Amethyst
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2008
- Messages
- 12,668
We are going to gut our kitchen and replace everything. One thing I am not sure about is whether to replace the standalone ice machine, an appliance we were not familiar with, or just get a fridge-door icemaker.
The Ice Maker in the island makes clear, fresh-tasting ice like a champ, but is now turned off because the drain pump runs 24/7 and the constant noise was driving me nuts.
Apparently, this is because ice machines aren't freezers, so the ice is constantly melting and being made fresh, unlike a fridge-door ice maker. The ice machine's pump runs constantly to get rid of the melt water. RrrRRRR-er. RrrrRRRRR-er. All Day. All Night.
(It was only after moving in that we realized the ice machine was turned off during the times we were in the house before buying it. Not being familiar with standalone ice machines, we didn't think to check it).
The ice machine's advantages over a fridge-door ice maker are:
1) clear, fresh ice always available. No odor or taste. Cubes don't freeze together in a solid mass that has to be pried or chipped
2) Ice capacity several times that of a fridge-door icemaker.
We've talked with the local appliance store sales people, who say all standalone ice machines are noisy, although this brand (Scotsman) is known to be noisier than most. The only way around it, I was told, was to have a drain specifically drilled through the slab so the water would drain via gravity, instead of pumped into the septic tank. That sounds extremely pricey to me.
YET...they must sell a lot of these machines, or the market would have dried up by now. So, do any of you have one? How do you like it? Is it noisy? Any information is welcome. Thanks!
The Ice Maker in the island makes clear, fresh-tasting ice like a champ, but is now turned off because the drain pump runs 24/7 and the constant noise was driving me nuts.
Apparently, this is because ice machines aren't freezers, so the ice is constantly melting and being made fresh, unlike a fridge-door ice maker. The ice machine's pump runs constantly to get rid of the melt water. RrrRRRR-er. RrrrRRRRR-er. All Day. All Night.
(It was only after moving in that we realized the ice machine was turned off during the times we were in the house before buying it. Not being familiar with standalone ice machines, we didn't think to check it).
The ice machine's advantages over a fridge-door ice maker are:
1) clear, fresh ice always available. No odor or taste. Cubes don't freeze together in a solid mass that has to be pried or chipped
2) Ice capacity several times that of a fridge-door icemaker.
We've talked with the local appliance store sales people, who say all standalone ice machines are noisy, although this brand (Scotsman) is known to be noisier than most. The only way around it, I was told, was to have a drain specifically drilled through the slab so the water would drain via gravity, instead of pumped into the septic tank. That sounds extremely pricey to me.
YET...they must sell a lot of these machines, or the market would have dried up by now. So, do any of you have one? How do you like it? Is it noisy? Any information is welcome. Thanks!