ETCrockett
Greenwood, IN
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Joined: 04/24/2012
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The wife and I are thinking about buying a portable ice maker. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with them and if you would recommend getting one. We seem to buy at least 2 bags of ice a day for our outside cooler in the summer when camping. We were thinking that if we bought one that make 26-35lbs a day, we could save some money. All the brands we have seen so far use water reservoirs. Has anyone seen one that allows a water line to be hooked up?
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shoreco
Long Island NY
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Joined: 03/28/2005
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ETCrockett wrote:The wife and I are thinking about buying a portable ice maker. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with them and if you would recommend getting one. We seem to buy at least 2 bags of ice a day for our outside cooler in the summer when camping. We were thinking that if we bought one that make 26-35lbs a day, we could save some money. All the brands we have seen so far use water reservoirs. Has anyone seen one that allows a water line to be hooked up?
I bought a Magic Chef Portable Ice Maker, MCIM22TW
The reservoir holds almost a gallon of water...
Once the machine is going, it makes "plenty of ice"..
You learn to keep up with it (removing ice and adding water)
It's not a freezer so the ice that is makes will melt if left unattended...
Never have to buy ice...
Of course an electric hook-up is a must...not good for boondocking...
2002 National Dolphin 5355
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chuggs
Florida
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Joined: 06/16/2010
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We have the countertop model sold at Target.... It goes on sale from time to time....$109 - $129...depending on the season.
We keep it inside the camper....run it during the day...shut it down at night. It keeps our outside drink cooler stocked with ice...and provides a constant stream of puppy treats. Our dogs think that we bought it just for them. Occasionally...we dump a basket into the Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Maker. 
Careful not to loose the little drain plug...they are ridiculous to replace.
* This post was
edited 04/26/12 04:42am by chuggs *
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Bill & Kate
Stone Harbor, NJ
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We have an Igloo branded one, but I think most of them are all made in the same place as they look identical. We got it a year or so ago for $100 on Woot.com. I agree it would be nice to have one with a freezer storage capacity, but for the price, this one does a pretty good job. Once you fill up the resivoir with water and plug it in, it starts making ice pretty fast, but takes an hour or two to really get going. You really have to keep taking the ice out and putting it in a cooler to keep it producing - probably makes a full hopperfull every couple of hours. To be honest, I usually just buy ice - it's less trouble, and since it is kept in a freezer, it is harder and colder. We use it because we have it, but if it every died, we wouldn't bother replacing it. It has come in handy a couple of times when we arrived somewhere late, and there was no place nearby to buy ice ....
Bill & Kate - Stone Harbor, NJ
w/ Sunny (parti poodle) & Molson (goldendoodle)
2005 Ford/Quigley 4x4 E-350 Chateau Super Duty Van with 6.0L PSD ("Moby")
2012 Outback Super Light 277RL - 10th Anniversary Edition ("Salty Dog House II")
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jk31668
so. new jersey
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i have an older one from c/w and use it alot. when the hopper gets full i just dump it into a plastic bowl and place into the freezer or as needed. off-season i use it if we are having a bbq or party where extra ice will be needed.
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swtgran
Brimfield, Ohio
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Joined: 06/18/2005
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We love ours. We don't use a cooler and just pull the ice out as needed for beverages. We usually use it to make ice tea. If we don't need all the ice it is making, we bag it for the freezer for trips.
We have found the trick to getting it to produce ice quickly, is to carry a small bag of "seed" ice with us. We put about a sandwich size bag of ice in the reservoir and that initially chills down the water so we have ice in about 8 minutes. From there the ice it is making, keeps the reservoir cold enough to just keep it cranking.
Swtgran
2007 Casita 17ft SD
2005 Toyota Tundra
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belairbrian
Alabama
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We've had ours for about 6 years. as mentioned, it appears their all made by the same company.
What has really surprised me is when our water valve failed after 3 years. Found out I could actually buy parts for it. Got the valve for around $20 shipped at the time. Replaced it and it's been fine ever since. Never really expected to find parts, figured they would be throw away units.
Oh and we haven't bought bag ice in years.
TV 2003 Chevy 3500 Crew Cab Dually w Duramax/Allison
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Rolling Condo
South Carolina
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Worth it, yes! If you are adding that much ice every day, consider upgrading your coolers to one of the "extreme" models that will keep ice 5 or more days.
'90 GMC R2500 7.4L w/ Gear Vendor OD
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retired4fun2002
Ellenton, FL
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Joined: 07/22/2003
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Ordered one thru Walmart a few years back - like others, it takes a gallon of water, and when you keep feeding it....you have plenty of ice. At the price they charge for a small bag of ice...it has been a great investment. We use it at home for cookouts and gatherings also. Safe travels.
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SDPat
SD
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We bought an Emerson portable ice maker three years ago...LOVE IT! I make several bags of ice and a large block of ice in advance to fill our huge Extreme cooler before we leave. We often camp for 10-12 days. While camping it runs during the day and continually poops out nine ice cubes about every 9 minutes and keeps us stocked with plenty of ice for drinks and other needs plus the cooler stocked. It has completely eliminated the "whose turn is it to drive to convenience store to buy ice" argument! 
I'll buy another when we wear it out.
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