Just the right time for an icemaker

Are you still struggling with ice cube trays in your home in these dog days of summer? Still running out for bags of ice when you have guests over? The solution may be sitting right in your kitchen waiting for your handy hands and DIY know-how.

If your refrigerator came equipped with an icemaker, and if you had the appliance installed, chances are you have been enjoying uniform ice cubes in ready supply right in your freezer. But if the appliance was rolled into your kitchen, and you hooked it up yourself, the icemaker may just be taking up space in your freezer, because you didn't connect it to the water supply.

Your refrigerator may be a scaled down model, and perhaps did not come equipped with an icemaker. Even so, you may still be able to install one. Check your owner's manual, and see if it says that there is an "ice maker option." If the appliance is icemaker-ready, there are several sources for the installation kit. Check with your supplier, the manufacturer or search the Internet for appliance parts. RepairClinic.com is one reliable source.

If you go to a hardware or building supplies store, the plumbing clerk is likely to take an ice maker installation kit off the rack without hesitation. It will include a saddle valve through which your water supply will flow, a few compression fittings and a length of tubing - most likely polyethylene plastic. Some local plumbing codes do not permit saddle valves. They clamp onto the water supply tube, and pierce the copper without the need to cut, solder or make threaded connection. You may find, however, that your refrigerator manufacturer suggests they not be used. The problem with the saddle valve is that it might not allow an adequate water supply to the icemaker. In addition to that, it is just a quick but light-duty solution.

Hand the kit back to the store clerk, and ask for a brass adapter that you can insert into the cold water line under your sink. The adapter has a 90-degree male fitting with a compression sleeve built into the female side of the fitting.

Polyethylene tubing is easy to work with, and it resists kinking and the leaks that may result. I prefer copper tubing. Just be sure to allow a generous amount of coiled tubing behind the refrigerator, so that it can be moved freely and without disturbing the water supply.

If you want to connect to a water supply somewhere other than under your kitchen sink, the task becomes slightly more complex. Chances are your domestic water pipes are one-half-inch copper pipe. Icemakers use soft copper tubing that is only one-quarter inch (O.D.). Get a brass fitting that reduces down to the smaller size, and can be soldered in-line with the one-half-inch pipe. It's a good idea to include a gate or ball valve, so you can shut off the water supply only to the icemaker without affecting other sinks, toilets, etc.

Fitness - Illogicz

The concept of push in fitting has been around for decades, yet it has only seen significant growth in the U.S. water market since the early 1990s. Since then, push in fitting have been—by many accounts—the fastest-growing technology change in the water industry.

With their initial entrance into the U.S. water markets in the mid-1980s, push in fitting had to overcome many obstacles of misperception. Dealers and installers couldn’t believe something so simple could work reliably. Old methods of connecting tubing (compression and barbed fittings) were difficult to let go for fear of trying something new and innovative. However, as leading edge technologies were changing the water market, more and more installers and OEMs started enjoying the labor-saving and reliability benefits of push in fitting. The rapid acceptance of push in fitting during the 1990s has established them as the connection technology standard for today’s water industry.

Applications While push in fitting require complex engineering design and precise, high-quality manufacturing to produce, they are quite simple to understand and utilize.

Push in fitting are made up of three basic components—the fitting body, a flexible “collet” and an O-ring.

The fitting body can be made from metal (brass, stainless steel) or plastic (acetal, polypropylene). The body has an internal geometry to precisely house the collet, O-ring and tubing when assembled. Fitting bodies come in many configurations such as tees, elbows, unions and threaded connectors.

The collet is typically made from plastic with stainless steel gripping teeth molded into its flexible legs. The collet teeth provide a firm grip on plastic or copper tube. The flexibility of the collet legs allows for easy insertion and release of the tubing.

The O-ring is usually made of a food-grade rubber compound (nitrile, EPDM). It is seated inside the fitting body and forms a seal on the outside diameter (O.D.) of the tube.

Installation As with any product, proper installation is critical to accurate performance and reliability. Care should be taken with any type of fitting to ensure generally accepted, good installation practices are employed. There are certain key points to remember, specific to push in fitting, to ensure a quality installation:

Tubing. Some push in fitting are limited for use with either plastic or copper tubing. A few are capable of handling both plastic and copper without any change to the fitting. Always check with the manufacturer to ensure tubing compatibility. Tubing should be of sound quality. Ensure that tube dimensions, tolerances, roundness and surface finish are consistent with the manufacturer’s recommendations.

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