Countertop / home ice maker machine.

Here’s the situation. Summer comes and I never have enough ice for the coolers for all the outdoor activities. Going up to the farm on weekends, fishing, boating, mojitos on the patio, etc. Always having to go to the Stop & Rob for ice gets to be a drag. Yes, we have an icemaker in the kitchen, but I’d say it holds 4 pounds of ice and then it takes a day to cycle, so if you need ice 2 days in a row, forget it. Keeping 50 pounds of ice in the other freezer hogs too much space, Mrs. Grouse says it’s a no.

Anybody have one of the portable countertop ice makers? Are these things worth considering? I get that they only hold a small amount of ice so you have to transfer ice from the maker to a freezer if you want to accumulate anything. Can they really make 2-3 pounds per hour as advertised, or is this only if you live in the arctic and use them outside on your patio in the winter?

Only other solution I can come up with is bypass the ice and go with a thermoelectric cooler. Good idea? Bad idea?

Happy spring. These are good problems to have.

Grouse

we have one at the cabin… it keeps up pretty good… as long as you keep water in it … http://www.amazon.com/Avalon-Bay-AB-ICE26S-Portable-Maker/dp/B00IY7BNUW/ref=sr_1_3?s=appliances&ie=UTF8&qid=1429980410&sr=1-3&keywords=ice+maker

We have one at the deer shack and it works great. Not sure what brand it is.
DT

I always stockpile blocks of ~ 1 quart size in the deep freeze for the summer. They last a long time, but as you mention, you do give up quite a bit of freezer space.

I have heard fast food restaurants will sell a big bag of ice for $1.

Does anyone know if that is true?

My parents have one at their house, and my Dad really likes it. I am not sure about the lbs/hour or any of the specifics really, but he mentions almost everytime that I am up there how happy he is that he bought it. It fits easily on the countertop and it seems to keep up with the demand for ice that we throw at it.

However, we are not using it to fill coolers. Just for keeping our drinks cold in the house/porch.

Thanks for the replies. I looked at some countertop machines this weekend and kind of discovered the fall-down point. They don’t actually keep the ice they’ve made frozen and they have small hoppers (3 pounds or less). So I guess for my needs, they’d be too slow and require too much supervision. Like Big2th wrote, they’re mainly for drinks on the deck type of use.

Back to the drawing board.

I have also heard that the fast food joints will sell bags of ice, but it’s inconsistent. Some do and some don’t, so I’ll have to ask at each joint near me and find the ones that offer it. It’s wet ice, but better than no ice when I’m in a hurry.

Otherwise Ralph has what I’d think is the next best solution. Back to freezing small blocks in the freezer old school style.

Thanks.

Grouse

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

Otherwise Ralph has what I’d think is the next best solution. Back to freezing small blocks in the freezer old school style.

You could buy a small chest freezer for pretty cheap and use it just for that purpose.

The number of fast food places in Hudson that sell it for $1 makes it rather convenient. And several places allow the use of the drive thru.!!

I’m sure you can find places in your area. You’ll be surprised once you start looking for them.

I actually thought about, but never looked into getting one. Our dog would appreciate it.

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Those are not my Coors Lite…

It seriously would be nice to not have to try and store a #10 bag of ice in the freezer taking up all that room.

I use empty coffee cans and a 5 day cooler. Blocks of ice work so much better than cubes. Of course it takes freezer space. I do have a 2nd freezer. Problem is it’s full of shad and deer right now. Even if i had an abundance of ice from an ice making machine, i’d still rather use blocks of ice in a container. Lasts longs and doesn’t melt in the cooler leaving a lake.

yes , the portable is for drink ice. you put blocks in the cooler and the freezer, where you would have had cubes for drinks

They make commercial ice makers for coffee shops ect. They will make 125lbs per 24 hour cycle. Bin storage capacity is around 30 lbs.
When going up north run it and empty it into coolers or garbage cans. Produce what you will need and turn it off. The bins are inefficent but work for short times.
Watch the auction sites or check with dealers for used machines.
The colder the water going in and the cooler the room it’s in will effect the operation.

McD’s sells ice for $1, and you can get it through the drive thru.

If you want long term use, blocks last longer. For a day or two use, cubes are fine.

I have read that arctic-ice blocks work amazing, I have them on my list to try next. There are different models for different uses, so make sure you pick the right type for your intended use, or they don’t perform as well. For instance, one works at freezing temps, best used to keep foods that are already frozen, frozen (ie ice cream and frozen pizzas on ride back from grocery store). However, that block will not perform well at objects that are above freezing.

I like to freeze plastic half gallon milk jugs with a screw cap. Freeze them standing up and not so full that the water pushes out as it freezes. Put the cap back on. They last well and fit well in most coolers. No water in the cooler and just put it back in the freezer and it is ready for the next day.

I have one that rotates between the hunting shack and the camper. When the hopper is full, I bag it in gallon ziplocs and throw them in the freezer for later. Works great. I freeze 20 ounce bottles for my boat cooler and bait coolers. Just rice the exterior and referee over night.

Blocks don’t work better. Keeping 80 beers ice cold catfishing in August requires cubes in my experience.

The only time I’ve used blocks was with cubes when I was camping.

wicathunter11 wrote:

Blocks don’t work better. Keeping 80 beers ice cold catfishing in August requires cubes in my experience.

If your beer is cold and your cooler is decent, blocks would work well. If you’re putting warm beer in a cooler to cool it down, cubes would work better.

i make my 11 pound blocks of ice here is the web site were i bought the form works great. http://clinebellequipment.com/clinebell/flex-forms-9/

65 yeti three blocks of ice last 7-9 days

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

If your beer is cold and your cooler is decent, blocks would work well. If you’re putting warm beer in a cooler to cool it down, cubes would work better.

And cubes work better if you are opening the cooler a lot…so I have heard.