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crank is a spicy commodity in my family . Between the iced deep brown habit of two adults and the hydration demand of two very active teenagers , our refrigerator ice Godhead can not keep up — it only produce a tray of ice every 90 to 120 minutes .

For years , we had aportable ice shaper , which helped quite a bit but took up a raft of counter space . Then , we were gifted acommercial ice shaper , which was with child , but quite a fleck bigger than ahousehold deoxyephedrine maker . After turn over on where to instal our newfangled ice maker , we decide the most consistent place was in our garage , which is just mere animal foot from our kitchen . The job was that we had no weewee production line approachable from the service department . But we figured out a style to hook up our crank maker without tally a water railway line . Even better , the procedure took less than 5 minutes and cost less than $ 70 !

A commercial ice maker, a bottled water pump system, and a 5-gallon water jug are sitting on a garage floor.

Photo: Stephanie Cronk for Bob Vila

Pressurized Water and Water Source

For the methamphetamine God Almighty to work properly and trigger the ice - making process , the water line must produce enough pressure . If yourice maker is not form , it ’s possible there is not enough pressure in the line . Typically , an icing maker requires water pressure between 30 and 120 pounds per square inch ( PSI ) , or 207 to 827 kilopascals ( kPa ) . We knew we could n’t plainly direct the ice maker water line into a jug of H2O ; we had to somehow create the needed pressure sensation .

After some time explore , we bumble upon bottled piss pump systems , which are design to re - make the insistency that a distinctive water stock would produce . Pump systems are popular for those who have heavy water ( as scale buildup can cause problems within an ice maker ) or no piss germ ( for example , when encampment or off - storage-battery grid ) . We cognize we were on the ripe trail , so we purchased a well - reviewedbottled water pump system .

The water seed was an well-off result : We purchased a refillable 5 - congius piss jug at our local hardware store . We knew we could swap out the jug as needed or even refill it with our own water , as we have an install reverse osmosis system that filters our well water for drinking .

A bottled water pump system is sitting next to a 5-gallon water jug on a garage floor.

Photo: Stephanie Cronk for Bob Vila

Get the TDRForce bottled water ticker system at Amazon for $ 62.99 .

Setting Up the Ice Maker

It ’s important to remark that the water supply pump comes with a stopple and collet . We had to labor the collet hard against the heart and pull the plug out . Once the male plug was removed , we were able to push one end of the piss line hosiery firmly into the ticker . We then pushed the opposite remnant into the ice maker until it clicked into place .

With the water railway line hose properly installed , it was time to add the piss source . This involved removing the cap from the 5 - gallon jug and inserting the water supply pump wand securely into the jug .

Testing the Process

This trick is commonly used for camping situation , RVs , or in spaces where pee lines are not approachable , like ours . you could use the bottled piss heart arrangement with a 5 - gal jug for icebox body of water lines , coffee Almighty , chalk Almighty , and more . The heart ’s suck wand is equip with a buoy , so when the jug head for the hills out of water , the ticker mechanically shuts itself off to keep harm .

The price heel here are exact as of issue on June 20 , 2024 .

This Is the yr for a Kitchen Renovation

A woman is connecting a water line to a bottled water pump system.

Photo: Stephanie Cronk for Bob Vila

Whether you ’re selling or staying , everyone can get something out of a kitchen update . Learn why we consider this refurbishment the Most Valuable Project of 2025 and how to stick around on budget .

A person attaching an ice maker water line pump to a water storage tank.

Photo: Stephanie Cronk for Bob Vila

A person is collecting ice in a commercial ice maker with a plastic hand scoop.

Photo: Stephanie Cronk for Bob Vila

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