Purchasing a Countertop Ice Maker. Need Advice.

[fzxdoc]

I'm thinking of purchasing a countertop ice maker. I've looked at reviews, and there are, of course, pluses and minuses for each one I have considered. I'm looking at the ones that produce about 26 lbs of ice per day and are portable only because they seem to rate the highest in the two surveys I found.

Noise and size are not too important, within reason, since it will be located in the laundry room.

How important is a self cleaning function? Most countertop ice makers don't have that feature but to me it sounds like a good thing.

Advice, tips, and recommendations will be highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Kathryn

[swartzster]

I’ve got nothing for you. Sorry

[fzxdoc]

At least you're thinking of my ice-less plight. That counts.

K.

[Jerod Broussard]

You talking shaved ice for snow cones??

[fzxdoc]

I wish! But even I'm not that decadent.

K.

[texastweeter]

I have one made by Frigidaire. As long as you drained it and wiped it down it was fine. Unfortunately someone unplugged it, ran the batter down and stowed it (guest house) with water in it. It scummed up. I don't know if the self cleaning option could have fixed this. It ran great, until it got knocked into the pool, lol.

[fzxdoc]

I hope you've tracked down the offender who killed your Frigidaire ice maker, and subjected him/her to a fitting punishment, like none of your chilidogs for a month.

K.

[yakima]

Looking forward to seeing a new recipe: Launderita. Featuring a complex balance of chilled suds and spirits. No doubt a cleansing elixir.

[fzxdoc]

I hope that's not some weird cocktail that you're envisioning.

K.

[JimLinebarger]

I purchased an Igloo ice maker. It has 2 different sizes of rounded bullet shaped cubes. I always do the larger size. So far it has worked fine. It doesn't have a self clean function but it is small and rather easy to clean. I use filtered water in it. I let it dry completely before I close it up and store it. I also purchased ice machine cleaner but haven't had to use it since I use filtered water. It is still hard water but if I see build up I will just run some distilled vinegar in the machine and then rinse it out. The cubes do tend to start to melt very quickly. So I either start with refrigerated filtered water or I dump the first few runs (about 9 minutes per run) back into the reservoir to cool the water down. This seems to help with less melting. I also dump the tray frequently and put them into the freezer in plastic bags. That way if they do stick together I can pound them back into cubes again.

[JimLinebarger]

fzxdoc I didn't notice but mine does have the 5 cycle cleaning.

[pasmom]

I spoke too early, I purchased the ice maker below and it is already broken,


Orgo Products The Sierra Countertop Ice Maker, Bullet Shaped Ice Type,

I purchased it from Walmart.

[fzxdoc]

Uh-oh, pasmom , I hope you didn't jinx your icemaker by telling me that they last 2-3 years. What brand is it, BTW?

K.

[au4stree]

I’ve always liked pellet ice, like Chick-fil-A serves. So, we invested in a GE Opal machine. I got a decent deal through my work, but Amazon has them similarly priced. I’ve had the machine close to a year. Link https://a.co/d/gaPFMuu

The Good:
Makes great ice, pretty fast. Advertised 38lbs in 24 hours, seems accurate. Not that I needed a machine connected to WiFi, but I can set a timer via the app, so it’s not running over night. It’s quiet, at least the one I have now (more later). Pellet size is perfect, not too big, not too small.

The bad:
I’m on my second machine, to GE’s credit, they replaced the first one under warranty. My first one performed tip top for about 2-3 months. Then it went off the rails, made a God awful sound, like the compressor was being attacked by a pack of hienas. I cleaned the unit as required, but it didn’t help things. Another down side, it wants to be cleaned, ALOT! I run a whole house water softener, so I’m not real sure what it’s getting at, because, according to instructions that is the main purpose of the cleaning cycle is water hardness issues. 🤷♂️ If you forget to fill the side water reservoir then no ice, ask me how I know this 😒. GE warranty only covers the first purchase, so if any issues occur with this replacement unit I’m on my own.

[jfmorris]

We too love the ice, but sadly don't want to sacrifice the counter space. I was at a friends house who had the Opal, and could swear he had it plumbed in, but maybe I am dreaming...

[fzxdoc]

Thanks, for the info. I looked closely at the GE Profile Opal and saw lots of comments about major headaches with it, similar to what you describe. I think I'll pass on it and get something less expensive but cheaper to replace.

Kathryn

[pasmom]

I've owned several, and I love them. There's no particular brand that I would suggest.

[pasmom]

Another note: I’ve owned these ice makers for over 15 years. I’ve purchased many brands, but they’re all the same. They usually last for 2-3 years. I usually clean them myself and have never used self-cleaning. The ice cubes are produced quickly, but you need to add water often, You’ll love this machine.

[fzxdoc]

This is great to know--that they're all the same, only last a couple of years but that you like the ice. That will help with my decision.

[GolfGeezer]

I bought an Igloo ice maker for an older friend who couldn't figure out how to order it for himself (he is very technically challenged ). Actually, I have purchased this for him a couple of times as he somehow "killed" the first one I got him. I think he did not drain and clean it properly, but he really liked the ease of use in his small condo.

Amazon.com: Igloo Electric Countertop Ice Maker Machine - Automatic and Portable - 26 Pounds in 24 Hours - Ice Cube Maker - Ice Scoop and Basket - Ideal for Iced Coffee and Cocktails - Stainless Steel : Appliances

[fzxdoc]

That's similar to the Igloo I'm looking at, except that the one I'm considering has the self cleaning cycle, FWTW.

Thanks for the link!

