Sonic ice makers are one of those types of kitchen appliances where it can be kind of hard to tell whether you need to turn them off or not. In addition, due to the sounds and heat that can be generated by these ice machines, it often feels like they’re consuming massive amounts of energy.
If you’re like me and want to know the details about these sorts of things, then you came to the right place!
Because in this article, I’ll show you everything you need to know!
Table of Contents
Can You Keep Your Ice Maker Turned On?
Yes, similarly to other types of household appliances (such as a blender, a toaster, or a coffeemaker), you can leave your portable nugget ice maker plugged in and turned on for as long as you like.
This is because portable chewy ice makers – just like any other type of household appliance – are actually designed to be powered on continuously.
Whether you’re using a commercial nugget ice maker (for a restaurant, bar, or hospital where they give out ice chips) or a nugget ice maker for your home, the machine is built to be powered on continuously.
So, as long as you make sure there is enough water in the water tank, it should be able to run non-stop.
One of the cool features that a lot of modern nugget ice makers have is to re-use the melted ice coming from the ice tray. Of course, once there’s no more water in the tank, the ice machine will stop working automatically. Therefore, this is a pretty neat trait, as nugget ice makers that are running low on water can simply “recycle” in order to increase efficiency.
Do Portable Nugget Ice Makers Use a Lot Of Electricity?
No, portable nugget ice makers don’t use a lot of electricity. In general, a portable nugget ice maker consumes around 150 to 220 Watts. The table in figure 1.1. represents the electricity rating for the most popular nugget ice makers that have made it to the list and that have been thoroughly reviewed.
As you can see most portable nugget ice makers do not consume a lot of electricity. There are some outliers (such as the Manitowoc and the Scotsman) but these are not really portable nugget ice makers, but rather heavy commercial units.
| Nugget Ice Maker Model | Voltage | Power consumption |
| GE Profile Opal | Countertop Nugget Ice Maker | 120 V | 220 W |
| TaoTronics Nugget Ice Maker for Countertop, Sonic Ice Maker Machine | 120 V | 170W |
| KBice Self Dispensing Countertop Nugget Ice Maker | 115 V | 220W |
| FRIGIDAIRE EFIC235-AMZ Countertop Crunchy Chewable Nugget Ice Maker | 120 V | 165W |
| Northair Countertop Nugget Ice Maker 44lbs Per Day with a Ice Scoop | 115 V | 150 W |
| Manitowoc CNF-0201A-L Ice Maker and Water Dispenser, Nugget Style | 115 V | 825 W |
| Scotsman UN0815A-1 | 115 V | 175 W |
| NewAir Nugget Ice Maker, Sonic Speed Countertop Crunchy Ice Pellet Machine | 115 V | 220W |
| Scotsman HID525A-1 Meridian Nugget Ice & Water Dispenser | 115 V | 825 W |
How Does A Nugget Ice Maker Know When To Dump The Ice?
A nugget ice maker knows when to dump the ice through a built-in sensor that anticipates when the ice bin is full. Afterwards, when the bin is full, the light on the nugget ice maker will turn on to indicate that the tray should be emptied.
Most modern nugget ice makers come with this built-in sensor in order to keep the ice maker from making too much ice.
Conclusion
There you have it! You can definitely leave on your nugget ice maker as it is designed to be powered on continuously and doesn’t consume much energy.
If you want to know more about nugget ice and nugget ice maker, be sure to check out my homepage and keep an eye out for my blog!
