Do ice makers store ice – this question is for everyone who’s looking to buy an ice maker to replace the freezer completely. I wrote an article of “Do portable ice makers keep ice frozen?” recently to help homeowners understand the fundamentals of their countertop ice makers, and today, I will answer this question for both countertop and undercounter units.
If you’re having any other questions related ice makers, don’t hesitate to ask me away. I’ve made a comprehensive “Ice Maker FAQ” series collecting all common ice maker problems to help Ice Artisan readers quickly troubleshoot their ice maker units.
- ⚖️ Countertop vs undercounter ice makers
- 👍 Are portable ice makers worth it?
- ⚡ How much electricity does an ice maker use?
- 💧 Does an ice maker use a lot of water?
- 🪣 Do ice makers need to be drained?
- 🚫 Can ice makers cause water damage?
- 🚰 Do ice makers need water lines?
- 🔊 Are countertop ice makers loud?
- 😭 Do ice makers make a lot of noise?
- 🔗 Are countertop ice makers safe?
- ⛺ Can ice makers be used outdoors?
- 🔌 Can ice makers be left running all the time?
- 🚗 Can ice makers be used in RV?
- 🗄️ Can ice makers be installed in cabinets?
- ❄️ Do portable ice makers keep ice frozen?
- 🛠️ Can ice makers be used in garages?
- 📄 Do ice makers store ice?
- 💡 How does ice maker work?
- 🎰 How does a commercial ice maker work?
- 🛠️ How to install an undercounter ice maker?
- ❄️ How to make clear ice in ice maker?
- 🪣 How to increase ice production in ice maker?
- ⏳ How long does an ice maker take to make ice?
- 🔗 When to replace ice maker filter?
- ⏱️ When to replace ice maker?
- 💡 How to clean ice maker?
- 😭 Why does my ice maker smell bad?
- 🫗 How to drain an ice maker?
- 🪣 How to unclog an ice maker?
- 🔗 How do I unstick my ice maker arm?
- 💧 How to fix ice maker leaking water?
- ❄️ Why is my portable ice maker making too much ice?
- 🥵 Why is my ice maker hot?
- 🔌 What happens if you don’t turn off the ice maker?
Ice Artisan‘s best picks
Do ice makers store ice?
Yes, ice makers do store ice, but with important limitations that vary by appliance type and design. Countertop ice makers don’t keep ice frozen, but even undercounter ice makers don’t have such freezer components to keep ice frozen permanently. You can store ice for a much longer time, but eventually the ice will melt away, unless you take care of the storage bin.
Portable countertop ice makers typically store 1.5 to 3 pounds of ice in their internal storage baskets. Normally, such basket size means the countertop ice maker takes 1-3 hours to completely fill the storage, and the temperature of each produced ice will keep existing ones last a bit longer, but if you don’t take ices out constantly, they will melt quickly.
Undercounter ice makers, however, can store ice for a longer time because their commercial-grade storage bins have better insulation. You can forget to take ices out for hours, and still your ices keep the size and form quite perfectly, depending on the model you get. Read more in my article: “Countertop vs undercounter ice makers“.
Still, if you truly want to store ice for an extended time, make sure to transfer ice to a separate freezer. Another question about ice makers is answered in Ice Artisan!
