U-line ice marker?

Audrey II

Audrey II

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Has anyone tried to replace the ice maker unit with a generic unit? Clearly the units are the same but the harness is different. The u-line has an attached harness that plugs in in the back of the unit while most other units have a plug on the unit itself. I'm thinking it can't be hard to adapt the connector. Generic units are about $50 and u-line units are $200 plus!
 
I'm somewhat surprised there has been no response! I figured something would jump and this and tell me that is could or couldn't be done. I removed mone last night and it matches the hermetic one identically but the wiring is different and the newer units have a different motor setup more standard mini switches anymore clearly they are made to be disposable rather then fixed. They new trays are better as well the old ones the finish peals off. I would really like to swap it out but $200 seems a bit step!
 
We gave up on uline. Look for a compatible or countertop.
 
Look online for standard ice maker schematic. They only require a power feed and a power out to the water valve No reason they can't be used

I hate ulines. They re overpriced junk called "marine" because they put 5 stainless steel screws on steel case

I got a 50Lbs a day Edgestar almost a year ago, works great.
 
Dave total ditto to what Pascal said. You first need the uline schematic to identify which wires carry what power, then just use that info for the new unit. Also, I am assuming you are replacing that entire unit on the top left hand side of the icemaker, you know, that piece that actually makes the ice.

Keep us posted, or at least me :) My uline unit works 99% of the time (10 years old) but every once in awhile when I commission the boat it does not work. Then I just take it apart, inspect, put it back together and all works.

Walter
 
Pascal,
Did a google on edgestar, big difference is the edgestar needs a drain, like my home unit. I think, the reason is, edgestar is not a freezer (like my home unit). Other problem I see with the edgestar is because it is not a freezer (ice melts) it it constantly making ice, hence using a lot of water.

Am i missing something Pascal, like looking at the wrong model?

I wish I knew about edgestar for the home, seems like a great value and 1/4th the price I paid for my GE Monogram Icemaker.
 
At the moment my old unit is working fine after having removing it and cleaning it well. The entire tray peeled I had to scrap then wire brush it but after two trays of ice the cubes are now clean. I still would feel better about replacing the unit. The u-line has two setups one using 5 wires and the other is 6 wire most generic units are only 4 wire. The u-line has a heater to warm the tray before it dumps the ice this heater much like the water solinode are triggered by the tray but powered externally. I'm not sure if the generic units use a heater at all or if maybe it is part of the tray ut I don't think so. After comparing my unit to the replaced on a friend's boat with a geeric unit the units are clearly made but the same. Company the are almost identical except the wiring.
 
Dave what material was used to make the tray?
 
Correct you need to have a drain as it doesn't freeze. When I was looking for a location to install it I was considering using a small sump to recycle the water but then I found an AC drain hose that I was able to tap in. Not sure how much water it uses but that could be an issue on a boat with small tank. It s just super reliable compared to the u line which often needs to be defrosted and where the arm often gets stuck up by ice cubes. Construction is much better too. All stainless. Except the two hinges :()
 
Update, I have replaced the water valve for about $45 and I installed an generic ice maker for $39 this parts from U-line would have been about $250 from a discount store. It took a bit of figuring out but I did figure out the wiring and everything is working. It seems to be working but much slower then before which may be due to the size of the cubes I think I can reduce the amount of water and this may speed up the production time. Regardless of the speed I'm have to have everything new for under $100 I can live with slow production!
 
quote:
It seems to be working but much slower then before which may be due to the size of the cubes I think I can reduce the amount of water and this may speed up the production time. Regardless of the speed I'm have to have everything new for under $100 I can live with slow production!

Click to expand...


The U-line has a cold plate(freon circulating) attached below the original ice maker. If you removed the pressure plate that attached the cold plate to the ice maker when the unit is not running, the plate expands and will not attach correctly to the icemaker. This cold plate is why it freezes the ice much faster than a reqular frig ice maker. I suspect that is the reason for your slower freezing time. I doubt reducing the water flow will help.
 
quote:
Originally posted by gbarger

quote:
It seems to be working but much slower then before which may be due to the size of the cubes I think I can reduce the amount of water and this may speed up the production time. Regardless of the speed I'm have to have everything new for under $100 I can live with slow production!

Click to expand...


The U-line has a cold plate(freon circulating) attached below the original ice maker. If you removed the pressure plate that attached the cold plate to the ice maker when the unit is not running, the plate expands and will not attach correctly to the icemaker. This cold plate is why it freezes the ice much faster than a reqular frig ice maker. I suspect that is the reason for your slower freezing time. I doubt reducing the water flow will help.

Click to expand...


You are correct I didn't reconnect the plate I can and will it didn't occur to me this was the reason easy enough to do. This said it also may make it harder to heat the tray to dump the ice being the new tray doesn't have the ability to turn off the freezer during the dump cycle. I will do some more testing maybe tomorrow.
 
BTW the new tray is plastic this may also slow down the production I don't believe it holds/maintains the cold as well as the old one.
 
Dave, I will have to check out what you did when I get back from vacation. As of now, my ice maker is just a freezer.
 
LOL I have gotten a few requests :)
So I think I figured out at least part of the reason it is slow to make ice, It helps if you leave your water pump on if you want more then a tray or two of ice! I suspect it is working just fine!
 
Reviving the thread as our pos uline ice maker fridge combo has just stop making ice

Ended up ordering a $202 genuine u-line module from waterfilterfast.com and a generic $35!valve. After checking the uline module has two differences besides the harness It ha a tube on the edge for a capillary tube and also it uses a special compound to seal the base to the cold plate it rests on. This is what speed up cycle
 
I bought a $39 generic ice maker I spent $45-50 on the valve I didn't buy the compound but I can still add it to speed up the production but at this time I OK with how it is working. The truth is my ice maker never worked so well as it did this year since I fixed it total repair was under $100 best spent Boat buck in a long time!
 
Does your ice maker have capillary tube? What did you do with it?

The worst part o the fridge combo is that the size is unique and nothing fits in its space. I ve even looke at ADA compliant fridges, but they're still too tal and the micro firdges are too small. I can't believe u-line gets away with charging $1500 for a $200 unit.
 
Not sure what a capillary tube is so I'm guessing not. If you are referring to the temperature sensors I simply sandwiched it between the ice maker and the cold tray it works perfect. At first I tried to coil it behind the tray but the unit never stopped running so I placed it as mentioned and now everything works great!
 
I agree with everything that has been said about the U-Line, however given the size and the VERSATILITY - I have been unable to find ANYTHING comparable.

With a fridge in the salon and the U-Line at the cockpit wetbar we have lots of fridge space and lots of ice.

It's a love-hate relationship !

RWS
 
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