Looking at a counter top ice maker for a off grid house. Power draw and quality of ice Any experience with this appliance ? I know many goats will
say buy a refrigerator And freeze water. I know but would like any coment and experience with this appliance. Thanks
[Edited on 9-17-2018 by freediverbrian]John Harper - 9-16-2018 at 07:01 PM
I always wondered how much power ice makers would use.
120W at 110-120V. That's 1A, correct? Seems like pretty low power consumption to make ice? IDK, I assume even a small solar system can put out 1A.
And, with LED lights in your house, pretty small energy draw.
Interesting idea. For maybe a minimalist weekend place, bring your coolers and just make more ice? Siphon off the melted water and soak towels to
put over the coolers for extended cooling! I do that car camping and it definitely helps ice retention.
John
[Edited on 9-17-2018 by John Harper]willardguy - 9-16-2018 at 07:19 PM
why not Brian..make ice while the sun shines! freediverbrian - 9-16-2018 at 07:25 PM
why not Brian..make ice while the sun shines! [/rquo
That's what I thought fish all day while you are making ice sounds great ? But ice is not refrigerated and will melt .
Cappy - 9-17-2018 at 04:48 AM
We have had one for a few years. Don't use it often. they make little cubes that melt fast. Ultimately it makes ice as stated, quality questionable.
Save your moneyHook - 9-17-2018 at 12:42 PM
I have so wanted to get an ice maker (table top) in the past, but every time I research them on Amazon, the reviews are so bad. No brand seems to last
long, if they are in regular use.
I last looked about three years ago. Has anything changed?
[Edited on 9-17-2018 by Hook]Timinator - 9-17-2018 at 02:35 PM
Remember, 1 amp @ 110V is about 12 amps needed at 12 volts with losses. So, 3 big panels only making cubes for 1/3 of the day. That's not much ice.
bajaguy - 9-17-2018 at 05:36 PM
Had one, gave it away. Ice not worth the effort. Now I buy my ice at Smart & Final or the nearest OXXO Casey67 - 9-17-2018 at 06:01 PM
The ice makers I've seen at Posada Concepcion use 80 to 200 watts and rarely live for a year or longer before they die.
If you have a medium to large solar system you can just buy a Smart Inverter Compressor refrigerator (LG and Samsumg) at Mexican Coppel stores for
$400 to $800 (7cu/ft to 16 cu/ft). You can't really buy these refrigerators north of the border yet. These are very gentle on solar systems and would
use about the same amount of power in one day than an ice maker would use if you only ran it when it was sunny. Mine (16 cu/ft) uses .75 kwh per day
in winter and 1.5 kwh per day in the summer, and never uses above 250w (defrost cycle), and has no onrush when the compressor starts up. Your solar
system needs roughly one 250 watt panel and 3 golf cart batteries to cover the refrigerator portion of your power use. Unless of course you are trying
to cool 36+ warm beers every day and you put them in the fridge in the evening when it's running off battery power.
You'd still have to make the ice manually though. I fill up the trays in the morning once the sun is making some power.
[Edited on 18-9-2018 by Casey67]bajabrett - 9-18-2018 at 04:11 PM
I have been using a Igloo Ice-maker that I bought 5 years ago from Walmart in the US. I used to run it on a Honda 2000 and used very little power 1.7A
about. Well its still running great. Maybe I got the good one but I have run it continually for 4 years and the only issue I have had was a infrared
sensor went out about a month ago for ice full light so I hardwired it and only use it when I need to otherwise it wont shut off and overfill. They
are like 80 us dlls and make about 20 lbs a day if you use it or bag it. I would buy another for sure and for solar if you cant run 1.7A then
somethings wrong with your system. Honestly I dont think it uses as much electricity as it says. Hook - 9-18-2018 at 08:10 PM
1.7A@ 110VAC?
The Igloo ICE103, if that's the one you have, sounds amazing. Pretty good reviews. Can it really make a load of ice in six minutes?Bob and Susan - 9-19-2018 at 04:58 AM
ours uses 80 watts
its makes a tray of small ice cubes with a hole it in in about 6 minutes
if...the water is cold
the first load of cubes you throw back in the water tank
then let it go
it'll never make the kind of cubes you need in an ice chest
but for drinks its just fine
here where its HOT in the summer we use tray ice
bigger and thicker
ice melts pretty fast in the summer
I would say this is a winter "toy"
another "kitchen appliance"
