Portable ice makers?

HughMungus · Post by **HughMungus** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 10:57 am

I was just thinking. If you need ice, why not bring a portable ice maker? The one I'm looking at right now uses 400 watts of power and makes up to 35 pounds of ice per day. Talk about gifting...

Speaking of, how much is the ice that's for sale onsite (per pound, for comparison)?

Post by **AntiM** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 4:49 pm

Last year a bag or a block of ice was $2. What, 5 lb bag? The block ice was really handy for us because that's what goes in the shave ice machine.

calsur · Post by **calsur** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 11:31 pm

I believe the ice came in 7 pound bags.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 9:10 am

My son has an old ice maker. It looks like it was in a war. Still works. Might bring it. If you bring the water to me I give you ice. Gotta check this thing out.

Tiara · Post by **Tiara** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 10:53 am

will the ice maker work when the ambient temperature is above ~90 degrees? might want to test it outside on a hot day before hauling it to the playa.

Dustdevil · Post by **Dustdevil** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 11:39 am

Maybe I am getting lazy in my old age, but it sure seems to be less trouble just to buy ice on the Playa. I am thinking about the effort to bring the ice maker, a generator that needs to run 24/7 to make it run, water and gas for the genny, haul it up there and haul it back for five bags of ice per day? I think my time would be better spent in line at Artica. I have met some neat people there.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 12:09 pm

For two bucks, a chunk'll last most of the week. I like my cold cans o'brew, and I made one trip to Arctica on Tuesday that fixed me for the week. You'd EASILY use the five-to-ten bucks worth of juice just running a maker, and have it (and a genny?) to haul back at week's end instead of just a bucket of cool water.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 12:26 pm

Dustdevil wrote:Maybe I am getting lazy in my old age, but it sure seems to be less trouble just to buy ice on the Playa. I am thinking about the effort to bring the ice maker, a generator that needs to run 24/7 to make it run, water and gas for the genny, haul it up there and haul it back for five bags of ice per day? I think my time would be better spent in line at Artica. I have met some neat people there.

~
Point well taken. Ice maker = yard sale item. I don't even use the A/C at home.

HughMungus · Post by **HughMungus** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 12:34 pm

Dustdevil wrote:Maybe I am getting lazy in my old age, but it sure seems to be less trouble just to buy ice on the Playa. I am thinking about the effort to bring the ice maker, a generator that needs to run 24/7 to make it run, water and gas for the genny, haul it up there and haul it back for five bags of ice per day? I think my time would be better spent in line at Artica. I have met some neat people there.

Well, yeah, that's why I was asking. I've never bought ice onsite and didn't know what it cost. But then I just started wondering about them in general (say, if you're running a bar and using a lot of ice and/or if you want to be able to supply ice to a camp and neighbors). Regarding the generator, we're going to have one, anyway.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 1:04 pm

Sure- If you're doing a high-volume thing then an icemaker might be great. Especially if it uses a generator that'd be running anyway. Otherwise, CampArctica's prices are the same as a supermarket, and not only have I never waited long in line but I can't remember ever even SEEING that long of a line. Perhaps I'm otherwise engaged during peak traffic hours....

Helpful hint: No matter how hot you are, DO NOT dunk your head in the bucket of drained cooler water (no matter how clean it is).....INSTANT brain freeze headache. Yow!

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 1:17 pm

robotland wrote: Helpful hint: No matter how hot you are, DO NOT dunk your head in the bucket of drained cooler water (no matter how clean it is).....INSTANT brain freeze headache. Yow!

~
This is from a guy that also tells you not to weld in the buff. Glad I live a long away.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 6:37 am

unjonharley wrote:
robotland wrote: Helpful hint: No matter how hot you are, DO NOT dunk your head in the bucket of drained cooler water (no matter how clean it is).....INSTANT brain freeze headache. Yow!

~
This is from a guy that also tells you not to weld in the buff. Glad I live a long away.

Don't be afraid- I seem to only be able to hurt MYSELF. You won't have to reread your ticket-back before visiting the Snowman.

Unless you ride the luge.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 7:18 am

robotland wrote:
unjonharley wrote:
robotland wrote: Helpful hint: No matter how hot you are, DO NOT dunk your head in the bucket of drained cooler water (no matter how clean it is).....INSTANT brain freeze headache. Yow!

~
This is from a guy that also tells you not to weld in the buff. Glad I live a long away.
Don't be afraid- I seem to only be able to hurt MYSELF. You won't have to reread your ticket-back before visiting the Snowman.

Unless you ride the luge.

~
That's all well and good. But I can't stand a screamer.

diane o'thirst · Post by **diane o'thirst** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 3:01 pm

Alsto's catalog has a plug-in one for the patio but it's something like $450 and only produces a gallon's worth an hour. I didn't think it worth the expense.

Consider also the logistics: you're going to need to bring extra water to make that ice with and gennie/fuel for the ice maker. Water in a bottle = 10# per gallon, and you can't collapse it down. If you have a big camp with access to a stickbed truck or a big box van, it could be worth the extra expense and logistical hassle, though. Otherwise, forget it, just get a Bob trailer and a Roughtote and pay Camp Arctica a visit every other day.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 4:22 pm

Carl Finch of Brave Combo wrote:Ice Machine In The Desert

Some people in Africa have never seen ice
How could they?
How could they?
Cause it's hot there, most of the time, and when it's not
It's warm
The Sahara Desert is very big
Yet in that void I see
An Ice Machine on nothing
There's no electricity
An Ice Machine over-flowing with cubes
A frozen oasis of steel
Hummin' and providin' relief -
For the way people feel

(Chorus:)
Don't forget your bucket, Don't forget your bucket
Don't forget your bucket, bucket. Don't forget your bucket

You know, Gila monsters cross the road from here to El Paso
Every poisonous snake in the land can be found here too, ya know
And scorpions aren't afraid -- they give you very little space
They make you line up in single file so try not to lose your place

Repeat Chorus

(Spoken: C'mon Jeffrey!)

How can I make you see, the things you can't believe?
Your fear is illogical you seem very wise but that doesn't matter to me
For I was back in the sandbox playin' with toys when I spilled my Coke
And like a fur-covered spoon it made me think, isn't life a funny joke
It's like an Ice Machine over-flowing with cubes
A frozen oasis of steel
Hummin' and providin' relief -
For the way people feel

Repeat Chorus

Don't forget your bucket, bucket
Don't forget you bucket
Don't forget you bucket, bucket, bucket
Don't forget your bucket, bucket, bucket
Don't forget your bucket, HEY!
Don't forget your bucket

Apologies to all buckets on this board.

Toe · Post by **Toe** » Sun Dec 22, 2019 5:23 pm

I've brought an ice maker the last two years. It's great!

This year I put it in the shade and it did a lot better.

The thing runs well on solar. The battery gets charged in the morning before the day gets hot. Then I can make use of the excess solar power during the hottest part of the day by serving up a steady stream of icy drinks all afternoon. I turn the ice off when the heat settles down in the evening.

Using the hot sun to silently make cold drinks is so luxurious it almost feels like cheating, almost.

Portable ice makers?

Portable ice makers?

ice

Re: Portable ice makers?