We recently moved into a 10 year old home and purchased a new refrigerator with a water filter and ice maker, only to find that when we hooked it up to the single water line behind the fridge, it dispenses hot water. I don't think the line has been used before now and was wondering if anyone has ever heard of something like this where the line is attached to the water heater instead of the cold water line. What will need to be done to fix this?

RickJ

A hot water line that you can access from behind the fridge sounds odd, but regardless, the fix should be simple.

You'll want to locate your nearest cold water line that you can tap into with a saddle valve, and run 3/8" plastic from it to your fridge.

If you have a basement, it's best to tap in from there, and up through the floor behind the fridge with the 3/8" line.

Hang tight, though, it's early. Our Plumbing Expert should be along shortly to take a peek at this too.

bbeard33

Using hot water in ice cube trays allows you to make clear frozen cubes.
Could be a mistake that the icemaker was connected to a hot water line or could've been that a plumber or former homeowner knew about the clear cube trick.

speedball1

There's a reason we take a ice maker off a hotwater supply. No matter if the ice maker is connected to the hot or cold supply the water that reaches the ice maker will always remain the same temperature, and that temperature is set by the ambient room temperature. Let's follow the water as it leaves the supply on it's way to the icemaker. When installed we usually harvest a few loads if ice cubes to flush out any impurities in the icemaker line. Then the icemaker shuts off the flow of water to the tray leaving the 1/8th ice maker supply full of water that's trapped in the line and there it sets warming up, ( or cooling down) to room temperature until another draw is made.
The run from the supply to the ice maker's usually 6 to 8 feet long so the water trapped in the supply will be ample to fill the ice cube tray.
So! You say. If the water reaches the icemaker at room temperature what difference does it make if we supply from hot or cold?
Would ya believe the clarity of the ice cube? Water that sets in a hot water tank deoxygenates so that the ice cubes come out clear while ice cubes that come off a cold water supply have many bubbles that make the ice cube cloudy. And now ya know the rest of the story.
Sorry people! This is my first answer of the day and I feel chatty. Tom

RickJ

Tom, if the hot water line is "right behind the fridge" then might she be getting hot or quite warm water going into the fridge and freezer making it work longer to cool and freeze it?

If so, then it would be a matter of deciding how important clearer cubes are.

Yer thoughts?

speedball1

The problem with having a hot water supply directly behind the fridge is that would be no reason to have one there and I've never saw a hot water supply any closer then the kitchen sink but if there was one I wouldn't use it and go for the hot supply on the sink. Regards, Tom

MrBadWrench

--- I can see how some of this would make sense, however, I have one question about the use of the Hot Water line feeding into a refrigerator. Water Quality???? Is the water that is coming from a hot water heater, better for consumption then that from the cold water line???? Most of these answers have to do with ice makers, but we all know that the refrigerators also have water dispensing too [at times]. So, whether it is ice or water, would that water from the hot water line be better to consume then that of the cold?

speedball1

no better or worse. It's all the same water.
The water dispensers have a small chill tank that chills the water that enters the dispenser. What's being overlooked here is that the hot water in the refrigerator supply line cools down to room temperature before the fridge makes a draw so hot water doesn't go directly into the fridge. Regards, Tom

iamgrowler

I beg to differ.

Sediment stirred up from the bottom of the tank is bound to make it into the ice maker or water dispenser.

I've come across this from time to time -- If doable, the best and simplest solution is to route a 1/4" cold water line from the kitchen sink cold water line (add a double stop) to the refrigerator location from either below (if there is a basement or crawlspace) or through adjacent kitchen cabinets.

With so many refrigerators being built in units these days, we stopped roughing in icemaker boxes years ago -- We generally route a 1/4" copper line from the kitchen sink cabinet to the refrigerator location during the rough in phase -- And then make the final connection with an 8 foot braided supply when the appliance is set at finish.

speedball1

But the water's not being drawn off from the bottom of the tank is it? If the op let the heater go without being flushed once in a while I guess it could happen but I have never got a complaint that the ice maker has been clogged because it was supplie4d by the hot water. How many have you had to change over to a cold supply because of bad tast or a ice maker clop?
Back when I was out in the field we also roughed in with 1/8" ID copper frrom the sink to the fridge. Can you tell me the purpose of a 8 foot braided supply and on what end it's connected to? Is it so the fridge can be moved in and out?? Just curious. thanks, Tom