My garbage disposal broke last week.

https://acurazine.com/forums/home-garden-37/leaking-garbage-disposal-346493/

I found out that a screw got into it when I was cleaning. The disposal was so old that it tore a hole in the side of it. Not fun. In fact it was in such bad shape that my wife picked it up at the flange and it broke loose from being all corroded.

So I went to Home Depot to get a new one and walked out with the following....

A new In-Sink-Erator disposal - a bit more powerful than the old one.
A new sink - The old one was a bit shallow and beat up from 15 years of use.
New faucets - We wanted a new look and a side spout.
New steel braided supply lines for the faucet, as well as the ones for the washing machine.
Ice Maker for the refrigerator and the supply line.
Plumbers Putty - Awesome shit.

It made for a fun weekend. There is a ton of space under my sink, but the door is only about a foot wide, so it was a pain in the ass working under it.

Everything went in really easy except the supply line for the ice maker. The valve that the guy at Home Depot recommended leaked like a mo fo. I thought I over tightened it, but I went back and they actually replaced it. And the second one was tightened just so it was snug, and that leaked. I took it out and added small beeds of Plumber's Putty and tightened it all up, again just snug and again it leaked. I was trying to avoid using one that pierced the water line, but that was the one that worked.

Well, the moral of this story, is that this is the first time I ever attempted anything like this, other than changing supply lines. It was pretty simple to do.

It was also a joy hearing that disposal run (a lot quieter than the old one) and the faint moise of ice falling into the collection tray in the freezer.

 

You really should put a little bit of teflon tape on all the threaded connections.

Where was the leak coming from? Are you using a saddle valve to tap the cold water line?

 

I gave up on plumbing after I burned my cabinets with a torch. The smell lasted 4-5 months and I even scraped all the char away.

The last time I needed under sink work I called a plumber and he was done in like an hour and cost me a couple hundred but no aggravation.

 

Good job on the joys of home ownership

 

That's what I ended up using. The connection I was given attached between the valve and the supply line with a 1/4 threaded connection for the ice maker supply line off the side.

I used teflon tape on all of them. I put a small beed of putty on the very edge as well. Little trick one of my buddies recommended.

 

If I had to use a torch I would have called someone. I looked at all the connections and figured I only needed threaded connections.

Plus, I really want to learn this stuff. So far I've tackled this, which I consided minor to just below intermediate plumbing, and I replaced all the electrical outlets and ran some new phone line which I consider minor electrical.

We just got our place, so a couple hundreds for an hour or 2 of work would have hurt a bit. That cash goes towards next months project....ceiling fan in the baby's room and a new light fixture for the stairway.

 

Saddle valves suck. They tend to leak. If it still leaks, they make an inline T that connects between the braided cold water hose and the cold water shutoff. They never leak.

Ah found a picture of one.

 

That valve is exactly what I tried the first 2 times and both valves I got leaked. The saddle valve ended up connecting really easy. I was concerned that it will eventully leak. But as long as it doesn't leak for 5 years, I'll be OK.

 

Wow, surprising. Did it leak at the connection to the shutoff/braided line?

 

At the connection. I'm almost sure I over-tightened it the first time. But the second time, I'm not too sure what happened.

 

Yeah gotta be careful with copper. It's extremely soft.

Did you put an inline water filter in? Probably the best thing I did. Keeps the ice cubes from smelling funny.

 

No. To be honest, I didn't even think about it. I'll probably look at adding one. Yet another trip to Home Depot.

 

It's very easy to do even after everything is installed.

 

I can count on one hand the number of weeks I did not set foot in a Home Depot or Lowes.

 

 

Went to both Lowes and Home Depot during lunch. I can't find the charger for my cordless drill after the move. I needed to buy one.

 

Yep, things sure can escalate real quick sometimes. When I had to redo the plumbing under the kitchen sink, I tried to half-ass it, but ended up just buying new stuff from the strainers down to the trap. Much easier to do with all new stuff...

Cool... so that's what I need then. I've been wanting to hook up an ice maker in my fridge, but didn't know wtf to do to tap in the cold water line. Good tip on the inline filter...

 

There is a "Flood Safe" ice maker kit that comes with the braided supply line and the valve. That's what I got. In the end it worked out great.

 

hey, with that in-line filter, are they threaded so I can just get a 12 inch 1/4 inch supply line and attach that line to the valve, then the filter and then the line to the fridge. Or do I need to cut lines?

 

Did you run copper or pvc to the water filter. I guess it doesn't matter either way

From what I remember, it comes with two sets of compression fittings, one for copper and one for plastic.

You typically install it behind the fridge.

Shut off the water
Cut the copper or pvc behind the fridge (keep a bucket handy)
Slip the two nuts onto the cut lines then the compression fittings
Screw the supply line coming from under the sink to one end of the filter (they're marked) and the other to the other end
You'll have to run a few cycles of ice to clear out the carbon (the ice will have little black specs in it for a few cycles) then you're good to go.

 

^^^

Thanks. I'll give it a shot later this week.

 

I got the icemaker years ago when I bought the fridge... I just never got the line kit to hook it up.. I've been afraid to tap into the water line, but because of this thread, I looked in the basement, and the cold water feed for my hot water tank in right under the fridge.

Since my step-dad always complains that I've got no ice in the freezer when he comes over, I've been meaning to hook up the icemaker. Looks like it won't be as hard as I thought it was...

 

GM,

Most people tap into the cold water line under the sink if that's easier.

 

I haven't had much experience with 3/8" saddle valves leaking... the biggest problem i've found with them is they don't deliver enough damn water pressure.

Not enough pressure = cloudy ice cubes...

 

Most people have their fridge on the opposite side of the room from the sink... the "good" ol' kitchen triangle...

GM, with a saddle valve... you could hook up your ice maker in 5 minutes or less. It's retardedly simple.

Like I said, only problem you might have is low water pressure to your fridge.

 

Not following you? Valve in icemaker opens, runs long enough to fill unit with water, then shuts off. If the water is running through a saddle valve it might take longer, it's still filling the same resevoir.

Cloudy ice cubes I thought were either a result of mineral deposits in the water, or by air being trapped between the layers of frozen water. Ice freezes from the outside in so it has more chance to trap air inside the frozen layers.

 

I'm at a lost here. Soopa, water "defoams" way too quickly, and it's not freezing that quickly that the bubbles won't be all gone when it freezes. I think minerals might be your problem.

And Greenie, it's really easy. I just was trying to avoid tapping into the water line with a saddle valve. I wish I didn't waste my time with the EZ Connect one. If your sink is near the refrigerator, tap into it below the sink.