I want to get out of the business of buying ice on the way to the marina. I would like to have it in the garage… I normally carry around 170lbs of ice.
Any thoughts on a budget ice maker to stick in the garage? Something that won’t break the bank? I’m thinking something in the 2K range???
Pod, the house is being built on stilts so the bottom is going to be open! skinneej said that the ice maker will be in the garage! I think what he is saying, is that it will be on the ground floor! So yes, you will have access to it, whenever you need ice! Everyone will be doing skinneej a huge favor, keeping his ice fresh for him! When we drop in unexpectedly for cocktails, he’ll need fresh ice:wink:
Also, you can get a small ice machine head, say 200# head. What really matters is the size of the bin. You won’t be using 600#'s of ice everyday so getting a 200# head on an 800# bin should suffice. It will fill that bin in about 4 days.
the new ice machine will be outdoors, we can use it, right?
Right here is why I never installed one under my house. In one summer you'll create more "friends" than you know what to do with, some you don't want poking around under your house. A Manitowoc cuber from Hutto Refrigeration is what I was going to purchase.
I am putting one in my next house in a couple of years. I would go with the Manitowac undercounter model and put it upstairs in a pantry, laundry room, or in the kitchen. It’s a commercial unit, but sized for a home. Would easily make the production you want, has a strong warranty, low utility usage, and the plumbing/electrical would be easier to add in the home. I think they are under $2k. It will last longer out of the elements in a conditioned space, and you can use it daily.
If this is a house on stilts, I assume you have an elevator to get things up/down? Raised houses don’t resale well without one these days.
So, I did this in my garage but had problems with the ice maker not making enough ice. It would make a few dozen cubes and then nothing but some really cold water at the bottom of the ice maker storage compartment. After calling the manufacturer several times trying to troubleshoot it, finally had a plumber come out to the house to look at it. Turns out that the water pressure coming into the icemaker wasn’t strong enough. Just something to consider when you get this plumbed.
Pod, the house is being built on stilts so the bottom is going to be open! skinneej said that the ice maker will be in the garage! I think what he is saying, is that it will be on the ground floor! So yes, you will have access to it, whenever you need ice! Everyone will be doing skinneej a huge favor, keeping his ice fresh for him! When we drop in unexpectedly for cocktails, he’ll need fresh ice:wink:
I have a 400 pound scotsman commercial flaker machine. it works great, but the capacity of the bin is only 80 pounds. its going to be hard to find a decent commercial ice machine that has at least a 170 pound bin for $2000.
and as to what sailfish said, most commercial machines require a minimum of 20 to 40 psi of water pressure. and DO NOT forget to also remember to plumb up a decent pre-filter for it as well.
I am putting one in my next house in a couple of years. I would go with the Manitowac undercounter model and put it upstairs in a pantry, laundry room, or in the kitchen. It’s a commercial unit, but sized for a home. Would easily make the production you want, has a strong warranty, low utility usage, and the plumbing/electrical would be easier to add in the home. I think they are under $2k. It will last longer out of the elements in a conditioned space, and you can use it daily.
If this is a house on stilts, I assume you have an elevator to get things up/down? Raised houses don’t resale well without one these days.
“Wailord”
1979 17’ Montauk
90 Johnson
Wilderness Ride 115
Problem with elevator is that I am in a VE zone... An elevator is considered an "enclosure" below the flood zone. Flood insurance goes from $3000 per year to $5700 per year just from having an elevator. What a rip off...
And that’s JUST FLOOD. That does not include homeowner’s insurance.
I have a 400 pound scotsman commercial flaker machine. it works great, but the capacity of the bin is only 80 pounds. its going to be hard to find a decent commercial ice machine that has at least a 170 pound bin for $2000.
and as to what sailfish said, most commercial machines require a minimum of 20 to 40 psi of water pressure. and DO NOT forget to also remember to plumb up a decent pre-filter for it as well.
I once saw an 80# head mounted into a contraption that used a large chest freezer for a bin…worked incredibly well. We loaded up two center console boats worth of offshore ice…and had plenty left to go.