DIY Frozen Drink Machine

slush machine

Here’s something cool and refreshing just in time for the weekend and that wild Flag Day celebration you were planning. This is similar to the margarita machine that was circulating last month. They’re both based on garbage disposals. fixer’s design uses an external return pipe. It also uses a 4-gallon stock pot instead of the giant plastic drink cooler. I’m guessing this made attaching the garbage disposal a lot easier. Mentally you still have to overcome the fact that you’re drinking out of something that was originally intended to process waste, and a plastic drain pipe coming out of a chip board box isn’t going to make that any easier to stomach. He says it works great, but the lack of insulation probably means that it doesn’t stay frozen very long. It would be cool if I could turn that dewar we had back on the farm into one of these, wait

22 thoughts on “DIY Frozen Drink Machine

  1. damn bro’,
    I thought I was hooking you up with the G-Bong. I know it kept me pleasntly pain free when my wis teeth were taken out. And they had to cut away bone! Alot of it.
    And you went and just dissed my post right off of the board.

    thax for nothing! I hope you get dry socket!

  2. Thanks for the post. One note about the return line, you can easily fill the box with packing peanuts for insulation like I did OR realize that if there is a problem with it not staying frozen you just aren’t having much of a party!

  3. “I’m pretty sure that PVC being used to deliver consumable liquids is dangerous.”

    Er, what do you suppose a 1/2″ pvc pipe is for if not plumbing? Teeny weeny spaghetti-string-poopie sewer lines?

  4. pvc is used in non consumable plumbing, like piss and shit filled water. look under your sink and your feed lines will be copper pipe, but the drains are more likely to be pvc.

  5. While I’d not use PVC for my household potable water lines, it shouldn’t be a concern in this application. As long as the water isn’t static in the pipes for extended periods of time (weeks/months) the possible release of dioxin or other CDDs would be negligible. I’d be more concerned about the solvent and/or cleaners used to prep and fasten the pipes. There are potable-water-safe cleaners and solvents available.

    Cheers,
    Ed T.

  6. Seriously, people. You’re worried about the *PVC pipe* being toxic? I’d be far more concerned about the garbage disposal unit- as it’s the only component that wasn’t designed with the slightest bit of thought put towards anyone drinking something that went through it. In all reality the garbage disposal is probably adding something unwanted… I certainly wouldn’t trust it.

    -Stephen

  7. I made it worked great, I am still living after drinking out of the PVC piping, only problem I had wad the 1/2hp motor getting hot and shutting off. next time I will make it with a 1hp motor.

  8. This site shows the pipe routed from the exhaust port of the garbage disposal, but the acmetequila site shows the pipe routed from the dishwasher inlet port. Does it make a difference?

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  10. Here is a quote from the DIY site http://diy.stackexchange.com/ Answering the question “Is PVC Schedule 40 pipe safe to use in a potable water supply?”
    “You should not worry about health. Most schedule 40 PVC is National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) rated for potable water, and it’s likely that yours is. Do you see “NSF” printed on the pipe? Even if it isn’t, I wouldn’t worry about toxicity. The problem with PVC pipe is that it may have issues with leaks. It will degrade when exposed to UV light (such as sunlight), and also high temperature. Its pressure rating is to be derated at high temperatures. Because of this, PVC is not approved for use in houses for potable water.”

    I’ve built one of these Margarita machines and it works great. It cost me all of $130.00 for the materials. We make right at 2.5 gallons at a time.

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