Wet bar refrigerator / freezer / ice maker (True, SubZero, Hoshizaki)
Joseph Fitzgerald
6 years ago
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Joseph Fitzgerald
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Panel-ready ice machine: SZ or Scotsman Brilliance, Manitowoc
Comments (7)I did try last week but it's so geared towards commercial, I couldn't really find the right person and sort of gave up. I've been poring over the docs tonight and really do think I could build it in and the guy was wrong. Now, we may be right in that it ideally would have more air space around it, but we do have some room above and beside it - it is just filler there to make everything fit. Do you happen to know how one puts a water filter on an ice maker where it's not built in (like the Manitowoc or SZ? My general contractor said I'd likely actually save $ b/c we can install the filter at the water source below and it can be much bigger and last longer, plus I won't pay up for the specific one that pops into the Manitowoc/SZ. But, I'd love to hear from anyone who did an external water filter for ANY model ice maker. We don't have hard water - and actually Baltimore has really great tap water so it's not a filter for that, I just want to make sure the ice is clean in taste. In the end, it takes a custom panel and I'm really excited about the Hoshi SO... I'm glad I posted and you pushed me back to my original plan! I'll report back on our experience!...See MoreAnyone have a Hoshizaki residential ice machine? Vs Manitowoc
Comments (39)Wow, this is an old thread! I went to check my eBay history for part numbers to give you, but it doesn't go back that far. In the basement below the ice maker, I have a McCann pressure booster pump that boosts the water pressure to 90 PSI. After the pressure booster I tee off for the still water and for the McCann Big Mac carbonator (You can find deals on them used on eBay if you're patient). I feed the carbonator and the syrup pumps from a 20lb Co2 tank. You also need a cold plate - whatever you can find cheap - if it's got too many passages, just loop your seltzer through it multiple times, a regulator (get one with two gauges!). Everything is plumbed with .375 pex, and clamped together with oetiker clamps. You need to drill four holes in the back of the ice maker - just be careful and make sure you don't drill through anything important. There's nothing hidden to avoid, everything you don't want to hit is right where you can see it - there's basically only one place where you'll find room for four holes. I chose the hole size based on what the local hardware store had rubber grommets for that also fit my tubing. The back of the unit is foam insulation sandwiched between sheet metal and plastic. The holes in the metal and plastic need to be perfectly concentric to prevent leaks, so use a small pilot drill, and a step drill to bring the holes to size. Making the holes and feeding the hose in is the only real "hard" part. And even then it's only hard because you have to get it right the first time. The two water lines go into the ice maker, clamp to the cold plate (leave enough loops of pipe behind the unit to be able to pull it out of when you need to), then out of the cold plate to the manifold of a Wunderbar bar gun. I wish I had gotten a more traditional seltzer tower, since I hardly ever use the post-mix, but I thought the bar gun was cool! I've had this running since 2016, and so far the only thing I've had trouble with is the pressure booster pump. McCann makes two models. The "cheap" one with the diaphragm pump, and the expensive one with the vane pump (16-2170) - I don't know if the expensive one is good, but I assume it is. I do know that diaphragm pumps universally suck - they're loud and they break. Don't get one! You do need some kind of pressure booster to get the water pressure up to 90-100 psi before feeding it into the setup though....See MoreReplace or repair Scotsman ice maker?
Comments (6)Not sure if it's worth repairing, as I don't know what the problem is or what it would cost to fix. I do know that ice machines haven't fundamentally changed over the last few decades. I'd look first at the Manitowoc SM50 for its build quality, quietness, filtration, interior lighting, and neat crystal-clear octagonal ice cubes. It even has a button that will temporarily cease ice-making for 2 to 6 hours if you need perfect quietness, as it is designed for quiet office boardrooms as well as residences. The Scotsman Brilliance or their somewhat less expensive DCE33 series, are good second choices. It too makes crystal-clear, nicely shaped ice, and like the Manitowoc has a convenient high-mounted ice-storage area, and is 15" wide. The Brilliance has a lighted bin. Both of these should be reliable, especially the Manitowoc - these companies mostly build larger machines for commercial customers like restaurants, hotels, and bars where reliability is crucial. These devices need a drain; if you don't have access to one that's below the level of the machine, you'll need to specify the optional water pump. Don't know much about the Sub-Zero. I don't like the Whirlpool-built ice machines (a.k.a. Kitchenaid, Maytag, Jenn-Air, Kenmore, etc.) - small rectangular ice cubes and lower, harder to reach ice compartment. The Marvel also has an oddly low ice compartment, rather than at the top of the unit when you open the door. I don't have much/any experience with GE's, U-Line's or Perlick's ice machines, beyond that only U-Line has an undercounter refrigerator that makes clear ice cubes (24"w)....See MoreWet Bar Appliances?
Comments (4)U-Line has a 24"w combo refrigerator and *clear* ice maker that's very nice. Manitowoc's SM50 probably the best 15"w clear ice maker IMO, followed by the Scotsman which is less expensive. You can also get an undercounter fridge/freezer or fridge/freezer/icemaker combination. Add to that a small sink, disposer, small dishwasher (18"w full height or 24"w single drawer type), a microwave or convection/microwave oven and if applicable a 12"w two-burner cooktop (or even a one-burner)....See MoreArl Tile
5 years agoJoseph Fitzgerald
5 years agoArl Tile
5 years agoJoseph Fitzgerald
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4 years agoJoseph Fitzgerald
4 years agoL G
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4 years ago
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