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The basket is not a freezer
Updated
A countertop ice maker makes ice and drops it into a basket that is not refrigerated. GE says it plainly about its top machine: the Opal does not keep ice frozen in the ice bin, and water from the thawed ice goes back into the reservoir. Euhomy's support page says the same about its machines. Ice you do not use melts and gets made again.
What the makers say
- GE: the Opal does not keep ice frozen in the bin. Water from thawed ice is recirculated back into the reservoir.
- Euhomy: the ice maker does not have an insulation function, so room temperature will slowly melt the ice. If you will not use the ice for a long time, store it in the refrigerator. When ice melts, the water flows back into the reservoir to make new ice.
- Listings: the clear ice machines from Newair and Luma Comfort that we read describe the same loop, with melt water draining back to be used in the next round.
Owner summaries on Amazon line up with this. The summary for the Frigidaire EFIC117-SS notes that the ice melts if it is not used promptly. The Opal summary includes owners who say the ice melts very quickly.
Why this changes what you buy
Because ice melts and the machine stops when the basket is full, what you can grab at any moment is one basket at most, often less. That is 1.25 to 3 lb on the picks here. A left-alone machine spends the day remaking the same pound or two. It uses power to do it, and it keeps cycling the same water, which is one reason makers ask you to drain and clean often.
How to live with it
- Bag and freeze. When the basket is full, tip it into a freezer bag and put the bag in your freezer. Ice that comes out wet can freeze into a lump, so shake the bag after an hour or so.
- Run it when you need it. First ice comes in 6 to 15 minutes on these picks (maker claims). Turning it on before dinner works better than leaving it on all day.
- Drain it when you stop. Euhomy advises changing the reservoir water every 24 hours. Do not leave yesterday's melt water sitting in the tank.
- For a party, start early. The calculator gives you the head start in hours.
If you want ice that stays frozen and waits for you, you are looking for a freezer ice maker or an undercounter unit with a drain, not a countertop portable.
Check your own numbers with the pounds per hour calculator, or compare all six picks on the roundup page.