Ice maker
for a food trailer.
Iced drinks have grown into a serious share of Irish coffee trade, and iced coffee is no longer a summer-only line. That raises an obvious question — make ice or buy it — and for most mobile operators the honest answer is buy it.
The numbers
- Electrical load
- 300–800 W running Motor startup surge — draws several times this for a moment 3.5A at 230V · fits a 13A socket, but leaves 2.19 kW for everything else
- Footprint
- ~400–600mm wide under-counter
- New (indicative)
- €800 – €3,500
- Used (indicative)
- €250 – €1,200
- Checked
- 2026-08-01
Power figures are ranges across models commonly sold into the Irish trailer trade — read the rating plate on the actual unit before you build a load budget on them. Prices are indicative guidance bands, not quotes, and no supplier is named or implied.
Why an ice maker is usually the wrong call on a trailer
An ice maker needs three things a trailer is short of: continuous power, a plumbed water supply and a drain. It draws 300–800 W more or less constantly, needs water you are carrying in a tank, and produces waste water you must also carry away. Against that, bagged ice from a wholesaler costs very little, needs no power, no water and no maintenance, and lives in the freezer you already own.
When it does make sense
A permanent or semi-permanent unit — a coffee dock, a fixed pitch with mains water and power, a container build — changes the calculation completely. At high iced-drink volume with services connected, an ice maker pays back reasonably quickly and removes a daily logistics job. The dividing line is services, not volume.
Ice is a food product
It is easy to forget that ice is food, and it is treated as such. It must be made from potable water, handled with a dedicated scoop that is not left sitting in the ice, and stored covered. Using the same scoop for ice and for anything else, or leaving a scoop buried in the bin, is a routine inspection finding.
Questions
Should I put an ice maker in a food trailer?
Usually not. An ice maker needs continuous power, plumbed water and a drain — three things a trailer is short of. Bagged ice from a wholesaler is cheap, needs no power or water, and stores in the freezer you already have.
When is an ice maker worth it?
When you have mains services. A coffee dock, a fixed pitch or a container build with connected power and water changes the maths entirely, and at high iced-drink volume it pays back and removes a daily logistics job. The dividing line is services, not volume.
Are there food-safety rules for ice?
Yes — ice is a food product. It must be made from potable water, stored covered, and handled with a dedicated scoop kept outside the ice rather than buried in it. Scoop handling is a routine inspection finding.