Ice Machine in your shop?

[jbailey927]

This is my first post here as I found this website recently as I start a full clean out and "remodel" on my shop space. We do alot of unimproved camping and also hosting at the house. My wife asked if I could put a comercial Ice Machine in the shop for parties, cooler filling, etc...

Does anyone have any experience with a comercial ice machine at home or in their shop? If so, would you recomend a brand or style?

I was thinking I could run it April - September and then around the Holiday's if needed. Temperature range of the shop is 40* - 75* throughout the year.

It looks like Manitawok is the best know but also most expensive. Thanks for the help.

 

[Shiftless]

You need to determine how much ice you need to make in a 24 hour period and how much storage space you need for the ice waiting to be used.
I see this one on the Home Depot site

 

[jbailey927]

@shitless

I was thinking of more around 250lb per day with a 100lbs of storage. We are normally filling multiple coolers for large trips and have a bar setup that can take a ton of Ice to cool drinks etc..

I am very intersted in anyones expereince with these machines and the intermittent use of something desinged to run 24/7 for years....

 

[mrklean]

Hmm, that's a lot of ice. The big yeti coolers everyone has, hold 78lbs of ice. (that's with no food/drink in them, just ice).

Sidenote, amazing yeti does make a "simply massive bigger cooler, unsure if this is marketing or not. A Tundra 305, which is 63" long, 24" wide, and 24" tall. They say it holds 549 cans (only) or 353 lbs of ice (only)

Ice machines are not that well insulated in my opinon for long term storage of ice. So you are going to spend a fair bit of electricity keeping them cold and making more ice when not in use. Average energy usage is 6-8kwh / 100lbs of ice on modern machines. So with my electricity rates, you're talking $1 per 100lbs in elec. Water use is negligible. Not sure what standyby rates will be.

I wouldn't suggest buying anything used, and I wouldn't suggest buying anything not well known brand. As a Wisconsinite that knows Manitowoc for their cranes and their ice makers, they shipped ice makers overseas years ago from what I understand. Not sure how big of an impact that's had, but I can't assume they're the standard anymore. As for Used other brands, ice machines are gross as hell in kitchen settings. Nobody cleans them, full of slime, scale, etc. Ask a refrigeration tech if he orders his drinks with ice, the answer will probably be no. Also, manufacturers do recommend dumping any ice older than 24 hours. I assume that's for health reasons (see how you don't keep the ice scoop in the ice, etc).

It'd definitely be a cool addition, pun intended. Won't be a cheap endeavor though I'd think.

 

[niget2002]

My shop was plumbed for one. The previous owner had a commercial ice maker in the shop when we were looking at the property. Sadly, the ice maker didn't come with the house.

There's water and a drain plumbed in the wall of the shop. The drain just goes out the back of the shop and dumps out by the pool equipment. The water line has a 1/4" adapter on it for plumbing a water filter inline with the commercial unit.

I'll probably never put in a commercial ice maker, but I was considering using the existing plumbing to put in a wall mounted water fountain with a compressor on it.

 

[AA/FC]

<snip>

I'll probably never put in a commercial ice maker, but I was considering using the existing plumbing to put in a wall mounted water fountain with a compressor on it.

I have an ELKAY refrigerated drinking fountain in my garage and I love it!

This is what I have:

 

[larry4406]

Connecting a drain needs to be considered in addition to a water supply for most ice makers.

We had a Scottsman brand under counter unit (with drain) in our kitchen at a prior house. Worked nice. Not the volume you asked about though.

There is always DIY in the spirit of GJ!

DIY Ice maker using a chest freezer

We go through a lot of ice and I hate having to run to the gas station to buy ice at 5 bucks a pop. So, I built my own ice maker. Read on for details!

chrisweinert.com

 

[niget2002]

I have an ELKAY refrigerated drinking fountain in my garage and I love it!

This is what I have:

I was looking at this one.

