Ice makers?
Ice makers?
05-25-2004, 08:49 AM
#2
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Location: ST. Louis, MO, USA
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Re: Ice makers?
Depends on how hot it is out. I think most were actually made for indoor use. They seem to have a hard time keeping up when it's hot out.
A buck per bag is cheap. Just buy it.
Gary
A buck per bag is cheap. Just buy it.
Gary
05-25-2004, 08:55 AM
#3
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Re: Ice makers?
Sure. Whatcha need to know?
Which one(s) you looking at?
(Be aware that the 14 pound per day units take a whole day to make 14 pounds of ice).
I have several icemakers. All of them run off 120vac. I have a Scotsman clear icemachine that keeps the bin full while the old ice melts out and drains. Makes round cylinders. Makes around 33 pounds per day.
I have a (I'm trying to remember the brand) crap, I believe it starts with a T like Taylor or something. It is a large countertop unit that uses a refrigerated screw to make nugget ice like Sonic puts in your drinks. Makes 140 pounds per day.
I have a Raritan/U-line marine icemaker. It is the "short" model which puts the compressor BEHIND the cabinet instead of under it. It makes 14 pounds per day of regular crescent shaped ice.
All of the above units work well. The U-line make very "unspectacular" ice, but it is definitely ice. Just like the one in your home fridge. Makes ice about that fast, too, maybe just a little faster. Mine is an ice-only although they make a combo icemaker/fridge unit that is about a third larger for just a little more money. I'd have gone that route if I had an inch more height where I put it. This unit is quiet. Needs frequent shutdown and defrosting every other week, from the high humidity air that gets in it every time you open and shut the door. It WON'T keep up with the ice loss of two normal sized coolers if the coolers sit in an area where the sun gets to them. WILL probably keep up with one cooler.
As far as "designer ice" like the clear Scotsman or the Taylor? nugget ice, those units are large and are not particularly quiet. In the small confines of a boat, they would be intrusive unless you turned off the icemaking for sleeping.
The U-line is mounted in a cockpit and does require a minimal amount of winterization. I added a momentary pushbutton in the bottom of the chassis that opens the water solenoid so I can purge the water out for winter (I hook a small pancake compressor to the water system on the boat and blow the lines clear with air pressure - with the button, I do the same thing on the icemaker).
I would be leery of the U-line on a saltwater cockpit. There is a lot of galvanized steel and plated fasteners inside the housing and I would expect corrosion to kill it in short order in a salty world. Would be better suited to a freshwater cockpit or if you run in salt, put it in the cabin. I also ducted the heated coil air out the BACK of the unit to a clamshell on the hullside. Otherwise, the mother was recirculating the SAME air over and over again thru the front panel and the output air was hot enough to burn the hairs off your leg if you stood in front of it.
Which one(s) you looking at?
(Be aware that the 14 pound per day units take a whole day to make 14 pounds of ice).
I have several icemakers. All of them run off 120vac. I have a Scotsman clear icemachine that keeps the bin full while the old ice melts out and drains. Makes round cylinders. Makes around 33 pounds per day.
I have a (I'm trying to remember the brand) crap, I believe it starts with a T like Taylor or something. It is a large countertop unit that uses a refrigerated screw to make nugget ice like Sonic puts in your drinks. Makes 140 pounds per day.
I have a Raritan/U-line marine icemaker. It is the "short" model which puts the compressor BEHIND the cabinet instead of under it. It makes 14 pounds per day of regular crescent shaped ice.
All of the above units work well. The U-line make very "unspectacular" ice, but it is definitely ice. Just like the one in your home fridge. Makes ice about that fast, too, maybe just a little faster. Mine is an ice-only although they make a combo icemaker/fridge unit that is about a third larger for just a little more money. I'd have gone that route if I had an inch more height where I put it. This unit is quiet. Needs frequent shutdown and defrosting every other week, from the high humidity air that gets in it every time you open and shut the door. It WON'T keep up with the ice loss of two normal sized coolers if the coolers sit in an area where the sun gets to them. WILL probably keep up with one cooler.
As far as "designer ice" like the clear Scotsman or the Taylor? nugget ice, those units are large and are not particularly quiet. In the small confines of a boat, they would be intrusive unless you turned off the icemaking for sleeping.
The U-line is mounted in a cockpit and does require a minimal amount of winterization. I added a momentary pushbutton in the bottom of the chassis that opens the water solenoid so I can purge the water out for winter (I hook a small pancake compressor to the water system on the boat and blow the lines clear with air pressure - with the button, I do the same thing on the icemaker).
I would be leery of the U-line on a saltwater cockpit. There is a lot of galvanized steel and plated fasteners inside the housing and I would expect corrosion to kill it in short order in a salty world. Would be better suited to a freshwater cockpit or if you run in salt, put it in the cabin. I also ducted the heated coil air out the BACK of the unit to a clamshell on the hullside. Otherwise, the mother was recirculating the SAME air over and over again thru the front panel and the output air was hot enough to burn the hairs off your leg if you stood in front of it.
