EMoeller
Well-known member
- First Name
- Eric
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2023
- Threads
- 6
- Messages
- 261
- Reaction score
- 398
- Location
- West Marin, California
- Vehicles
- Porsches (992 Turbo S, 993 Turbo, 993 Targa)
- Occupation
- Geologist
- Thread starter
- #1
I’ve been in awe over this forum’s creatives, tinkerers, and doers - wishing I could contribute some new way to improve my CyberBeast. I think I’ve come with a pretty cool idea - literally!
TLDR;
GE Opal 2.0 Chewable Crunchable Ice Maker
https://www.amazon.com/GE-Counterto...fos.5998aa40-ec6f-4947-a68f-cd087fee0848&th=1
Fits perfectly in the front cab
Makes, and self recycles ice, and provides a small place to chill bottle/can beverages while on the go…
On my first long road trip (from North Bay, San Francisco to Bisbee, AZ) I was missing a way to keep my drinks cold because I forgot my small cooler. In thinking about ways to have some way to build in a cooler that would fit in the middle console area I came up with the idea of installing my GE chew ice maker.
When I returned home I figured I would need to create some sort of mounting bracket, yet the dimensions were so close that it might not fit at all!?!
Turns out it fits perfectly (like mm close), and it plugs into the rear power socket under the passenger seat (the lines running up to the dash in the photo are for my Starlink Mini and phone charger).
It works great because of its design - the water reservoir in the bottom is pumped up to the freezer which discharges into the insulated clear plastic bin. When the ice melts it drains back into the water reservoir and is recycled. When the ice builds up it shuts off. There is enough room clear bin for a few beverage containers to be chilled.
I’ve been testing this out for about a week and have these TIPS AND TRICKS:
TLDR;
GE Opal 2.0 Chewable Crunchable Ice Maker
https://www.amazon.com/GE-Counterto...fos.5998aa40-ec6f-4947-a68f-cd087fee0848&th=1
Fits perfectly in the front cab
Makes, and self recycles ice, and provides a small place to chill bottle/can beverages while on the go…
On my first long road trip (from North Bay, San Francisco to Bisbee, AZ) I was missing a way to keep my drinks cold because I forgot my small cooler. In thinking about ways to have some way to build in a cooler that would fit in the middle console area I came up with the idea of installing my GE chew ice maker.
When I returned home I figured I would need to create some sort of mounting bracket, yet the dimensions were so close that it might not fit at all!?!
Turns out it fits perfectly (like mm close), and it plugs into the rear power socket under the passenger seat (the lines running up to the dash in the photo are for my Starlink Mini and phone charger).
It works great because of its design - the water reservoir in the bottom is pumped up to the freezer which discharges into the insulated clear plastic bin. When the ice melts it drains back into the water reservoir and is recycled. When the ice builds up it shuts off. There is enough room clear bin for a few beverage containers to be chilled.
I’ve been testing this out for about a week and have these TIPS AND TRICKS:
- While the front to back fit is tight (zero movement), the side to side could (requires high speed curves and push force) slide a coupe of inches. The four feet will keep the ice maker from sliding out of the console area. I might put in some rubber or velcro to minimize this, but it is nice to be able to push it slightly with your knee.
- During very swift tight turns the full ice bin did slide out on its own. It has a stop so no ice was spilled and it it was easy to reach over and slide it back in. But I may use a small piece of velcro with sticky tape to keep that from happening.
- The unit automatically makes ice and shuts down while keeping the ice cold (reduced melting), but REMEMBER NO POWER TO ANY OUTLETS WHEN THE TRUCK IS PLUGGED IN (whether charging or not). So while I used to keep my truck plugged in at home except when driving, I now keep it unplugged except at night when it charges at reduced rates. The installation is good enough that I still have ice when I disconnect in the morning (but I have to turn back on the outlets even when I have the “keep outlets on” button on - which you will need to do if you keep the ice machine installed and running).
- MAINTENANCE - Anyone who has a Jura or other fancy expresso machine knows it requires constant filling, cleaning, descaling, etc. The ice maker is the same. Always use distilled water (there is no filter in this model), and especially note that because the ice recycles itself it will need frequent cleaning with chlorine as per the instructions. Also don’t put dirty bottles or anything into the ice bin.
- The ice machine is NOT designed for mobile installation so the life of your ice maker may be degraded with extended use. For myself I’ll probably take it out except for long trips and camping. It is super easy to put in and take out.
- The only issue I have encountered is that Fill Water light stayed on for no reason. A quick check on Reddit and I found out that the unit’s floater is in the back left corner and can get stuck (or more likely in my case I wasn’t level). So simply driving around fixed this issue for me.
- It doesn’t leak, even if the tank is filled to its ideal level (see instructions), but when I dig into the ice some can spill and some water that splashes up to the underside of the clear plastic bin can drip out (see photo). This is not an issue for me (I have floor mats) but you should be aware that this can happen.
- It does make some noise, which is almost imperceptible while driving, but you can hear the fan, water, and ice tinkling into the bin when stopped. It isn’t an issue for me.
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