Elkay LZS8WSLK EZH2O Bottle Filling Station with Single ADA Cooler, Filtered, 8 GPH, Light Gray, Commercial, Light Gray Granite https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0038YCQQQ?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[racecougar]

Another concern, depending on how you use your shop, is infiltration of dust, chemicals, etc. Something to keep in mind.

 

[mike93lx]

Ice machines can get really nasty really quickly. Make sure to budget the maintenance time needed.

That's a lot of ice

 

[HoosierBuddy]

We have a Manitawok ice maker at work in our shop. Field guys use it to fill up their water coolers on their trucks before heading out in the morning. I feel like the only reason it works for us is one of our guys spent a lot of time working in commercial HVAC and got experience maintaining and fixing ice makers....so when it quits he can get it going again.

They seem to last about 10 to 12 years.

 

[PhantomEB]

none in the garage as I don’t need ice for my beer…..

she’s got a little fridgidaire one on the kitchen counter.

my brother just ordered up a Vevor one to do the same thing the OP said, for his camping trips. I am sure he will be bringing it out on our camping trips so I will go from there, we do got lots of room down on the bar top in the basement. I am buying way better quality coolers that will stay in the truck under A blanket to stay as cool as possible.

 

[jbailey927]

Thank you all for your comments.
@Hosierbuddy - I feel like you pay for what you get an Manitawok is at the higher end of the range, so good to know it can be worked on not if, but when there are problems.

@mike93lx - I am budgeting in 2 maintance calls a year (one for startup in April and one for shut down in October)

@racecougar - I had thought about this, I am really only using verithane every once in a while and rarely welding, but do a fair amount of woodworking. I am planning on dust collection as part of the remodel. I was thinking if the ice maker doesnt come with it doing something like door jam sealer on the frame lip so the door seats very well. I was talking to a friend and he pointed out that Dust + Grease is what can really make these thinks nasty, but since there will be no airborn greese from cooking, hopefully it would stay cleaner???

@niget2002 & larry4406 - One of the reasons I posted was concrete guys are coming to cut plumbing for a shower and sink to add to the existing toilet and need to have the drain for the maker plumbed in at the same time.

 

[Blueshound_GJ]

Welcome! I hope you get good advice. I can't help as I barely use any ice at all.

 

[gtae07]

There is always DIY in the spirit of GJ!

I love this idea even though I have no rational justification for it whatsoever. There are maybe 1-2 times a year I need that much ice and the far smarter thing to do would just be to bag it up over the weeks leading up to the event and store it in the outside freezer, but that's not nearly as much fun...

 

[428PI]

We had ice machines at Cmax but not in the break room. They decided when remodeling that they would put in a machine. Well, the drain needed to be located under the machine. They ended up cutting out a 2 ft wide concrete floor aprox. 15 ft to gain access to a drain. I would hate to know how much that cost them!!! I told the head honcho : "you know there is a drain about 4 ft over at the sink". Didn't matter.

 

[jbailey927]

@Blueshound_GJ - Thank you, so far amazing advice.

@gtae07 - Yeah, its more of me wanting things the way I want them and planning for the 3x times a year I need that level of production.

@428PI - I have having to cut concrete anyway and the machine will be only 4 feet away from the proposed shower drain.

 

[KSJeff]

I have a Hoshizaki ice machine I brought home from work after covid. It's been running 24x7 since 2000 or so. It's in my basement and it's an older version of this one. Rock solid.

https://www.katom.com/440-DCM300BAH.html

 

[brewchief]

I think a chest freezer and a good supply of ice bags would be a good complement to whatever ice maker you end up with, being able to build up and keep a surplus on hand would allow for a bit smaller machine and depending on how much you are using you may find you can make and bag ice for a week and then turn it off for a couple weeks.

