6 Highly Productive Ice Makers for Your Business and Home

Ice makers have become increasingly popular in recent years as machines that can generate large quantities of ice for either home or commercial use. Regular fridge-freezers simply cannot cope with the volume and speed that ice makers can produce. If you own a supermarket, café, restaurant or any establishment where ice is required to keep products cool or added to food/drink, an ice maker is essential to give you all the ice you require in a typical day. Many modern-day ice makers use energy-saving technology, so you will hardly notice the difference in your monthly bills if you purchase an ice maker.

What are the best ice makers currently available to purchase? This article attempts to give you some answers to guide you in the process of purchasing the best ice maker to suit your needs. In our buying guide, we outline certain features to consider when buying an ice maker, these include size, capacity, installation, ice shape and user-friendliness. It is important to take time and research before you commit to purchasing.

Top 6 Ice Makers Review 2020

This article has been put together from various online sources, including manufacturer websites and customer reviews. The article first has a comparison table of the reviewed products, followed by 6 in-depth reviews of some of the best ice makers currently available to purchase. The reviews include key features, pros/cons and product descriptions. The article then presents a buying guide, FAQ section and concludes with the top three best ice makers.

Ice maker’s way to improve your home and business

The following are some of the benefits of having an ice maker in your home or business:

• If you have a portable ice maker, it will be easy for you to carry around when traveling as long as there is a plug.
• They make ice faster compared to the freezer in the refrigerator especially if you need more for a party.
• Many ice makers can produce large amounts of ice in one day. An average ice maker can produce up to 35lbs of ice within 24 hours.
• They are easy to use. A child and an elderly person can use them without any difficulty. It is as simple as pouring water into it, turning it on and coming back in less than 10 minutes to collect your ice.
• Some ice makers allow you to make your preferred size and shape of ice cubes, could be small, large or even bullet-shaped.

How do ice machines work?

The following steps show how the ice maker works:

1. You need to manually fill the unit’s reservoir with water using a bucket. Faucet or jug, up until the fill line.
2. The water is then pumped up through a water filter into the ice tray which is on top of the unit. If there is any excess water it spills back into the reservoir.
3. Refrigeration cycle begins and the heat exchanger has 1/2 -inch prongs which are lowered into the water in the ice tray. Ice will begin to form quickly as the prongs get cold fast.
4. The size of the cubes formed will depend on the amount of time that you leave the prongs in the water. It will take 6 minutes to make smaller ice cubes, while bigger ice cubes will take twice as much time. The time the unit has been running and the ambient temperature will also affect the freezing time.
5. The ice tray will empty the excess water back to the reservoir when the cubes have reached the desired size. The heat exchanger will then reverse itself heating the spikes enabling the ice cubes to slide through the prongs into the ice bin.
6. There is a second sensor in the storage basket which monitors the storage of the ice. It empties it when it is full.

Tips on how to use an ice maker

Before you take one home and get to using it, here are a few tips that can help you:

• A portable ice maker is not the same as a freezer. It will not keep the ice frozen once it has made it. You should either use the ice cubes immediately or keep them in your refrigerator’s freezer so that they do not melt.

  if the ice cube melts, the water will drain back into the reservoir for it to be used again.

  A portable ice maker can make ice cubes much faster than a freezer because the element of freezing is placed in the water.

  Price tag

  Ice makers have a high range of price points. Large industrial size ice-making machines such as the FOSTER Commercial Ice Maker will cost close to $2000. More affordable options such as the COSTWAY Commercial Ice Maker are available below $500.

  The home-based ice machines are the cheapest but generate the least ice, they can be bought for a figure below $200.

  Features to consider while buying the perfect ice maker

  Before buying an ice maker, consider the following features:

  Size and installation

  There are two ways to install an ice maker, one is under the counter and the other is on the floor. Keeping it under the counter will give more space to a busy kitchen. However, this installation requires more costs and work. Installing the ice maker on the floor will take much space in the kitchen but there is no extra cost or work involved apart from connecting it to the drainage and water line.

