FRIGIDAIRE EFIC235-AMZ 44lbs/24H Nugget Ice Maker Review
Up until now GE Profile Opal (previously sold as FirstBuild Opal) was the only nugget ice maker that was somewhat affordable and didn’t cost over thousand dollars, however its first competitor has arrived. Just last month FRIGIDAIRE released EFIC235-AMZ – a nugget ice maker that can produce up to 44 lbs of nugget ice in 24 hours. So how does FRIGIDAIRE EFIC235-AMZ compare to GE Profile Opal and which one should you buy?
Frigidaire EFIC235-AMZ vs GE Profile Opal
FRIGIDAIRE EFIC235-AMZ is capable of making up to 44 lbs of nugget ice in 24 hours (~1.8 lbs per hour) whereas GE Profile Opal makes only 24 lbs (1 lbs per hour). Where GE Profile Opal wins is nugget ice quality – not only they are bigger they also feel softer and overall nicer. The difference isn’t huge but if you need the best nugget ice without spending thousands of dollars GE Profile Opal seems like the best option. EFIC235-AMZ is also a bit loud when operating.
Neither makes nugget ice quite as nice as you get at Sonic’s but they aren’t far off.
Another thing you should pay attention to is consumer reports/feedback and according to them it seems that FRIGIDAIRE EFIC235-AMZ is less reliable compared to GE Profile Opal. Consumer reports isn’t always accurate representation of the actual situation but is something you should keep in mind and consider. With that being said majority of consumer feedback about FRIGIDAIRE EFIC235-AMZ is positive and if it indeed has some weak points they might get fixed in near future (perhaps by the time you are reading this) as EFIC235-AMZ was just released.
FRIGIDAIRE EFIC235-AMZ does have some advantages over GE Profile Opal though. It’s more feature-rich and generally retails at lower price.
FRIGIDAIRE EFIC235-AMZ makes a batch of nugget ice every 10-15 minutes. For optimal performance air temperature should be 50°F to 104°F (10°C to 40°C). It’s also not exactly quiet – some might even find it to quite loud.
Control panel
FRIGIDAIRE EFIC235-AMZ control panel features 4 buttons and 4 indicator lights:
- “Ice” button: Press it to start or stop nugget ice production.
- “Clean” button: Press it to enter cleaning mode.
- “UV” button: Press it to turn UV light on or off.
- “Light” button: Press it to turn interior light on or off.
- “Add water” indicator: lights up when water reservoir is empty. You should add water to resume nugget ice production.
- “Power” indicator: lights up when ice maker is turned on.
- “UV” indicator: lights up when you have turned on UV light that kills bacteria.
- “Ice full” indicator: lights up when ice basket is full. To resume nugget ice production please take some (or all) of them out of the ice basket.
Features
FRIGIDAIRE EFIC235-AMZ has UV-light sterilization feature that kills bacteria and viruses inside the nugget ice maker which is very cool feature you are unlikely to have seen on any other ice maker.
Ice basket hold up to 3 lbs of nugget ice. It’s not refrigerated so nugget ice will slowly melt if left inside. Melted water from ice doesn’t go back into water reservoir like it’s usually the case with ice makers – you will have to use drain plug to get rid of it.
Capacity of water reservoir is 0.97 gallons (3.7 liters).
Conclusions
Both FRIGIDAIRE EFIC235-AMZ and GE Profile Opal are great nugget ice makers for the money. Whereas FRIGIDAIRE has more features and larger nugget ice output, GE Profile Opal seems to win when it comes to quality of nugget ice and long-term reliability. Another thing that’s of large importance is pricing – FRIGIDAIRE EFIC235-AMZ generally retails at lower price compared to GE Profile Opal making it a more affordable option.
With all things taken into consideration GE Profile Opal does seem like a better choice but FRIGIDAIRE EFIC235-AMZ has its advantages too and can be a viable alternative for reasons stated above. At the end of the day it’s up to you to decide which suits you better.
FRIGIDAIRE EFIC235-AMZ Specs:
- Type: Freestanding / Portable / Countertop
- Voltage: 115V / 60HZ
- Power consumption: 200 W
- Ice output: up to 44 lbs per 24 hours
- Type of ice: Nugget / Pellet / Pebble / Chewable / Sonic
- Ice basket capacity: up to 3 lbs
- Water reservoir capacity: 0.97 gallons (3.7 liters)
- Approximate dimensions (W x D x H): 9.8″ x 16.1″ x 19″ / 24.9 cm x 40.9 cm x 48.26 cm
How do I get my uv light to turn on
Barbie, after several months I have finally figured this out myself lol, you have to stop the ice making process by touching “Ice”,
the “Power” light should be the only one lit up, then press UV, it will blink, I then turn the “Light” option on. (I don’t have any particular reason for turning the blue light on, other than just liking how it looks.
I ended up on this website searching for others that can give advice on cleaning the unit, I have misplaced my manual so I’m left with searching the web.
I have ran the clean cycle every other day without chemicals because I haven’t had luck finding ice machine cleaner locally.
I finally ordered online and it arrived today. Now that I have it, I’m questioning if I use the entire bottle or just a small amount?, do I mix it with anything?, or if I should even use this at all?. If you know or have your manual handy, please please please share the info with me. It would be greatly appreciated.
It’s hard to find information about the care of these machines, I’m really kicking myself in the rear for misplacing the manual.
Don’t worry about losing the manual. It didn’t have any information that was useful. This page right here just gave me more info than the manual.
I have had my ice machine about 6 months and so far this is what I have learned:
1) The screeching sound that it is making which results in the machine itself repeating flashing lights is because it is froze up. Unplug the machine and spray hot water into the ice dispensing part inside the machine.
2) I am pretty sure that the water that melts is reused to make ice because when the water from the top dispenses to make ice, it fills up the bottom and then the machine sucks that water to make the ice.
3) I have never used the UV light because I couldn’t get it to turn on and make ice at the same time. After reading this, I turned on the UV light, it started blinking, it shut off, and then I could only push the clean button. I push the clean button when I start having trouble with it (about 1 time a week.) We have hard water so I assume that it is the lime that causes the problems.
4) I have put this machine in the pantry closet in the winter because it was too loud to be in the kitchen and I thought it was too hot in the house making the ice melt too fast. For summer, I moved it to the kitchen so that it was cooler hoping that the ice would not melt as fast. While it is still really loud, the melted ice now runs out the front of the machine filling up the tray and running onto the floor. I tried to give it a small incline hoping that the water would run more towards the back but it caused freezing up issues because it wasn’t level and it also didn’t fix the water coming out of the front issue.
5) I have been unable to register my machine with Frigidaire because it says that it can’t find the model number and the webpage has no listings for countertop ice makers.
6) I ended up taking the plug out of the water dispenser because I was constantly getting the error to add water but it was full. I still don’t think it dispenses water into the reservoir very well but it is still better than it was.
7) I would buy this again because I love the ice, I just wish it had less problems.
I had the same problem with the water running out the front and filling up the condensation pan. I found that if I close the ice drawer just enough to close the drawer very easily, the water doesn’t run out the front. When I pushed it in really hard the water travels from the back wall around to the front of the door.
My pusher that pushes the ice into the bin is totally gone and has made my machine break through the screws and pop the entire top off. Where can I get a parts manual or the bar that pushes the ice into the bin.. can not get answers from anyone.