sbw1
Well-Known Member
- Oct 10, 2006
- 8,189
- Boat Info
- This is listed in my signature
- Engines
- This is listed in my signature
One of the issues to be concerned with for those of us with ice makers is how to prevent mold from developing in the tray during fall layup. You can't just turn off the machine, defrost it and shut the door or bad things happen. Since our boat will be going into storage sometime within the next three weeks I'm starting to shut systems down. We store inside a heated building with no worries about things freezing. We do need things clean and dry however. So....today I turned the ice maker off, dumped the ice into the lake and propped the door open to let things warm up inside. Tomorrow I will dry things out with a clean towel and wash the ice bin. The issue I have to deal with is removing the residual water in the tray that makes the cubes. My solution is to take a piece of absorbent paper towel and twist one end of into a narrow section that can fit between the fins in the tray. The rest of the towel hangs down into the ice bin. As the towel absorbs water, it acts as a syphon and drains all the remaining water into the bin. 24-48 hours later the tray is dry. Leave the door open while this is happening. I also prop the door open just enough to allow some air into the freezer during storage. A crushed TP cardboard tube taped into place with blue painter tape provides the wedge. I then tape the door closed against the wedge with painter tape. The system does not smell in the spring, and the initial cubes show no signs of mold from the tray. Sanitizing the potable water system in the spring gets rid of any bugs that might be in the tray.
I'm wondering if others have a better way of winterizing an ice maker. I suppose those who add anti freeze to the potable water system just allow the antifreeze to go through the ice maker and the alcohol prevents the mold. For those who do not winterize this is an easy preventive step.
I'm wondering if others have a better way of winterizing an ice maker. I suppose those who add anti freeze to the potable water system just allow the antifreeze to go through the ice maker and the alcohol prevents the mold. For those who do not winterize this is an easy preventive step.