Installing a Refrigerator
Posted by Wayne
Okay, so you’re probably thinking that you don’t really “install” a refrigerator, you just plug it in. I had hoped it would be that easy, but it wasn’t the case.
Our new fridge has a water and ice dispenser, which means it has to be hooked up to a water line. Previous owners had already run a copper water supply line over to the fridge location, but the fridge that I removed was not connected to it. I put the end of the copper supply line into a bucket and turned on the water valve underneath the kitchen sink for a few mintues to drain the line of the water that had been sitting in it for years (I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be healthy to have that pipe right into the fridge). It was filthy and brown, but quickly turned clear.
I turned off the water and connected the supply line to the back of the fridge. Upon turning the water on again I had a leak at the connection to the back of the fridge and I noticed a leak from the water valve under the sink. It never fails!! If you turn a valve on or off in an old house that has been sitting for years it’s almost guaranteed to leak. Turning off the valve did not stop the leak under the sink, so I had to run downstairs and turn off the house’s main water supply valve.
Because the female connection on the water line at the back of the fridge appeared to be stripped out or the washer was bad, and I knew I had a bad valve, I just decided to just replace the whole setup, valve, supply line, and all. I ran to Home Depot and picked up a kit which included all the necessary parts and water supply line. You can get a plastic line or a copper line. The plastic line seemed easier to install (feed back through the bottom cabinets) so I went with it. It cost about $15.
Removing the old copper supply line was kind of a pain in the butt. I started by disconnected the line from the valve below the sink.
Removing the old copper supply line that ran through the cabinets proved difficult due to it not being especially flexible. I cut it in each cabinet and removed it in pieces.
I removed the old valve from the sink water supply line and noticed that the problem was a cracked gasket. These valves are attached around the pipe and then a “needle” pierces the copper pipe which allows water to flow through the valve to the fridge. The gasket keeps valve water tight against the pipe. When I disturbed its years-long slumber by turning the valve on, the leak started.
I connected the new valve in the exact same location as the old one.
I fed the new plastic water supply line back through the lower cabinets, leaving enough slack so that it would stay against the back corners of the cabinets and out of sight.
I attached the water supply line to the new valve and to the fridge inlet with the provided fittings, turned the house water back on, turned the valve on, and I had a leak-free connection. Now I could just plug the fridge in and push it back into place.
After
2 Responses to “Installing a Refrigerator”
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July 1st, 2008 at 9:18 am
Good tutorial on how to replace the supply valve. One question; What if you do not want to replace the supply valve can you just take it out completely without there being any leaks or floods??
July 1st, 2008 at 9:55 am
Once that valve is on there, it pokes a hole in the pipe so you can’t remove it. You could leave it connected and just turned off, or you could replace a piece of the copper pipe.