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39 of 40 found the following review helpful:
 Practical Details ... Here's the scoop ... May 28, 2010
By Roberta Karchner
I purchased this to go with my Mr. Coffee BVMC-FM1 20-Ounce Frappe Maker, since I was using so much ice.
The best way to use this is to turn it on when you need to make ice, unless you are going to need a lot in a hurry - then you can freeze the cubes ahead of time.
1) How much ice does it make?
Well, each time it makes a batch, it makes between one and two cups ... that's every 6-10 minutes. So in an hour, it will make 6-10 cups of ice.
2) How much ice does it hold?
I was able to empty 2 trays into a gallon freezer bag (barely), so I'd say that it holds about 1/2 gallon of ice before it automatically shuts off.
3) Do you need to keep it turned on?
You can, but you don't have to. Put the ice you've made into your freezer and turn it off. When you aren't going to use it for awhile, you drain any extra water out so that you can be sure your water to make the ice is fresh and healthy.
4) Will it keep ice frozen?
Actually, Yes. I don't know for how long, but the sides seem stay cool, and it is well insulated, so the ice I made the night before was "still" ice in the morning. The ice sits in a basket over the water supply, so if there is any melting, it drips down and is remade into ice again. I suggest for long-term use, that you simply remove the ice and place it in your freezer.
5) Do you need anything special?
No. You take it out of the box, wash the parts, add water, and turn it on. I'm using purified water, but that's for flavor, NOT because it's required. And, just a "green" note - for the environment and to keep a little green in your pocket - don't buy bottled water for this - it's a lot cheaper (and no bottles to recycle) if you use a purifier or purifying pitcher.
6) Is it noisy?
You can hear the ice cubes clink into the basket every few minutes while it is running. They freeze around little poles, so the only sound is that of water dripping and a small fan which removes the heat (kind of like the one on a refrigerator).
It's a nice solution for those of us who don't have an ice maker in our freezer and who don't have the patience to keep filling those little ice trays to make enough ice!
***Updated June 28, 2010 I have noted that with our recent heat wave, that the ice does melt, however, as I mentioned above, it simply melts into the bottom and then the machine remakes the ice. Not only am I using it for my frappes, but I also found it awesome when I froze four gallons of ice for a large event where I knew I'd need more ice on hand.
*** Updated June 2011 - I have continued to use this machine for a full year. It continues to work well, and I have had NO problems with it. I always like to know how things work over time, so I wanted to come back and give an update. I consider it to be one of my favorite purchases!
23 of 23 found the following review helpful:
GREAT TO USE IN A MOTORHOME!! May 29, 2010
By Bill Hov
I have a Class "A" 35 foot Motorhome and like most motorhomes under "One Hundred Thousand Dollars" the refrigerators are on the small side and in the freezer you need every inch. This ice maker was just what I was looking for, the prices is right and the size is perfect to store in the motorhome. Every few days I pour some bottled water in and make a zip-lock bag of ice and put it in the freezer. It took all the worries out of running out of ice. If we have guests it's great!!! Once it gets to temperature it seems to take off and fills up fast. It is also great for making crushed ice because the cubes have a hole in the center and are easy to smash. Only problem I have is that it is heavy (for me, I have a bad back) and to pick it up to the sink to clean it good is ruff. All & all: Well made, Nice looking and the only noise is the cubes falling which I find kind of neat myself :)
It was about two months after the above review of the Ice Maker when it broke!! I did read reviews where others had problems with the water pump but I thought it was just an air bubble because mine stopped pumping a few times and all I had to do was tilt it a bit thinking I was releasing the air.
WRONG!! one day that dreaded "out of water light came on and that's all she wrote. I called and received no satisfaction at all!! Figuring it would be too much trouble to send it back I decides to repair it myself. That is what I did for a living, R&D engineer, I have repaired more sophisticated machinery then a simple Ice Maker. I worked for "Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center" in New York City for over 15 years repairing Picker & GE X-Ray machines and Linear Escalators. I was schooled by these companies and was a "Jack of ALL Trades". Enough of tooting my horn.