[Steve R.]

At work, we had two of the Follett 7-Series machines that looked really nice and had nice features. But they lasted maybe two years and are a major PITA if you have hard water. So, I recommend not getting one of those.

The GE Profile Opal Nugget ice maker we had before was great, imho. Should have just kept that one.

[jfmorris]

I see these all the time, and the GE Opal especially impresses me (love that nugget ice!), but the price is up there around $500, versus the $100 or so for the Frigidaire models I see on sale at places like Sam's. The main issue with a lot will be that the advertised daily output in pounds is only gonna happen if you are on top of emptying the bin and refilling the water resevoir. And if you don't empty it quick, the ice in the bin is often melting...

Another question I guess is what you want to use the ice for. Consumption, your cooler, etc?

We have two garage fridges, one of them with a built in ice maker, and after thinking about it for 10 years, finally got some plumbing fittings and a hose adapter and recently connected the ice maker to the incoming cold water on top of the water heater right next to it, and it is amazingly convenient to fill several bins and baskets with "free" ice in the garage freezers, and use it for my cooler, ice cream churn, etc, without having to go chase after bags of ice. So I can see the attraction of an extra ice maker over the one on your fridge in the house.

[fzxdoc]

Jim, jfmorris , I add purchased ice to the refrigerator/freezer in our kitchen, because of a bad experience in our previous home: $25K of home damage (and 2 weeks of daily handymen home invasion for the repairs) when our 4 year old fridge's icemaker leaked for no more than 45 minutes.

When we built a new home and moved, I put my foot down and said that they could plumb the line to the icemaker, but never connect it. So purchased ice is our only ice source.

I'm tired of hotfooting it into town to get ice. It used to be with the two of us, a filled icemaker reservoir would last a couple of weeks. But with sous vide (chilldown at times) and my husband's unexplained recent addiction to ice-chilled water throughout the day, I'm hauling ice in a couple of times a week. It's getting annoying. So I thought I'd see about getting a countertop ice maker and put it in the laundry room which has a floor drain if there happen to be any H2O mishaps.

I'm planning on running it once a week, making enough ice to fill up the freezer's ice reservoir, cleaning and drying the icemaker out, and repeating said routine weekly.

The units I'm looking at are fairly cheap, so I'm thinking to get one from Amazon, buy the 3 year insurance policy from them, and see how that works.

I've never looked at Sam's for one. Maybe I will. Thanks for the tip.

Kathryn

[jfmorris]

fzxdoc Kathryn what I am thinking is more something like this:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/VEVOR-33-lbStorage-Ice-Maker-80-lb-Freestanding-Cubed-Ice-Maker-201-Stainless-Steel/5013905905

That's a free standing ice machine, with frozen storage, and at $350, not a bad deal really, and it cranks out the ice at 80 pounds a day! . Does look like it needs a water drain hose to go somewhere though...

[jfmorris]

Here's an even cheaper one!

https://www.lowes.com/pd/VEVOR-12-lbStorage-Ice-Maker-70-lb-Freestanding-Cubed-Ice-Maker-Black/5013905909

$242.99, produces 70 pounds a day, 12 pounds of ice storage, and it says tested in environments up to 100.4F.

[fzxdoc]

Those might be overkill for us, Jim, jfmorris . I get two 8 lb bags a week, usually, unless the kids are visiting. Then I make them go on ice runs.

K.

[smokenoob]

Kathryn, if a leak is your primary concern you could install a whole-house monitor like Flologic has. It’s pricy but will solve major leak problems. It has a computerized monitor that identifies leaks and shuts off water and alerts you via wifi app. It is battery backed in case of power outage. I installed this in our mountain home (often vacant) and did not worry about damage from leaks. I know it’s expensive but thought I would throw it out to ya anyway.

https://www.flologic.com

[fzxdoc]

That's a good suggestion. We've looked at adding that at the water main leading to the house. I don't know how big a leak has to be before you get the alert, though. As I said earlier, in our previous home, the leak was only "on" for 45 minutes until I found it, and it did a ton of damage.

Kathryn

[smokenoob]

fzxdoc The home mode and away modes are programmable. If away it will stop a leak in 30 seconds. Home mode is default to 30 minutes but it can be reduced to whatever you desire. If you take a long shower it will shut you down. You also set the acceptable leak rates.

[pasmom]

Orgo Products The Sierra Countertop Ice Maker, Bullet Shaped Ice Type, Charcoa
This was purchased from Walmart and it didn't last weeks.

[fzxdoc]

Good to know. Thank you!

K.

[STEbbq]

We have had this one from Aldi for several years and it has been excellent. Filtered water (we have a whole house filter), no self-cleaning function, and it just worked very well. It sounds like you are aware of all of the brands and popular reviews already (Serious Eats and Wirecutter), so not sure I can add much there. It might be worth trying to figure out which brand actually made the Aldi special as it is very good. Relatively quiet and produced sufficient ice.

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/pitmaster-general-discussion/1544291-stay-away-from-lg-refrigerators?p=1544864#post1544864

[fzxdoc]

Thanks so much for the link. I remember that discussion. It's good to know that a model that is not $500+ does the job well for you and your family's needs. I'm thinking about starting at the lower end, and if dissatisfied over time, move on to a more pricey model.

K.

[STEbbq]

I think that is a very reasonable approach. I try very hard lately to invest a bit more money into items that get daily use or are critical to the household and a bit less in items that haven’t proven themselves to be a “daily driver”. We all have random stuff laying around the house that we thought we’d use but don’t, so trying to do incrementally better on that front.