A few times a year we spend a month or so on the road. Storing enough ice to enjoy on-demand became a problem. Our small refrigerator freezer lacks space for a bag of ice and the frozen items. What to do? Enter portable ice makers for RVs.Â
Portable ice makers for RVs
We decided to buy a portable countertop ice maker. I offer you a list of five popular brands for consideration. Note that prices reflect the least expensive found at the time.
The ratings and prices shown here are all based on Amazon prices and ratings. However, you can find most ice makers locally or via internet purchase from major box stores. Dimensions are WxLxH. Most come in a variety of colors.Â
Review comments range from “dead on arrival” to “best appliance I ever bought.” I suggest that you check out the reviews before you decide.
We purchased the Frigidaire model—not for price, but for local availability (Lowe’s). After two years of periodic usage, we have encountered no problems. It fills a gallon ziplock bag in about 35 minutes. This is not an endorsement—just saying.Â
I suggest that the one you choose will probably fit your needs. So, quit with the ice bags and go with your own personal ice maker. It sure made a difference in our trailer life.Â
The best portable ice makers for RVs
IGLOO ICEB26AQ Automatic Portable Electric Countertop Ice Maker Machine
- Weight: 21.4 pounds
- Dimensions: 9.6 x 14.7 x 12.4 inches
- Capacity: 26 pounds/24 hours
- Output: 9 pieces/7 minute
- Cost: $159.99
- Amazon Review Rating: 4.3 (7873)
COSTWAY Countertop Ice Maker EP22769
- Weight: 17.5 pounds
- Dimensions: 9.5 x 14.0 x 13 inches
- Capacity: 26 pounds/24 hours
- Output: 9 pieces/9 minute
- Cost: $129.99
- Amazon Review Rating: 4.4 (3652)
FRIGIDAIRE 26 lb. Countertop Ice Maker EFIC117-SS
- Weight: 26 pounds
- Dimensions: 9.5 x 14.1 x 12.9 inches
- Capacity: 27 pounds/24 hours
- Output: 9 pieces/7 minutes
- Cost: $99.00
- Amazon Review Rating: 4.5 (1160)
VIVOHOME Electric Portable Compact Countertop Automatic Ice Cube Maker
- Weight: 17 pounds
- Dimensions: 12.59 x 9.64 x 12.59 inches
- Capacity: 26 pounds/24 hours
- Output: 24 pieces/8 minutes
- Cost: $127.49
- Amazon Review Rating: 4.6 (5409)
For those who are in need of major portions, this one may be best:
EUHOMY Ice Maker Machine Countertop IM-F
- Weight: 26 pounds
- Dimensions: 11.0 x 13.7 x 14.1 inches
- Capacity: 40 pounds/24 hours
- Output: 24 pieces/13 minutes
- Cost: $219.99
- Amazon Review Rating: 4.4 (4228)
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We use our ice maker all the time, we bought the first one almost 6 years ago it lasted 2 seasons (about 18 months 9 months at a time. The next one we bought at Walmart for $96 it’s been going ever since at about 9 months at a time. We always have our water mugs with ice water so a constant supply of ice is important, it makes 8 cubes every 7 minutes. As it doesn’t freeze the cubes they will melt and the water recycles and becomes ice again.
We’ve had several different brands of portable ice makers over the years. Even after frequent cleaning of water lines and fans (it gets dusty), they seem to last about two years. We use ours daily for ice to eat throughout the day instead of snacking on something not healthy. We put the ice in a small Yeti ice chest which keeps it frozen. Doing it this way the ice isn’t as hard for our teeth if we’d put it in the freezer.
Our latest purchase is a Magic Chef as it had a Good Housekeeping seal of approval. And it looks just like the Igloo and other models. We’ll see how it works.
We have an Igloo. We love it. Gives us more room in the freezer for stuff we can’t make “on demand”.
Next to having a fridge, our ice maker is the most prized appliance in our RV. We never shut it off. Just remember to winterize it when you winterize the rest of the RV.
What ever happened to making your own ice? We have two trays that take up very little room in the small freezer. I put them in when we arrive at a location, and empty them as needed. I never put fresh water into them when we are going to hit the road, for obvious reasons. We also have a quart-sized freezer bag that stays in the door of the freezer and has the equivalent of a tray of cubes for immediate use. When it gets low, I refill it from the trays and refill the trays with fresh water.
This doesn’t need to be an expensive, complicated problem to solve.
Plus, I can’t imagine where we would store one of those things when not being used. We also bring some good old fashioned home made ice when we load the refrigerator. Keeps everything cold while we travel and set up. $99 will cover all the ice we might buy in a whole season. I might feel different if we boon docked or full timed.
I used the ice cube tray method when I first started out. It was a pain. Water spilled everywhere getting them into the tiny freezer. I soon gave up on having ice. Last year I received an icemaker as a gift but I would have bought one when I saw how fast and convenient they were. Compact enough to store behind the driver’s seat and it starts putting out cubes in 7 minutes. No need to store ice in the precious small space of my freezer.
I suppose it is as my Gramma said… to each their own.. not everyone dances to the same song as you …
it may have a higher priority in other peoples lives….
I am one that is going to purchase one as I am one that needs ice daily… and my poor freezer is not going to provide me the tiny amount of space needed for a few trays of water… my freezer is a HIGH leveled Tetris challenge … not going to stress my self out trying to do water trays as well…
however… that being said… I envy you the ability to make it in the freezer like a normal person would… as for me.. I am taking the gadget road and be glad I can avoid the freezer of Tetris !
I’m with you, Tom. Going on ten years for our two ice trays. Disconnected the ice maker in our fridge and use the bin for ice storage. Light and extremely portable!
We really missed not having an automatic icemaker in our refrigerator after downsizing from our Phaeton with a residential refrigerator to our Jayco Greyhawk with the smaller propane/electric Norcold. We bought a Frigidaire portable icemaker at Costco and found it was the solution! It begins making ice immediately and after the bin is full, I place the ice cubes in a gallon plastic bag and put it in the freezer until the cubes harden. Once they harden, I Ioosen them by banging them a few times on the bread board and then put them in an ice cube bin in our freezer. We keep the icemaker outside (it’s constantly dropping cubes and a bit noisy) and it does great, even in the Florida heat. (I move it if there’s a chance of rain, but once it did get rained on, and it still worked fine.) Sure, we could buy a bag of ice–but in our small refrigerator the bag would take up a lot of real estate–the ice maker is a great solution for us.