 

[jshillin]

We have 2 Manitowoc's at the baseball field for the concession stand. They are reputable and what you see in a lot of businesses.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

if you buy something aimed at homeowners, I'd suggest avoiding units with moving parts that aren't pumps. Anything small with a bin that moves (cheap bullet ice) seems to break after a few years. I upgraded to a slightly larger machine (but well under what you want) that has a circulating pump over a vertical evaporator. much happier with it.

from the sound of it you want a large bin under a reasonably small ice machine. most units have a big ice maker over a small bin, which doesn't help when you want more than it holds.

also remember you'll have to manage the heat the ice maker kicks out. the bigger the capacity, the more heat.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

We have a Manitowoc in a kitchen at work, a Scotsman in a break room, and another Scotsman in the garage. Haven't had any major problems with any of them, but we keep them regularly descaled and maintained. Our HVAC guy has always preferred Manitowoc over other brands, and he's worked on hundreds of them. I've only experienced the three we have.

They run 24/7, though. Not sure how one would be with intermittent use. I probably wouldn't leave it idle with water sitting in it. If it was staying out of service for a bit I'd probably descale it and drain the water. They can get pretty nasty even when they're running.

I'd also put an inline filter before it unless you already have a good home filtration system.

I always wanted an ice machine for home but with access to multiple machines at work I'll probably never pull the trigger on one. I just bring a cooler to work to fill, or if I need more I start filling bags throughout the week and stash them in the walk-in freezer.

 

[Woods_Wanderer]

Our shop has a Hoshizaki that's been great, We use it 3 days a week and no issues after 4 years of use.

 

[Montauket]

100 lbs a day and a chest freezer for storage is a lot of ice.

 

[jbailey927]

@KSJeff - Nice, thanks for the input.

@brewchief - Yes, I am going to be putting in a commercial fridge and freezer (side by side) so if I needed additional capacity and or wanted to get the Ice really cold I could.

@jshillin - exactly why I was thinking of going with a commercial one, hopefully it will sit and run without fuss.

@u3b3rg33k - Im pretty sure I am going commercial. Trying to find a happy size medium so I don't have to jump to a really large and expensive production unit. Heat is not a big deal, the shop is 40x40 and has 14' ceilings, so I would think it would dissipate well, I live in Northern Nevada so we only see 90*+ temps 3-4 months a year.

@Crazyjake8493 - Good to know what the Maintenace guys prefer, I am not an HVAC guy so am planning on either annual or biannual Maintenace. Planning on an inline filter before the maker. Having it at work and be available for personal use would be the best option!

@Woods_Wanderer - thanks, good to know!

 

[Norcal]

Ice machines can get really nasty really quickly. Make sure to budget the maintenance time needed.

That's a lot of ice

Cleaning ice machines is very important, all kinds of nasty things grow in unmaintained ice machines, I prefer Hoshizaki, over Manitowoc, because they use a stainless steel evaporator, & Manitowoc uses a nickle plated evaporator, which requires special chemicals to preserve the nickle plating.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

@KSJeff - Nice, thanks for the input.

@brewchief - Yes, I am going to be putting in a commercial fridge and freezer (side by side) so if I needed additional capacity and or wanted to get the Ice really cold I could.

@jshillin - exactly why I was thinking of going with a commercial one, hopefully it will sit and run without fuss.

@u3b3rg33k - Im pretty sure I am going commercial. Trying to find a happy size medium so I don't have to jump to a really large and expensive production unit. Heat is not a big deal, the shop is 40x40 and has 14' ceilings, so I would think it would dissipate well, I live in Northern Nevada so we only see 90*+ temps 3-4 months a year.

@Crazyjake8493 - Good to know what the Maintenace guys prefer, I am not an HVAC guy so am planning on either annual or biannual Maintenace. Planning on an inline filter before the maker. Having it at work and be available for personal use would be the best option!

