Sorry, I just got the email about your post.

The Ice maker I have is a Franklin model # FIM35OD

http://www.franklinchef.com/fim35OD.html

It says it makes 44 lbs a day. I would say it's more like 20. I live in Riverside Ca and it has been in the 100's lately. The ice maker seems to do just fine. My Ice maker is not in direct sunlight so You might want to consider that.

Another thing to think of. It gives you the option to have a drain connected or not (drain line comes with the unit). If you don't then you have to dump the melt water out manually every few hours. Just pull out the tray and dump. Not a big deal just something to think of if you dont have a drain near by to run the line too.

Would I buy it again .. Yes

I also keep bags of Ice in the kegerator just in case we have a big party. The ice stays for days in it and Keeps my Keg frosty. :)

If I had the room for a outdoor freezer I would have done that. Considering I have two refrigerators, Kegerator and ice maker, my wife would have shot me if I added a freezer. LOL

good luck. let me know if you need anything else

Jdegid
Riverside, Ca

Here is a link that might be useful: MY Outdoor Living room

My parents have a Kitchenaid Icemaker. They have had a few issues (I think they are on their 3rd one in 10 years). They use it constantly and my mom said they wouldn't live without one.

Our vacation house in the OuterBanks last week had an awesome icemaker that actually kept up with us all week. It was a Hoshizaki AM50. We've had a bunch of different ones in our homes down there over the past few years and this one was head and shoulders over the Kitchenaid, Kenmore, GE ones we've had before. Here's a link to the brochure for it. You can get it for around $1350 on the net.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hoshizaki Icemaker

I have a Franklin that I bought from Home Depot at a great price. It does not have a drain and in my opinion that is a big shortcoming. As the other poster mentioned you have to pull the tray out and drain it or keep a bucket near by and open the drain hole into the bucket. For me this is a near daily event in the summer if I want to have ice available at anytime.

Your builder is right about the fact that none of them make the amount of ICE they say, especially if you are using them outside of normal home temperatures. As for how long they'll last really depends on where you place them. If they are out in the elements I wouldn't expect more then a couple of years and out of the elements maybe 3-5yrs. What ever you get, make sure that it has a drain and vents to the front. Also don't go crazy buying one of the super expensive ones like a top line ULINE or Viking. You will not see that much of a performance difference from the less expensive models to justify the cost. If you want one that will last longer and make more ice, you need to look at the professional ones. The company that jimbar mentions makes professional ice makers for the hospitality industry.