Countertop ice maker with direct water line

Nugget Ice Maker With Water Line VS. Water Tank

  • Countertop ice maker with direct water line
    Scott Carswell
  • Last updated: November 15, 2022
  • No Comments

If you’re looking for a nugget ice maker for home, one of the things you’ll have to decide on is the water supply.

Some nugget ice makers come with a built-in (or attachable) water tank, while other machines come with a water line.

Countertop ice maker with direct water line
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Countertop ice maker with direct water line
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Keep the drinks chilled with the NutriChef Digital Ice Maker. Simply plug it in and add water for instant ice-making ability. Hassle-free operation allows you to press a button and create pellet-shaped ice quickly. Choose from (2) different sized ice cubes – small or large. The high-powered freezing element makes up to 45 pounds of ice in a day, ensuring all of your guests will enjoy crisp, chilled drinks. Perfect for any kitchen table or countertop. The system also features direct ‘water tapping’ ability, so you can connect a water supply pipe line for automatic ice-making convenience. Add convenient kitchen style with the NutriChef Digital Ice Maker.

The products and services mentioned below were selected independent of sales and advertising. However, Better Home + Living may receive a small commission from the purchase of any products or services through an affiliate link to the retailer's website.

Portable ice makers are great, but they do have one downside. You always have to keep filling them with water. 

There may be even times that you forget to fill the unit with water, and you open the lid to get some ice, and it’s empty! What a drag.

The best solution to this problem is to purchase a countertop ice maker that has a built-in water line. This way, your ice maker will continually be making ice all day long. 

We took some time and went through a list of ice makers to find the best ones for you. We rated our units by reviews, affordability, and quality to come up with an impressive list of the best countertop ice makers with a water line.

If you have any questions or comments, you can use the section below, and we will get in touch with you. We also added links to the best prices on the internet. 

Okay, let’s get started with our list. 

The Whynter IMC-491DC

The Whynter IMC-491DC has a direct water line for continual use

Our first portable ice maker is the Whynter IMC-491DC portable ice maker. This unit makes 49 pounds of ice each day and has a storage bin that can hold 2.7 pounds of ice at one time. 

This unit makes three sizes of ice: small, medium, and large. Every 10-15 minutes, you’re going to get 12 bullet-shaped ice pieces. 

 This portable ice maker has a 5-liter water reservoir if you want to use it as a portable unit, or you can connect a direct line to it and have a continuous flow of water. This ice maker comes with a 12′ water line so that you’re all set to start making ice (for installation, you probably want to consult a professional plumber). 

Ice Production49 lbs a dayDimensions15 x 17.5 x 17 inchesWeight38 PoundsIce Cycle15 MinutesIce Capacity2.7 lbsType of IceBullet-ShapedType of Ice MakerCountertopBest Price AvailableAmazon.com

The design of this ice maker is great. It has stainless steel panels that wraps around the unit; it has LED controls on the front of the ice maker that make it easy to control.

Because this ice maker is a portable ice maker at heart, it doesn’t need a drain line. The melted ice will cycle around the unit to make more ice. When the water reservoir is empty, it will use the direct connection to fill up the reservoir.

You can read more about this great unit on Amazon by clicking here.

The Whynter IDC-221SC

This Whynter ice maker isn’t just for ice. It also has a built-in water dispenser so that you can fill your glass with cold water and fill it with ice at the same time.

This ice maker and water dispenser will produce 26 lbs of ice in one day. It stores about 1.3 pounds of ice at one time and has a 2-liter water reservoir. 

Ice Production26 lbs a dayDimensions14.2 x 10 x 14.2 inchesWeight21 PoundsIce Cycle8-9 MinutesIce Capacity1.32 lbsType of IceBullet-ShapedType of Ice MakerCountertopBest Price AvailableAmazon.com

Like the other Whynter ice maker we mentioned in this article, this ice maker can be a direct connection to a water source for continual use.

This ice maker is light and compact. It’s a perfect fit for pushing back on your countertop during the day, and always ready to provide you with great tasting ice.

You can connect ice maker directly from a reverse osmosis system for the best results, and it’s light enough to be moved when needed.

The VBENLEM 2 in 1 Commercial Ice Maker with Water Dispenser

The VBENLEM 2 in 1 Commercial Ice Maker with Water Dispenser

This ice maker is rated as a commercial unit, and maybe bigger than you want, but it can still go on your countertop, and it makes a lot of ice. 

This ice maker can produce 78 lbs of ice every 24 hours. This is incredible. It also has a water dispenser that allows you to fill your glass with beautifully clean water. You can hook this ice maker up to a water filter, and it will produce clean, clear ice and give you cold refreshing water as well. 

