Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Hmmm.... I've got a customer with a ice machine that holds up to 500lbs. That's where I usually get most of my ice from

mechmagcn wrote:Hmmm.... I've got a customer with a ice machine that holds up to 500lbs. That's where I usually get most of my ice from

Or you can pull in behind the Holiday inn and pretend to be a guest just getting a little ice from the ice machine in the walkway .

Most of the high end motels have the ice units secured. You have to have a key-card to get ice

My camping routine used to be stopping after work at the local watering hole. I would fill up a couple of coolers full of ice... And fill myself up with a cold beer or two... Pack up the cold coolers in the morning and top up with ice from the house.

If you know someone who gets Insulin by mailorder, they ship UPS two day in a foam cooler with some hefty refreezable ice packs. My wife gets her Insulin from Express Scripts and thats what they send. I've supplied a couple of friends with coolers, ( they hold a six pack), and ice packs.

Art

I found a way to refreeze bottles of ice when away from home on extended trips.

Grind up storebought ice and stick into large mouth 2 quart juice containers.

The grinder I have sucks, anyone know of a good manual grinder?

I found a bunch of Blue Ice reusable ice packs on clearance sale at the end of the summer season for 99-cents a piece, and cleaned the shelf out. I mix them in with my food/beverages in the cooler. Like Lawryn said, having your cooler full is important, and these "cubes" make good filler.

CD

Ageless wrote:Most of the high end motels have the ice units secured. You have to have a key-card to get ice

Hotels don't have those big icemakers with scoops anymore, either -- just those ones that dispense small amounts of ice at a time.

CD

The old style machines you scoop the ice out of are illegal in many jurisdictions. Apparently some heathens were relieving themselves in the machines and thus a health concern.

Jocko
a fountain of useful information.

I did a test once using our indoor outdoor thermometer, and have since tested our home freezer. Temperature inside the bag ice machine at the store was 30 degrees inside our freezer at home 0 degrees, with the ice maker on it is -20. What you start out with has a lot to do with how long it lasts.
Does any one have an internal temp reading on one of the table top ice makers and the current draw? When plugged in it may well be an idea.

Shadow Catcher wrote:I did a test once using our indoor outdoor thermometer, and have since tested our home freezer. Temperature inside the bag ice machine at the store was 30 degrees inside our freezer at home 0 degrees, with the ice maker on it is -20. What you start out with has a lot to do with how long it lasts.
Does any one have an internal temp reading on one of the table top ice makers and the current draw? When plugged in it may well be an idea.

My table-top icemakers did not refrigerate the ice holding compartment. The ice slowly melts back into the water reservoir.

CD

I usually get Ice from my church - we have a very large commercial Ice machine and it always stays full - So I invite members to come and get some ice just so the machine will cycle on and off to make fresh cubes.

planovet wrote:

caseydog wrote:I have an icemaker in the freezer, and I freeze bottles of ice for my cooler for camping, but if I need a bunch of ice cubes, I got to 7-eleven and buy a bag or two.

That pretty much does it for me too. I try to make it not too complicated.

same for us. I dont have room in my big freezer for 30 ice cube trays.

Hey all,
I'm with you about the OCD ice thing Mike!! I freeze water in those little 8-10 ounce G-2 plastic bottles to keep the cooler cold! Plus that OAT (old age thing) water from home is already accustomed to my system better than campgroung water--So as the ice melts I have drinking water from home. I like my iced Adult beverage with the salt on the ice--keeps it colder and tasty with saltwater on the outside--Lol Plus the smaller bottles pack well around the foodstuff!
Til later by the fire--John T. & Linda

I solved the ice problem with an Engle, a 120 watt solar panel, and 2 large golf cart batteries built into the TD. That works out to around $1600 to save $35/year on ice...

But if you consider all you save on cheese that was ruined because the water proof bag you put the cheese in leaked (can anyone explain how water can run into a ziploc bag that finds it's way to the bottom of the ice chest, but when you pull the bag out, it holds water?), well, we are up to $60 a year savings.

On the other hand, we usually take a month vacation every summer, since building the TD we now camp and cook in style rather than stay in B&Bs and boutique motels and eat out (which is easily $200 a day), so that $1600 was paid for in 8 days of camping. See, you can justify anything!