Is Purchasing An Ice Maker Worth It?

Don't you hate those moments when you go to pour yourself a nice cold drink, but when you open the freezer, there's not an ice cube in sight? Maybe you forgot to refill the tray, and now you're left with room-temperature water. It's an unfortunate situation, which is exactly why ice makers were created. Now, you can relax while the ice maker does its thing. The only issue is the price; ice makers tend to be on the pricier side, depending on the brand and features. On the low end, you might find one for around $70, but a more expensive ice maker can cost you $500 or more.

This begs the question: Is purchasing an ice maker really worth it? The answer isn't necessarily black-and-white. In order to figure out whether you need an ice maker in your home, you have to look at the pros and cons, then decide if the good outweighs the bad. After reading this article, you may find out if you need an ice maker (or not) after all.

Before we get into why you may or may not need to purchase an ice maker, let's discuss its pros and cons. Obviously, the biggest perk of an ice maker is you don't have to do any of the work. You don't have to worry whether or not you'll have ice available, as portable ice makers produce about 30 pounds of ice a day. Another plus side is how quickly they're able to produce the ice. On average, it takes about 7 to 15 minutes for the water to freeze and fall into the storage bucket.

One of the greatest cons of having an ice maker is the amount of counter space they require. Even though they're portable, that doesn't mean that they're small. Another downside of having one of these machines is the humming sound they make. Depending on your tolerance for noise, this may not be an issue, but it's worth mentioning anyway. However, the fact that they need to be cleaned on a regular basis might. It sounds like a chore — and it is — but it's the only way to prevent scale and grime. Plus, not maintaining it could be the reason your ice maker stopped working.

Now that you've learned the pros and cons of an ice maker, let's get down to why you may need one (or not). First and foremost, if you live in a tiny apartment or have limited counter space, we highly recommend you don't purchase this appliance. You're losing valuable surface area you could be using for other necessary items, like a microwave or coffee maker. Additionally, if you don't need ice on a regular basis, there's no need to purchase something that makes several pounds of it daily — filling up the tray every now and then is just fine.

On the flip side, if you live in a household where ice is an everyday necessity — and you have plenty of counter space — you would probably benefit from buying an ice maker. Otherwise, you have to constantly refill the trays (trust us, you don't want to be that person who forgets to make more ice). In another instance, maybe your built-in ice maker is broken (which can get costly to repair), and the only solution is to get a portable one. You could be dealing with a blocked water dispenser or clogged water filter – but in any case, unless you're cool with drinking warm beverages, investing in an ice maker may do you some good.