither works, leave it for the visit. ### The tag behind the front panel Scotsman places a model and serial tag behind the front panel as well as on the back. That panel covers the evaporator and control area, so it is read at the visit or, if the manual shows it as an owner-removable panel, only after the disconnect has cut power to it. Nothing in this guide needs a panel off over live wiring. Source: [Scotsman — C1448 and C1848 modular cuber installation and user's manual](https://www.scotsman-ice.com/service/User%20Manuals/17359902.pdf) — Model number on the back dataplate and on the model and serial tag behind the front panel; C1448SA-32E decoding: cuber, capacity in hundreds of pounds, cabinet width, cube size, condenser type, electrical code, series; [Scotsman — CU1526, CU2026, CU3030 self-contained Prodigy cuber manual](https://www.scotsman-ice.com/service/User%20Manuals/17364501.pdf) — Back dataplate and serial tag behind the front panel; CU2026 capacity coded in tens of pounds; [Manitowoc — Indigo NXT ice machines, installation, operation and maintenance manual](https://dijf55il5e0d1.cloudfront.net/pdf/ManitowocIndigoNXTIceMachinesOperatingManual.pdf) — Information icon shows model, serial number and installation date; model number key with P for R290, R for R404A, T for R410; A, W, N condenser codes; voltage suffix; refer to the nameplate for refrigerant type; remote machines carry the serial plate with the total charge in the head Close on a small blank metal plate with no characters on the back panel of an ice machine. ## Reading what the model string says Most makers build their model numbers from codes, and knowing a few of them helps you confirm you are reading the right plate. Scotsman's C1448SA-32E breaks down as a cuber, nominal capacity of 1,400 pounds, a 48-inch cabinet, small cube, air-cooled, 208 to 230 volt single phase, fifth series. On its undercounter CU2026, the 20 means a nominal 200 pounds, because that series counts in tens rather than hundreds. Manitowoc's Indigo models start with I for Indigo, then a letter for cube size, one for refrigerant and a letter for condenser type. In its key, P means R-290, R means R404A and T means R410A; A is self-contained air-cooled, W water-cooled and N remote air-cooled. A three-digit suffix gives the voltage. ### The refrigerant is on the plate Manitowoc tells owners to check the nameplate to identify the refrigerant in their machine. Where the plate says R-290, that matters for everyone who works near it: Scotsman's residential manual warns the refrigerant is flammable and asks that no open ignition source be installed beside the machine. Knowing it before a visit means the right technician comes. Source: [Scotsman — C1448 and C1848 modular cuber installation and user's manual](https://www.scotsman-ice.com/service/User%20Manuals/17359902.pdf) — Model number on the back dataplate and on the model and serial tag behind the front panel; C1448SA-32E decoding: cuber, capacity in hundreds of pounds, cabinet width, cube size, condenser type, electrical code, series; [Scotsman — CU1526, CU2026, CU3030 self-contained Prodigy cuber manual](https://www.scotsman-ice.com/service/User%20Manuals/17364501.pdf) — Back dataplate and serial tag behind the front panel; CU2026 capacity coded in tens of pounds; [Manitowoc — Indigo NXT ice machines, installation, operation and maintenance manual](https://dijf55il5e0d1.cloudfront.net/pdf/ManitowocIndigoNXTIceMachinesOperatingManual.pdf) — Information icon shows model, serial number and installation date; model number key with P for R290, R for R404A, T for R410; A, W, N condenser codes; voltage suffix; refer to the nameplate for refrigerant type; remote machines carry the serial plate with the total charge in the head ## Faded, missing or painted-over plates Plates in a hot back room fade, and stickers on a bin get scrubbed off with years of cleaning. Photograph the plate in raking light from a flashlight held to one side, which shows embossed characters that flat light hides. If the plate is gone, the original invoice, a service sticker from an earlier visit or the maker's warranty registration may carry the numbers. When nothing survives, a technician can often identify the machine from its layout, its evaporator and the part numbers printed on internal components. That takes longer and may mean a second trip for parts, so say on the booking that the plate is missing and attach photos of the whole machine, the front panel and the connections at the back. - The original sales invoice or the installer's paperwork. - A service sticker left inside the bin door or on the side panel by an earlier visit. - The maker's product registration confirmation, if the machine was registered. - The filter head, which sometimes carries a label written up at installation with the machine's details. ## Where to stop Stop if reading a plate means pulling an undercounter machine from its opening, removing a panel