Countertop Portable Icemaker

abalmuth

abalmuth

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The PO of my boat removed both the ice maker on the bridge, replaced with small fridge & the built in one inside the Sub Zero freezer- this leaves me with no onboard ice making ability. I can try and get a replacement Ice maker for 18 YO freezer which could crap out who knows when. Get another under counter bridge unit and pull out the new fridge? Or maybe for this season get one of those countertop units?
Anybody have/had one of the Countertop units and what the scoop on them??
 
We had one for a few years as a back up to the other ice makers. They re ok but don’t make a lot of ice. Probably just enough for a couple...

Personally I hate Uline ice makers. They re over priced, with a cheap steel case. The worst are the ice maker freezer combos.

Almost 3 years ago I installed an Edgestar OIM450SS on the 84 footer i run to supplement the Uline and the three built in icemakers in fridges. i got it from compactappliance.com It doesn’t cool the ice so it needs a drain but it has been working very well. Makes about 50lbs a day, cheaper than Uline fridge/ice maker combo and solid SS construction, even the back panel
They now have a model with built in drain pump

https://www.compactappliance.com/ib...teel-undercounter-clear-ice-maker/IB450P.html
 
I replaced my old ice maker with an Edgestar that makes 25 lbs per day. It was 1/2 the price and works great!
 
The inability to flush slow moving water lines connected to an icemaker has always bothered me. If you live aboard or use it very frequently then I guess it is OK but otherwise putting cubes made from stale water into your expensive booze makes no sense to me.
 
I have a couple friends who used a countertop ice maker on a couple Great Loops on a Northern Bay 36 FB . They felt it was a terrific beneficial addition onboard. Sorry , I don't know which brand.
 
I bought a Haier countertop icemaker a few years ago from Walmart for around $100. Its supposed to make 20# of ice per day. We use it on weekends and it seems to keep up with the Admiral's & Captain's needs through the weekend. As a full-duty cycle machine, not sure how it would hold up-you need to fill it several times a day with water to keep producing ice-but it is a cheap alternative. We bag the ice and put it in the freezer during the slow-use times.
 
I had one in my boat for one summer, it works good, but the ice cubes are small and melt quickly.
 
quote:
Originally posted by pdecat

The inability to flush slow moving water lines connected to an icemaker has always bothered me. If you live aboard or use it very frequently then I guess it is OK but otherwise putting cubes made from stale water into your expensive booze makes no sense to me.

Click to expand...


I ve never thought the ice was stale... not much you can do about it. Go back to ice trays ? :). If you don’t use a lot of ice you can regularly empty the bucket. Just make sure you don’t dump ice in front of sailboaters :)
 
I”ve been looking in to this recently because we have a cockpit fridge instead of an icemaker and the trays that we keep in the salon fridge/freezer are not enough when we have guests aboard.
After getting a lot of mixed reviews about the portable countertop models I’m thinking the money might be better spent on a small Yeti or similar type cooler in about a 15 quart size just to keep ice cubes in. I’d either fill it up from the ice maker at home or stop for bagged ice cubes and hope the little cooler would keep them nice and solid for the day.
 
If you are planning on extended trips where refrigeration space is going to be a premium, I'd stay away from a combi or stand alone unit that makes ice unless you plan on hosting a crowd. Even then you might want to have a cooler full of clean ice. The ability to store cold drinks etc. outweighs the benefit of an icemaker. We pulled a combi out replaced it with a small fridge/freezer using trays to make ice. I would have gone for a table top ice maker but we did not have enough space. I could see a built in icemaker if you are into frozen drinks on a regular basis but otherwise? Meh. Run with the stand alone table top.
 
We bought a NewAir 50 lb. Freestanding Ice Maker last summer. The 50# a day is just a mathematical calculation. The unit did work well but the big problem with these units is they don't make much at a time but it does make enough for several drinks. We live aboard and used it to supply a cooler we keep in the v-berth for all our cold drinks. About three bacsket loads was enough for the day. If you let the ice sit in the basket it does get soft. It was definitly better than buying bag ice everyday! For what we used it for it was great.

Good luck
Niles
 
My ice maker in the bridge stopped making cubes but still freezes. When we travel, I fill the bin half way and the next day have a big block for the cooler, repeat daily. For drinks, I have old fashioned trays in the freezer we fill with bottled water. If I run out, every marina I've been to will gladly sell you ice. It took me years to perfect the recipe.
 
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