The ice maker is built very well, like clockwork inside. It has a good compressor and the design is excellent!! It has one flaw, the water pump! I took the pump out and it is a medical grade pump with a ISO certification on it. (ISO 9001:2000) Problem, after a long day of hunting on my computer and my connections I could not find a replacement pump. It is made in China by "HENG SHAN" model # FS60202M , DC 12 volts 0.23 amps.
What I did was disassemble the pump, it is a tiny thing. Easy to take apart, it is a magnet driven pump. One electro magnet spinning in a sealed housing insulated from the water. It drives a smaller magnet that has the impellor attached that moves the water. Age old design used in many things such as fish tank filter pumps.
I found three problems with the pump: (1) the electro magnet circuit board had a cold solder joint. (2) one of the windings had no continuity, which took me a long time to find the break with a magnifying glass and repair it. (3) both the electro magnet shaft and the impellor shaft were shimmed to tight which I found out after I repaired (1) & (2). That could have been the cause of the winding getting hot and breaking. The time it did run for was intermittent, it did stop on me several times, that was most likely the cold solder joint. Between that and the shafts being shimmed to tight put a strain and high resistance on the windings until one of the winding wires melted... Hence, a dead pump!
After all the repairs (about 12 hours work) it runs great now, has been for weeks. You can hear how much stronger the pump is. If you can not repair it yourself there are plenty of small 12 volt magnet drive pumps that you can replace it with, just replacing it is easy, just take your time taking the back to cover halfs off (lots of screws). GOOD LUCK!!
ps: If you need advice on repair of the pump email me at willphov@gmail.com and I will try to get back to you.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
 No/None/Notta Customer Service/Dead outofthe Box Jun 30, 2010
By Photo Nut
"Cannon Savy"
This is the 6th+ review...so it seems 1 out of every 6 is a dice roll. I thoroughly researched prior to deciding on this particular NewAir unit, size and function ice maker. It LOOKS great and that is about it. Plastic smell would likely have fade away. Cube size was going to be large anyway. And noise would not have been a biggy. My review is for the Customer Service from Air & Water, the seller. My luck got a bad unit and have now waited for daze to be contacted by a REP. Fine Print says you will need to request a "replacement" unless you want to pay for return shipping + a 15% restocking fee. My purchase came with Free Shipping and that was the deciding factor for me (plus all the stellar reviews). I purchased with sufficient time for any issues as it was to be a 4th July Gift. So I can forget this as a gift. Days/Daze have gone by and there has been NO response to the only option of online form support. I have spoken with an actual person at Customer Service who indicated I must submit an on line form for a Return Number or they will not accept the return on the BROKEN unit. To be clear, be lucky to get one that WORKS. So far any return for the BROKEN unit is gonna cost me an extra 15% + cross country insured shipping fees...seems kinda scammmmy. I will update with the outcome of my drammmma!!! Also, description indicates a year warranty BUT there is no warranty card or any type of manufacturer name OR contact information. Perhaps you should call and get answers PRIOR to ordering one of their products! Good Luck with Air & Water should you have issues. My 1 star rating may be too high, will see. Wonder if I can complain to my credit card company and geta full refund?
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Great party saver! Mar 17, 2010
By Matt
I just purchased this ice maker and I am very happy with it. It does just what it says it will do. On "small" cube setting it takes only 6 to 8 minutes to make each batch of ice so it is constantly replinishing the stock as you use it. It is a smaller ice maker so it is perfect for small parties or get-togethers, but if you need a lot of ice you might consider the larger version. I love that it is small enough to put on the counter or wherever you like, and that it has three ice sizes to choose from. Very good product!
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
One ice cube landing in the wrong place defeats the machine. Aug 11, 2010
By S. E. Davis
"Fricassee"
The sensor that tells the unit to stop making ice was placed by the manufacture in the corner above the ice cube tray. Three times on the first day of use, one cube landed in the corner resting itself on the sensor causing the unit to stop making ice. One ice cube resting on the sensor is enough to tell the unit to quit, even when there's no ice in the tray. They need to relocate the sensor it's a poor design. This unit is being returned and the larger unit is being ordered. The larger units sensor is located so that the only way ice stops being made is when the tray is full. Go for the larger model.
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