with the power on, or climbing onto a roof to reach a remote condenser. Those plates are read at the visit. Never disturb the water, drain or power connections to reach a label, and leave refrigerant tubing and fittings strictly alone. Written by [IceMachineRepair.center technical team](https://icemachinerepair.center/authors/technical-team/). Our ice machine technicians write these guides from their own service calls and each maker's published manuals. Sources: [Scotsman — C1448 and C1848 modular cuber installation and user's manual](https://www.scotsman-ice.com/service/User%20Manuals/17359902.pdf) · [Scotsman — CU1526, CU2026, CU3030 self-contained Prodigy cuber manual](https://www.scotsman-ice.com/service/User%20Manuals/17364501.pdf) · [Manitowoc — Indigo NXT ice machines, installation, operation and maintenance manual](https://dijf55il5e0d1.cloudfront.net/pdf/ManitowocIndigoNXTIceMachinesOperatingManual.pdf) · [Scotsman Home Ice — SRC065 residential ice machine installation and user's manual](https://portal.scotsmanhomeice.com/ResourceCenter/Files/GetFile/SRC065_user.pdf/1271) ## Step by step. Five steps, in the order worth doing them. 01 ### Check the screen On a touch-screen machine, open the information screen and photograph the model and serial number. 02 ### Read the back plate On a modular head, photograph the dataplate on the back from where you stand; do not move the machine. 03 ### Note the other units Photograph the plates on the bin or dispenser and, if reachable safely, the remote condenser. 04 ### Record the refrigerant Note the refrigerant printed on the plate, especially R-290. 05 ### Keep it with the machine Save the photos with the purchase papers so the next booking starts with them. For the heart of your home. ## Questions owners ask. ### Which number matters more, the head or the bin? For almost every repair, the head. The bin or dispenser number matters for its own parts, such as a door, a drain fitting or a dispense mechanism. ### Is the model on the screen the same as on the plate? It should be. If they differ, the control board may have been replaced and set up for another model, which a technician will want to know. ### Why does the model number mention the refrigerant? Some makers code it into the model. Manitowoc uses P for R-290, a flammable refrigerant that only technicians qualified on it should work on. ### The plate is unreadable. Can you still book? Yes. Say so on the booking and send photos of the machine and its layout; the technician identifies it on site and it takes a little longer. ## The problems behind it. Each has a page of its own: what it usually means and the causes in the order worth checking. [All 17 problems](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/) Problem ### Ice Machine Error Code or Flashing Light: What It Is Telling You 7 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Ice Machine Running but Not Making Ice 6 causes, cheapest first Clear the area first ### Hissing or a Gas Smell Near an Ice Machine on R-290 6 causes, cheapest first ## When it needs a technician. The repairs on the right are where this guide ends when the checks do not settle it. ### Ice machine diagnostic visit A visit that watches a freeze and a harvest, checks water, drain and condenser, reads stored codes, and names the part holding the ice back. ### Ice machine control board repair The controller, its display, the sensors it reads and their wiring, tested when a code, a blinking light or a dead machine points there. ### Ice machine compressor and sealed system repair The compressor, its start parts and the sealed system, including machines on flammable R-290, tested for pressure and leaks and repaired by the maker's procedure. ## More in troubleshooting. The checks an ice machine owner or manager can make safely, from the switch and the water supply valve to the air filter, the bin, the drain and the data plate, and exactly where to stop and book. [The whole section](https://icemachinerepair.center/guides/troubleshooting/) Safe checks at the bin and the valve ### Ice machine checks before booking: power, supply valve, curtain, airflow and the bin Most stopped ice machines are protecting themselves. Ten minutes in the order the machine needs things, the notes that shorten a visit, and the signs that end the checks. Safe checks at the bin and the valve ### Reading ice machine lights and codes: status, requests and protective stops A yellow light is often a timer, a blinking red one a request for water, and a safety limit a stop worth one restart. How to tell which before pressing anything. Guides ### All 18 guides Six sections, by what you are trying to find out. --- **[Read on the site: Finding the ice machine model and serial number on the head, the bin and the screen](https://icemachinerepair.center/guides/find-the-ice-machine-model-and-serial/)** **[Book a visit with IceMachineRepair.center](https://icemachinerepair.center/schedule/)**