Icemakers, Part 2

[Angela]

My 26-year old ice maker finally bit the dust. I came home yesterday happy as could be after getting something for free from West Marine (fenders!), if you can believe that! I opened the ice maker and got that warm, fuzzy awe $hit feeling as steam rolled out it, instead of cold air and ice. I guess I should be happy that it was just blazing hot and not on fire.

26 years was had out of that old ice maker which is far more than anyone would ever expect - too bad it died on my watch. And, just when I mark off a project on the list as "done" another one conveniently and unexpectedly falls into that slot (the icemaker!). Yeah, yeah, yeah...it's a boat....that's what they do.

I read the other thread on Icemakers, but still have a question: Before I start all that researching/price shopping...maybe someone else has recently done it already, so no need to re-invent the wheel. If so, where did you find the best price? My very brief look shows me that the Raritans run around $1,000. There has to be a better source somewhere.

Thanks!

[yachtsmanbill]

Hey Ange-- if its a Uline and you cant fix it I need one for parts. For $1K Ill carry a bunch of ice / coolers ! I am now on my 3rd Uline. 1 DUD and 2 freebies that work. The dud was in submarine service. Im gonna try and air condition the HATT TRICK with ice! ws see the dud

[garyd]

Do not get the home ice makers that run water through them. They suck for a boat!

Have fun boating garyd

[ThirdHatt]

Angela,

So sorry to hear about the icemaker tragedy. I too had to bite the bullet and buy a new U-Line unit last yr. Best price I found was around $750. I got lucky and found a new display model on ebay for $500 after MUCH searching.

As GaryD says, DO NOT replace with a home-style unit. They flush several gallons through with each cycle and will empty your fresh water tanks in no time flat. NOT good on a boat, unless you run the watermaker constantly as well.

Good Luck!

[Boss Lady]

what about running a return line back to the water tank? Since it is clean water (just melted Ice) I don't see that as a problem.

[Angela]

Until I yank it out of the cabinet, I can't tell for sure what brand it is, but I WILL use one made for marine use. There is no name/logo on it of any kind. The only "home" appliances I have are in my galley. The old ice maker looks like a Raritan. What goes back in depends on measurements - whatever fits. One thing is for certain -- I must have an icemaker!

[garyd]

Boss Lady I thought about that. However then it would also act as a vent. You know what happens to your vent when you fill the water tank. It would also interject water that was drained out of the ice make. The ice maker drain turned green in no time at all.

I also thought about capturing it and then pumping it back into the tank, Anyway you look at it it's no good.

Plus the biggest problem is the water that washes over the ice making bars. Here in florida once you run the boat the water in the water tank can get quite warm. This renders the house units almost worthless.

I even added a water chiller which worked great 6 months of the year. Bottom line I just pulled my $1,000.00 ice maker out.

At least in South Florida they do not work!!! A friend of mine went through the same exact thing the same time and pulled his out as well.

Have fun boating garyd

[Boss Lady]

I asked because I need an icemaker pretty soon for the boat. would like one that makes a lot of ice. Most of the ones I have seen are very low volume, except for the household versions.

[Angela]

At least in South Florida they do not work!!! A friend of mine went through the same exact thing the same time and pulled his out as well.

I'm in South Florida (Miami) and my ice maker which is outside on my aft deck has worked flawlessly since I bought the boat until yesterday. In fact, my ice maker made so much ice all the time that when I would open the door, it usually fell out all over the floor. Since it's the only ice maker on the boat and the previous owners were liveaboards, I assume it worked well for them too. So, I'm not sure why you say that in South Florida they do not work. What brand did you have that would not work here, and what did it do (or not do), specifically? I'm not saying your experiences are wrong, but I'm trying to learn what to avoid....what it was that didn't work in your scenario. I have to have an icemaker on this boat!

[SKYCHENEY]

My ED had a Scottsman that I believe was OEM in the salon bar. It was noisy and used a bunch of water so I yanked it out and replaced with a Uline refer. If you really need alot of ice, there may not be many options other than household units, though. Just be sure to check out the sound level. That old Scottsman was so long that it drowned out the sound of the AC fan.