# fridge w/ ice maker



## yodathlete (Jan 10, 2011)

I hate to be a bother but I'm looking for info I should know about installing the water line for it. Ie. What type of extra purification system. The Ho wants to put one in So I talked to my boss he said there should be a small type with 2 3/8 compression nuts. But I've never installes one b4. My boss wants to see how good I do on my on. any helpful info pks comment thanx


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## BROOKLYN\PLUMB (May 21, 2010)

Inline filter


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## rocksteady (Oct 8, 2008)

These are what I install either behind the fridge or under the k/s if that's where the line is coming from.












They come with either 1/4" or 3/8" female npt threads or push-fit like the one in the picture.




Paul


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## HOMER (Jun 5, 2011)

Inlet valve at typical icemaker is 1/4"

run a 1/4" inline charcoal type filter as recommended above.

filter installed under K/S is easier to access than placed behind fridge.

write the install date on filter.

pre purge with about a gallon of water through filter or until water runs clear.

do not blast water through the filter ....turn it on nice and easy . take the 30-45 seconds to fill the bucket.

tell customer to throw away the first 2-3 loads of ice.

If premium ice is wanted....feed from reverse osmosis filter.

my incoming water isn't too good and no room for R/O

I use an Everpure inline water filter with h300 cartridge on my own icemaker.next best thing to R/O or so Im told.

replacement cartridge costs me $ 105.00
filter is rated for 300 gallons only.
whole set-up with housing is about $ 275.00

suggest to customer a return visit in 6 months to install a new filter.


service agreement if you use them , or someone from company can call and remind cutomer in 6 months or when filter replacement is needed.

SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE = $$$$$$$$$$


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Upsell the customer to a Reverse Osmosis then go back and say that's how it's done.... :thumbup:


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## futz (Sep 17, 2009)

yodathlete said:


> I hate to be a bother but I'm looking for info I should know about installing the water line for it. Ie. What type of extra purification system. The Ho wants to put one in So I talked to my boss he said there should be a small type with 2 3/8 compression nuts. But I've never installes one b4. My boss wants to see how good I do on my on. any helpful info pks comment thanx


Have a look in the refrigerator. Seems like 99% of the ones I see lately have a built-in filter. I rarely sell outboard filters anymore.


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## Greenguy (Jan 22, 2011)

I know fisher and paykel used exterior mounted filters for there fridges. But yes as stated above most fridges will have a built in filter just have to find it. Also if you are installing a new line look into using a wall box like the laundry boxes but made for 1/4" fridge lines they look decent and keeps the valves in the wall so the fridge doesn't have to stick out an inch or so.


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## futz (Sep 17, 2009)

Greenguy said:


> Also if you are installing a new line look into using a wall box like the laundry boxes but made for 1/4" fridge lines they look decent and keeps the valves in the wall so the fridge doesn't have to stick out an inch or so.


Ya, these ones. Good stuff. I use them all the time. I use my bender and do a quick 90 degree bend out of the valve and then clip the copper to the stud beside the box so the coil doesn't pull on the joint when the reefer is moved.


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## abudgetplumb (Aug 22, 2011)

wow u guys r smart! what a wealth of knowledge. I'm a 4 th yr commercial apprentice. I've learned a lot about residential from reading these posts


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## yodathlete (Jan 10, 2011)

U guys are great thanx for the help. And this customer is a good friend of mine and I don't want to screw him over So reverse osmosis is out cuz its to expensive


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

yodathlete said:


> U guys are great thanx for the help. And this customer is a good friend of mine and I don't want to screw him over So reverse osmosis is out cuz its to expensive


 




Yes we are great....

By the way, RO filter systems sell for under $ 200.00 so rather than 'screwing your friend over', you'd be doing him (or her) a favor by installing a quality water filtration system for them...:yes:


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## Plumb Bob (Mar 9, 2011)

Redwood said:


> Upsell the customer to a Reverse Osmosis then go back and say that's how it's done.... :thumbup:


I agree. 

They need service every 6 - 12 months, you will have a repeat customer for years to come.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Plumb Bob said:


> I agree.
> 
> They need service every 6 - 12 months, you will have a repeat customer for years to come.


Actually the membrane will last 1-3 years depending on water conditions....


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## Plumb Bob (Mar 9, 2011)

Redwood said:


> Actually the membrane will last 1-3 years depending on water conditions....


Yes this is true, but sediment filter and carbon filters need changing more often (makes water taste better and helps extend life of RO membrane)depending on water condition and usage ( typically every 6 - 12 months). Also water should be tested with TDS meter to make sure membrane is still working. Auto shut off should also be tested and replaced as needed. Air pressure on bladder tank should also be checked and adjusted as needed. :thumbup:


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

I can count the number of RO service calls I get a year on a couple of fingers...
Usually in a commercial building....

Many more installs...


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## Plumb Bob (Mar 9, 2011)

Redwood said:


> I can count the number of RO service calls I get a year on a couple of fingers...
> Usually in a commercial building....
> 
> Many more installs...


