U-Line Fridge/Icemaker Combo

[Artzco]

Woke up this morning to water in the master SR & closet and after tracing the source, found the leak originated at the fridge/icemaker combo on the aft deck. I've noticed that the unit has not been keeping as cold as it should and just yesterday, no ice was produced. I removed it this morning and found water standing in the bottom of the cabinet. No leaks were found in the icemaker hose or connection, but the entire fridge cabinet was sweating.

Does anyone have one of these and had any problems? Any idea if they can be repaired like regular fridges? Thanks.

 

[rwetherington]

it can be repaired just like a ref. depanding on age of unit you may be better off to buy a new one. Make sure you get an estimate before you just say fix it. You will have to take off the boat and carry it to a ref repair man.

 

[Pascal]

Be ready for sticker shock if you have to replace it... They re over $1000 and no it s not because Uline use quality material, it s all cheap sheet metal which start rusting days after instal.

Unfortunately nothing else will fit in that space

But just like ice makers any refrigeration tech should be able to work on it

 

[Artzco]

Thanks for the feedback. After inspecting unit closer, it looks pretty rough around the compressor and cabinet. You are right about the space Pascal. I've been online and it seems that U-Line is the only choice to get the same and to fit...$1,459 + shipping. There goes the diesel money.

 

[Fanfare]

I remember going through two of these units in the '70s-'80s, but the third has lasted at least 25 years now. Each succeeding unit has seemed a bit better built than the one it replaced. So no complaints. My ice mold has chucked out so many cubes that it has worn through its coating and sometimes leaves a bit of aluminum on the ice. I regard it as one of those essential "trace elements" for a well-rounded diet.

One thing that has changed over the years is our use of the inverter when anchored out at night. To conserve the batteries I elected to not connect the icemaker to the inverter circuit. Since my old unit seems to have minimal insulation I end up with melted ice by morning. With all other appliances having to meet energy saving requirements I wonder if part of the higher cost went into higher performance and better insulation for these icemakers. Might make the replacement more palatable.

I think Dan Mapes once suggested that I leave the icemaker on but put the ice-sensing arm in the off position so as not to make new ice as this would take most of the cooling effort off the machine. Unfortunately the rewiring effort has put this quite far down on my round-tuit list.

There is no better way to cap a successful day at sea than by watching the sunset while quaffing a cold adult beverage.

 

[magnawake]

My U-line makes ice but doesnt dump it. The trays surface are flaking and the cubes get stuck. I'm real cheap so replacing wasnt an option. Now we freeze water bottles in the ice bucket and take to the pool or drink on the bridge while driving. We bought a Emerson portable ice maker at Target for $120. It was on sale marked down from $149. It makes a ton of ice. It makes way more than we use. Just another option for El Cheapo's like me. I still use the u-line to freeze things, it just wont get the ice out of the trays. I hated to replace the whole dang thing.

http://www.target.com/p/emerson-por...=appliances&ci_sku=10806854&ci_gpa=pla&ci_kw=