@Woods_Wanderer - thanks, good to know!

this would probably do what you want:

Manitowoc UYF0190A NEO 190 Undercounter Ice Machine, Half Dice, 193 lbs., 26"W

193 lbs. of production capacity per dayPower, Delay, Clean, Full Bin, and Service modes for stress-free production and maintenanceSealed FoodZone with removable water trough, distribution tube, and damper door for faster cleaningThree-year parts and labor on ice maker; five-year parts and labor...

www.centralrestaurant.com

under-counter/under-workbench unit, 190#/day production, 90# storage. you should be able to get 100# of ice out of it with a full bin and whatever it re-fills (8#/hr) without it being a major imposition, vs something that only holds 20#. turn it on the night before you need a lot of ice and you're GTG (bin full in 12hrs).

Cleaning ice machines is very important, all kinds of nasty things grow in unmaintained ice machines, I prefer Hoshizaki, over Manitowoc, because they use a stainless steel evaporator, & Manitowoc uses a nickle plated evaporator, which requires special chemicals to preserve the nickle plating.

Mine is either on and cold, being cleaned, or drained and open if I'm out of town.

 

[RAB]

Lots of good advice here. I work on Manitowoc units quite frequently. I actually plan on doing the same as you for the exact same reason. I occasionally acquire old units. My plan was to put an old head on a welded frame, no bin. I’d then put a cooler underneath and flip the unit on when required. The Manitowoc units have an on off and clean switch. I’d say just turn it on the morning of your party, experiment. The units typically produce a sheet every 15 minutes or less, how much ice is on that sheet depends on your unit size. Cleaning is easy once you know how to do it and nickel safe cleaner a must. All instructions would be with the unit on cleaning adjusting and maintenance. If you are handy and can clean shouldn’t be much of an issue. Units come in different voltages and phases. Sawdust wouldn’t be good for it as the seals are tight but not that tight, plus you’d likely have a self contained and **** the dust through the condenser. I say run it only when needed and shut it down and cover it when not in use, forget the need for a bin you still have your house fridge ice for that. The clean cycle will pump out 90% of the water from the trough as well. Also you can throw out the first sheet of ice if you are worried. It’s likely you will have cleaner ice than most restaurants anyways, the slime and mold is way more common than you want to know.

 

[cabranch47]

I have had a Manitowoc and a Scottsman over the years. Both commercial units (200-300 lbs, and air cooled. These were older(probably 15+ years), used units without digital controls (mostly relays, switches, etc.), and I have been able to keep them running myself. Fortunately they both had schematics and ladder diagrams inside the covers. Mostly water pump, fan, and valve replacement and had no problems locating parts. I originally had one in my shop but had to move it due to the amount of heat it produces as it is air cooled. The Scottsman lives outside on my porch and has been working fine for the last 12-15 years. Unit has to be at least 25 yrs. old Fan cycles often during colder temps.I have had several under counter units and nothing by problems after a couple of years. I don't have much use for that much ice anymore but it is one of my favorite toys and would have to replace it if it becomes unrepairable. I would probably buy a water cooled one next time due to heat output of the air cooled. They use a lot of water but we are on a flat rate system.

 

[1982fxr]

We have commercial ice machines at work and they are constantly broken or down for maintenance.

 

[jbailey927]

@Norcal - 100% agree that cleaning it will be a top priority.
@u3b3rg33k - My plan is to have it off as much as posible and covered, so sounds like we are in alignment.
@RAB - that is and intersting idea, I had not thought of eliminating the storgage aspect for just production. I am going to think more about this. I am planning on dust colleciton and a cover is a great idea and will be in the plan.
@cabranch47 - I actually like the idea of it generating heat, it would help in the shop 8 moths out of the year. Its 1600sq ft with 14' ceilings, so the heat will dissipate well and not be a direct impact to much.
@1982fxr - Yeah the concept of 100% uptime vs occasional use with bi-annual maintenance should help with that I hope.