  Capacity

   The volume of ice an ice maker will produce depends on the model of the ice maker and where it will be used. Most portable ice makers produce a minimum of 25 lbs of ice. Under-counter and larger ice makers produce 50 lbs at a minimum. The volume storage is important as the production volume. Portable ice makers have a minimum of 2.5 lbs of ice cubes in storage and the large under-counter ones have a minimum of 20 lbs of ice cubes in storage. Units such as the FOSTER Commercial Ice Maker can store as much as 375 lbs of ice.

  Cooling

  The ice maker does a lot of work when producing ice cubes which means that it produces a lot of heat. The air-cooling mechanic in the ice maker ensures that it is in the right temperatures. When setting up the ice maker, the vents should have at least 6 inches of clearance space to prevent damage and overheating.

  Shape and clarity of ice

  You should consider the quality of ice when purchasing an ice maker. A good quality ice cube should be crystal clear without any cloudiness. The ice cubes should also be dense and hard. They should not start melting as soon as you put it in a glass. Most of the ice makers reviewed above make gourmet ice. The ice should not be hollow as well.

  Work speed

  Most small-sized ice makers produce the first batch of ice cubes faster compared to bigger models. The best ice makers in the market can produce ice for more drinks in just 6 minutes while others may take up to 20 minutes to finish their first batch. Speed is a good sign that the ice maker is of good quality.

  User-friendliness

  Most ice makers do not need regular maintenance and cleaning. Purchasing an ice maker that has a self-cleaning cycle and their mesh filter is better. The ice maker has automatic functions makes it cost-effective. The ice maker that you buy should also be easy to install and produce less noise when producing the ice.

  Material and design

  The majority of ice makers are constructed from stainless steel which makes them resistant to rust and very robust. If you have a particular color theme to your kitchen or pantry space, you may wish to select an ice maker that matches your overall theme.

  Accessories

  Common accessories that accompany the purchase of an ice maker include an ice scoop as seen in the ROVSUN Built-in Stainless Steel Commercial Ice Maker review or a water filter.

  Warranty

  Warranties provide consumers with purchasing protection. Typical warranties for ice makers last between a year to three years.

  Ice maker maintenance tips

  The ice maker is just like any other household appliance. It should be well maintained because keeping it dirty will lead to the growth of germs causing health problems.

  The following are some of the tips to help you maintain your ice maker:

  • Sanitize your ice maker: Some manufacturers will give sell to you their formulas that you can use to sanitize your ice maker while others will recommend a bleach solution that you can mix by yourself. Flush the ice maker inwards with any of the cleaning solutions and then rinse with water to prevent biological contamination. You should also clean the outside part of the ice maker to prevent dirt and stain build up as well as making it look great. Use damp clothe and maybe sometimes use soap to get rid of the dried spills.
  • Change the filter: You cannot use dirty water to maker quality ice. Most ice makers have filters to improve the odor and flavor of the water while others can remove volatile organic compounds. Many filtration systems of ice makers used for commercial purposes have bacteriostatic effects to prevent the production of bacteria. Take note of when you should change the filter by reading the manual as some ice makers need you to change the filter every three months, six months or one year.
  • Don’t forget to descale: Unless you have an ice maker with a reverse osmosis system, you will notice deposits of calcium which is known as scale. It is necessary to descale from time to time.
  • Room to breathe: Most ice machines have proper ventilation to function well. under counter, ice makers have vents located on the bottom edges. The right-side vents allow cool air to enter in while the left side vents allow warm air to be expelled out. Make sure that there is no obstruction on the sides and back of the ice maker.

FAQ

Whether you’re a first time owner or if the ice maker is simply to new of a machine for you to figure out, here are a few of your most frequently-asked questions, answered:

Our Verdict

Hopefully, this article has given you all the essential information that you need to know about ice makers to guide you in the process of purchasing the best ice maker to suit your needs.

Our verdict on the top three best ice makers are:

The HomeLabs Freestanding Commercial Ice Maker Machine comes first in our ranking because of its easy to use controls, fair price and compact size.

The Manitowoc UDF0140A finishes second in our ranking due to the modern energy-saving technology and it’s easy to use control panel.

The ROVSUN Built-in Stainless Steel Commercial Ice Maker comes third in our ranking because of its quick ice production cycle and the ice machine produces minimal noise.

Before purchasing the best ice maker to suit your needs, consider how much volume of ice and the price you’re willing to pay to ensure you get the best value ice maker.