Kenmore Under Counter Ice Maker

Hey Folks,

I have a Kenmore under counter ice maker model 6.89483998 that seems to have excessive water from the drain in the rear. There is plenty of ice being made. It drips water steadily which I assume is normal for this unit but on a regular cycle many times an hour it pours water as if a faucet was turned on from the same drain for a minute or two . I would think that so much water so often would be hard on the water bill. Thanks in advance for any help with this unit.

networker

 

I let the machine run for 2 days and this is what I see....Plenty of ice, almost too much. Water output is still the alternating trickle and full flow from the drain. 3/4
of a gallon of water an hour. Seems like a lot to me. Also, there is almost nothing in any forums anywhere concerning this unit.

networker

 

Full flow from the drain is at the end of a cycle for a rinse. As the unit makes ice the water flows over a freezing evaporator. This keeps the minerals from freezing in the ice. So during the freezing process a trickle would be normal.

As far as how much water.......I don't know the exact amount. I would think that 3/4 gallon sounds a little high. I left a link below to the manual but it doesn't address water consumption.



Owner's Manual - KENMORE Freestanding Icemaker 10689483998, 10689482998, 10689489998, 2313855 - ManageMyLife.com

 

I've only had limited experience with ice makers but I am always shocked by their inefficient design. It's not bad for a commercial application that uses a lot of ice but extremely wasteful of water and electricity for home use.

All the models that I have seen are not freezers. The ice is stored in a cooler. There is the freezing portion that makes the ice but the ice in storage is always melting and being replaced by new ice on top. Many I've seen produce a constant trickle from the drain even when not making ice and most models do not recirculate the water used to make ice. They just run water across the freezing section and what does not freeze goes down the drain.

 

Dane.....you brought up a point that had slipped my mind. The ice storage area is not a freezer. So for light duty home use this wouldn't be the most cost effective method to make/maintain ice.

If you do a lot of entertaining or have a high demand for ice you're set.

You could start the machine up when needed but when you're done using it for an exteneded period you would have to drain the water out of it.

 

The machine you have is based on a commercial ice machine design.
A pump circulates water over a freezing plate and when a harvest cycle begins the remaining water in the sump goes down the drain.

The way these machines circulate water causes dissolved oxygen that is found in tap water to dissipate which gives you fairly clear ice cubes and is the reason they are not that efficient for home use unless you can afford the water to run it.

This particular design has been around for many years and originally came out under the Whirlpool flag who also made much larger commercial ice machines based on the same design.

There are freestanding ice machines available that consist of a small upright freezer with a home type ice maker installed.
They produce less ice per day than what you have and the cubes are not clear but will not release water to the drain.

One option for your current ice maker is to bag the ice, put it in a freezer then shut it off.

 

Thanks for the input everyone. I owned two of these units going back as far as 1985 or so but in that era running fresh water on the ground was not a concern. What this boils down to is 20+ gallons of water every 24 hours acceptable to have
a cubic foot of wet ice at a time. After listening to you guys I see that this is not the ideal setup for light home use. I froze a bag of ice and when frozen hard it is a huge lump of ice that must be busted with something. This is because the ice is so wet. I wish I knew what was normal water consumption for this model. At least I could sell it and feel good about it.

networker

 

Based on your description it sounds like normal water consumption.

The main cause of excess water consumption on this type of machine is if the water fill solenoid sticks and leaks water into the sump during a ice making cycle.
If this were the case however it would take an exceptionally long time to produce ice.
Check the manual but this model normally produces 33 lbs of ice/24 hours and if it is doing so is working correctly.

Not sure about water rates in your area but producing ice yourself in a commercial type ice machine is normally many times cheaper than purchasing it.

Also, when you bag ice you would normally let it rest in the bin to drain slightly and when put in adequate bags, a drop from one foot onto a counter-top will totally free a frozen lump of ice.

Clear ice is most certainly a luxury and it is good to be aware of the costs of making it.
A bit off topic, this is nowhere near the cost of producing reverse osmosis at home which could be as high as 20 gallons of waste water for every gallon produced in a cheap household unit.

Any possibility of reusing the water for watering the garden or lawn?

 

I talked to a couple of appliance guys and an 800 tech # and 20 gallons or so of water run off a day is normal for this machine. Thanks for the help on this issue.

Networker

Is it paranoia if they really are after you?