Countertop Crushed Ice Maker
Even though most refrigerators come with it, a crushed ice maker can be an interesting decision. One line of thought is that door ice dispensers are the single most thing that breaks on a refrigerator. The other thought is that the ice maker, refrigerator and people aren’t often in the same living space. But normally the refrigerator is near a water source. There are countertop crushed ice makers on the market that are not hooked up to a water line, so the operation is going to be different.
You’ll need to manually add water to the unit, stored in a tank, when you want the ice. When the crushed ice is made, you take that ice and use it, or place it in your freezer and make more. These units are fairly quick making ice in about eight minutes or so. When the tank is empty, the unit stops until the ice starts melting. Then it uses that water to create more ice. So the need to empty the unit is up to you.
If you opt for a larger ice maker, they do sell them, restaurant style that cost around $5,000, but you probably don’t want something like that in your home.
Problems with the countertop crushed ice maker are that it is slightly high maintenance because it needs to be kept pretty clean all the time. This is done best with soap and water. The chilling units on the ice maker have had problems in the past, and some continue to plague the industry. I’ve reported on these and you need to make sure that your ice maker comes with some sort of warranty of at least a year because they typically die around seven months.
You can find the countertop crushed ice makers on dozens of websites, but I’d stay away from second hand units sold on eBay only because the chiller units do not last long and chances are you will buy one that will have only a few hours left on it with no warranty. There are great websites with fantastic money back guarantees that you need to shop for. Many offer free shipping as well.
Dealing with the manufacturer can be a pain. Be prepared to fight for your rights. Every one I’ve seen has been made in China.
The Whynter Sno Ice 100s is more of a sno-cone maker, but even it has had trouble holding up as a reliable unit. Maybe you’ll have better luck. Now you can find a lot of these machines on eBay, and I am not saying don’t buy there – I’m just saying make sure you open lines of communication with your seller and get a warranty on the unit for at least one year. And if you can get a phone number, that’s a bonus.
Tags:Countertop, countertop crushed ice maker, Crushed Ice Maker, Crushed Ice Makers, Ebay, Freezer, High Maintenance, Offer Free Shipping, Refrigerator, Restaurant Style, Soap And Water, Tank, Warranty, Water Line, Water Source, Whynter Sno Ice 100s