 

[onewheat]

We've had an "under-counter" Ice-O-Matic at our lake house since 2012 - supposedly makes 150 lb a day with a 75 lb bin. It usually runs May thru September to fill boat coolers, etc. I had to replace the pump in it once and I usually clean it at the end of the season. Nickel-safe cleaner, etc and it's not very difficult - just an hour or two. There is no refrigeration for the bin, so it just makes more ice as the current ice melts to keep the bin full. It doesn't seem to get very dirty in the course of the summer. For me - it does put out a lot of heat where we have it but the room is not all that big. Ice production is affected by incoming water temperature and room temperature. If it died today, I'd get another one tomorrow.

 

[drmarkr]

Had one in our last house....unless you have a big family or lots of parties, it's not worth the energy it takes to run the thing. YMMV.

 

[My Old Tools]

We have a 30# Hoshizaki in the kitchen, builtin. It makes fast. We have never run out even making homemade ice cream with an old fashioned crank machine. It is a standard under counter appliance and about 16" wide. It is a bit noisy. If it died tomorrow we would definitely replace it. It is now 7 years old and zero problems. They are pretty much all make and melt machines. They require a continous drain. But, that is why the ice is always fresh, unlike your freezer where ice left for awhile gets stale.

Scratch and Dent Hoshizaki AM-50BAJ Top Hat Cuber Icemaker, Air-cooled, Built in Storage Bin | Hoshizaki | Hoshizaki | Eleven36

eleven36.com

 

[DrinkMan]

Commercial Ice Makers are one of the most serviced items in restaurants. So choose whichever one has the best service network in your area. Also, what is more expensive in your area? Power or Water?

Hoshizaki & Manitowoc are both very good machines. Ice-o-matic is acceptable as well for your very light usage. I'm assuming you will be using air cooled. If so, be aware they can give off a bit of heat. Remote condensers and water cooled are also both available but the cost and complexity may not be attractive for a home user.

IIRC, Hoshizaki uses less power but more water to make ice while Manitowoc uses less water but more power. Make sure you check the specifications for each icemaker. There are industry standards that allow you to compare power and water usage.

Please also be aware of water filtration requirements for each machine. That matters for reliability (a lot).

Other considerations are type of ice - nugget, cube, 1/4 cube, tube, etc... That can drive cost and power usage as well.

When I worked with our customers to help them choose Ice Makers, basically the only questions that mattered were - service network quality in your area, power and water costs. Then it was a matter of sizing maker and bin correctly for their usage.

Keep your ice bin clean per instructions - slime, bacteria, and mold all love to grow in ice bins.

 

[yellowbox]

Interesting topic, I would like to find a small one for home/ kitchen use

 

[KSJeff]

My wife's only criteria was that it made Sonic style ice. Should wouldn't have used anything else.

 

[My Old Tools]

My wife's only criteria was that it made Sonic style ice. Should wouldn't have used anything else.

We thought so too, until we got one that made tophat cubes. Cubes don't melt nearly as fast in a drink or in the bin as shaved ice. Perfectly happy with ours.

 

[Sumboodie]

When I worked attested Freeze, the ice machines got torn apart and cleaned weekly.

They definitely aren't asst and forget appliance. Most like mold and mildew factories if not regularly cleaned.

 

[driftpin]

What type of work do you do where the ice machine is going to sit? Miami-Dade County Fire-Rescue did a study on the ice machines they used-to keep in the engine bays, where the apparatus are. The results were that the byproducts of combustion from the apparatus and the off-gassing from other equipment, and the PPE was putting things you don't want, into the ice machines' output. They ended-up re-designing their stations so the ice equipment was working in conditioned spaces, and was no-longer kept in the bays. Many other departments are now following their example. They also ended-up giving each combat personnel two complete sets of turnout gear, so they could always have a clean set. Higher incidents of cancer were reported among firefighters, especially lung cancer, and cancer involving the lymph nodes, and in the neck, armpits, and groin. The department is doing a longitudinal study on the incidence of cancer in the department. They have a retired member traveling around the country to speak at departments to inform the firefighters and administrations about what they have discovered.