Ice Production78 lbs a dayDimensions25.2 x 22.8 x 20.9 inchesWeight70 PoundsIce Cycle15-20 MinutesIce Capacity14 lbsType of IceClear Ice CubesType of Ice MakerCountertop/CommercialBest Price AvailableAmazon.com

I think that this ice maker would work in a home environment, especially if you have a family room or basement rec room that you could store it in. It may be too large for a kitchen (25.2 x 22.8 x 20.9 inches), and it weighs just under 70 lbs. You could also use it for coffee shops, hotels, bars, KTVs, supermarkets, bakeries, restaurants, cold drink shops, laboratories, schools, hospitals, and more.

This ice maker would be perfect for an office or breakroom because it has so many great features. 

  • Produces clear ice 
  • Hassle-free operation 
  • Control panel
  • So many applications
  • Superior performance
  • Great customer reviews

The design of this ice maker is great. It has stainless steel panels, a food-grade plastic ice storage bin, and a black trim around the whole machine. 

This is a solid offering for an ice maker and water dispenser. It’s compact enough to sit on a countertop, but it’s powerful enough to use in so many places. 

This is a great ice maker for the price. You can see the price and read more about this ice maker on Amazon by clicking here. 

The Flurida Plumbed Ice & Water Dispenser

The Flurida Plumbed Ice and Water Dispenser is a great ice maker for any office, recreation room, basement, or family room. This larger countertop ice maker is going to supply ice and room temperature water on demand.

This ice maker is going to produce 11 pounds of crescent ice each day.

Read my full review here.

Ice Production11 lbs a dayDimensions18-1/8”W x 22-3/8”D x 31-1/2”HWeight85 PoundsIce Cycle15 MinutesIce Capacity9 lbsType of IceCrescent IceType of Ice MakerCountertopBest Price AvailableAmazon.com

It’s important to note that this ice maker is often called a three-in-one because it offers an ice maker, room temperature water dispenser, and a built-in freezer that will keep your ice frozen at all times. If you would like to learn more about ice makers with built-in freezers, you can click here.

The Flurida Ice & Water Dispenser has a great design that features both stainless steel and black metal trim around the unit. The dispenser has a simple operation – a two-button design. You hit the one button to dispense water, and the other button will dispense ice. It also has a soft light that illuminates the dispensing area when you hit a button.

It is a great premium choice if you’re looking for an ice maker with a built-in freezer and connects directly to a water source. I found that it was a little too large for a kitchen countertop but would fit nicely in a home bar or rec room. It’s also a great choice for a lunchroom or office.

Click here to head over to Amazon and find out more information about this excellent ice maker. 

The Big Hoshizaki DCM-300BAH

The last ice maker that I want to mention is for countertops, but it’s more of a commercial unit for businesses. 

Ice Production321 lbs a dayDimensions26” (W) x 22 1/2” (D) x 40” (H)Weight240 PoundsIce Cycle15 MinutesIce Capacity40 lbsType of IceCubedType of Ice MakerCountertop/CommercialBest Price AvailableAmazon.com

The Big Hoshizaki DCM-300BAH Revirew

The Hoshizaki DCM-300BAH, an air-cooled ice maker, produces 321 pounds of ice each day and can hold 40 pounds of ice at one time. It produces cubed ice that’s perfect for any beverage. 

This unit is simple to operate. It has two buttons on the front, one for water, and the other is for ice. 

This ice maker will automatically go through a clean cycle every 12 hours and will purge itself every 15 mins. This ice maker is also protected with technology that’s designed to kill molds, bacteria, and viruses that may be growing inside the ice. 

This may be a unit that isn’t going in your home anytime soon, but it is a great countertop ice maker for nursing homes, schools, hospitals, businesses, cafeterias, or offices.

You can use this link and read more about it on Amazon. 

Conclusion 

Having an ice maker in your home is helpful and beneficial. Having an ice maker that’s connected to a water line is super convenient.

The ice makers that I listed above are all great units and will serve your purposes well. You can click on the links provided to head over to Amazon to read more about these units, their reviews, and prices. 

Can you hook a water line to a portable ice maker?

It can be portable if you have ac available. You can either hook up to a water supply for automatic water fill, or fill the reservoir manually.

Can you hook up Opal ice maker to waterline?

The Opal lacks a way to connect it to a water line, something premium ice makers offer. The Opal's small 2.5-quart (2.4 L) reservoir further limits its water supply. So when demand for ice spikes, you'll find yourself ferrying water to the appliance often (every 3 hours or so).

Does nugget ice maker need water line?

Nugget Ice Machines Some Nugget Ice Machine installations require in-line water filters depending on water quality. Learn more about our in-line water filters here.