I am in a very small town, I have installed many r.o. Units & have lots of customers that I service r.o. Units for. Hard for me to keep up with the small stuff when i work alone, but I seem to fit it in my schedule. Need to keep everyone happy!


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## sikxsevn (Jun 23, 2009)

Don't RO systems waste a lot of water though?


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## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

Anyone that installs an RO aren't you worried about the fridge not being RO rated? If there's any metal water ways, they will soon be gone if you run RO through them. I was going to RO my fridge but that was what worried me so I didn't do it.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

RW Plumbing said:


> Anyone that installs an RO aren't you worried about the fridge not being RO rated? If there's any metal water ways, they will soon be gone if you run RO through them. I was going to RO my fridge but that was what worried me so I didn't do it.


Have you seen any metal water lines in a fridge lately? :laughing:


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## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

Redwood said:


> Have you seen any metal water lines in a fridge lately? :laughing:


No, but who knows if there's a brass fitting in the fridge where the fill valve is or something. Most of them are made as cheap as possible though, so I'm sure its all plastic. I didn't want to ruin my 3K fridge finding out though...


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## BROOKLYN\PLUMB (May 21, 2010)

Having the best tap water on earth, I have only installed sediment filters which probably don't do much as nobody changes them but why can't you use ro filters on metal piping 

I'm sure I can search for the answers but the best info is found on the zone and I have no shame in admitting when I don't know sumfin


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## sikxsevn (Jun 23, 2009)

I may be mistaken, but I believe it has something to do with electrolysis


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

RO water is very hungry as everything has been removed from it...

So it will have quite an appetite for copper... :yes:


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

RW Plumbing said:


> No, but who knows if there's a brass fitting in the fridge where the fill valve is or something. Most of them are made as cheap as possible though, so I'm sure its all plastic. I didn't want to ruin my 3K fridge finding out though...


Yep it's all plastic...

Brass is not in the budget.... :laughing:


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## sikxsevn (Jun 23, 2009)

Makes sense. I spoke with my fiancé (chemistry major) and she helped explain it to me. Unfortunately, I'm not quite bright enough to rephrase what she told me in a way we'd all understand it :laughing:

She said it has something to do with ionic charges, or something like that. I suppose it would also explain the way a water softener works....

Maybe someone else can give it a stab?


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## BROOKLYN\PLUMB (May 21, 2010)

And if consumed does it deplete the body like I believe distilled water would do


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## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

BROOKLYN\PLUMB said:


> And if consumed does it deplete the body like I believe distilled water would do


From what I've been told, yes. It is not good for you to consume only RO water.


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## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

You could add a pinch of sea salt to the water or a mineral suppliment before drinking this would get rid of the problem. RO or distilled water is great for purifying yourself, as this is how diaylisis works. They use RO water to "wash" your blood and the water removes all the bad crap, after prolonged useage it will remove all the minerals from your bones and stuff though. 

Water itself has a polar covalent bond. Covalent means the hydrogen and Oxygen particules are bonded with shared electrons. A true covalent bond where the electrons are shared equally, causes the compound to become inert (non attractive to other particles). Many covalent bonds are polar covalent bonds which is to say although the electrons are shared, they favor one atom over the other. This makes water slightly attractive and why water acts as a solvent.

Water will bond with other elements in order to reach an inert state.  Which is why you have minerals in solution in water found naturally. When you distill or run water through an RO membrane, you strip away the minerals making the water completely inert. It will be naturally attracted to minerals to reach it's inert state. In the case of copper piping, the mineral it finds is the pipe itself. It will actually dissolve the piping, and rather quickly.

This is why you need 100% plastic water ways for RO lines. Plastic is non-reactive to the water and doesn't disolve. That's the way I understand it, could be completely wrong I'm a plumber not a chemist.


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## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

sikxsevn said:


> Makes sense. I spoke with my fiancé (chemistry major) and she helped explain it to me. Unfortunately, I'm not quite bright enough to rephrase what she told me in a way we'd all understand it :laughing:
> 
> She said it has something to do with ionic charges, or something like that. I suppose it would also explain the way a water softener works....
> 
> Maybe someone else can give it a stab?


This is similar to the way a softener works. The resin in a softner is more ionic than water, so it's more attractive to the minerals than the water that's currently bound with them. It won't get all the minerals off, but it does a good job of attracting them. When the resin as attracted all the minerals it can, it's no longer attractive to minerals. 

This is why a softner has to regenerate. They use a salt solution because salt is more ionic than the resin. The salt attracts the minerals from the resin and then is flushed down the drain, with the minerals bound to it. Because a softner works this way, it's important to make sure they're properly sized for the hardness of the water.

If a softner doesn't have the capasity to remove the hardness of the water, the resin will be fully bonded with the minerals before all of them are removed from the water. The result is water "softer" than when it came in but not techinically considered soft water. Most of the time, when people just buy a softner at home depot or where ever and throw it in, it's sized too small for the installation.

Also, there are different kinds of resin with stronger attractions to certain minerals. If you had a problem with a specific sort of mineral, lots of wells around here have high iron, you can get a softener with a resin that will remove more of this mineral than a standard softener would.


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