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?

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.

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.

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?

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 you 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 you know the rest of the story.
Sorry people! This is my first answer of the day and I feel chatty. Tom

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?

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?

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

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

--- 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?

Is the water that is coming from a hot water heater, better for consumption then that from the cold water line??
No better or worse. It's all the same water.

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?
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

no better or worse. It's all the same water.


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.

Sediment stirred up from the bottom of the tank is bound to make it into the ice maker or water dispenser 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 taste or a ice maker clop?

And then make the final connection with an 8 foot braided supply when the appliance is set at finish. 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

Only if the op let the heater go without being flushed once in a while.

You might be surprised to find out just how many people do not bother to flush their H/W tanks, Tom.

>shrugs<

It's not something most folks even think about until problems begin to arise.

Never had a problem with connecting a ice maker to the hot water and my company has installed hundreds of new units. Not a single complaint. NOT ONE!! Over the years. I thin growler's focusing on what possibly might happen but it's never happened in any of our installations. Regards, Tom

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?

It seems to me that by utilizing hot water you are making ice from water that has been sitting in a sometimes filthy water tank instead of the relatively pristine cold water. Why else is it recommended that you drain your hot water tank regularly? To get rid of the sediment and crud that's why. Not very smart to use hot water especially in houses over 50 years old that might have used lead in the copper line solder especially for the sake of good looking ice!! TRY AGAIN!!

It seems to me that by utilizing hot water you are making ice from water that has been sitting in a sometimes filthy water tank instead of the relatively pristine cold water. Let's see if I ncan make some sense out of your statement. The water in a water heater is drawn off the top of the heater not offthe bottom where minerals c an build up.

Not very smart to use hot water especially in houses over 50 years old that might have used lead in the copper line solder
Are you suggesting we used different solder for the cold water lines in a home over 50 years of age? That the cold water lines have less lead in the solder joints then the hot water lines? You can't be serious!
Bottom line! If you think that ice cubes taken off the hot water supply will poison you then hook the ice maker line up to the cold watrer supply. I'm just telling you how we pipe our ice maker lines in our new construction. Customer complaints over the years of installing them off the hot water supply? ZERO! Regards, Tom

Let's see if I ncan make some sense outta your statement. The water in a water heater is drawn off the top of the heater not offthe bottom where minerals c an build up.

Are you suggesting we used different solder for the cold water lines in a home over 50 years of age? That the cold water lines have less lead in the solder joints then the hot water lines? You can't be serious!!
Bottom line! if you think that ice cubes taken off the hot water supply will poison you then hook the ice maker line upto the cold watrer supply. I'm just telling you how we pipe our ice maker lines in our new construction. Customer complaints over the years of installing them off the hot water supply?? ZERO!! regards, TomWhat I am suggesting is that some plumbers DID use lead solder years ago and that authorities suggest running your water for three minutes if you know or suspect that your pipes were joined with solder containing lead. I am also suggesting that a hot water tank might accumulate at least a modicum amount of that lead, but certainly is tainted at any rate. The suggestion that water comes from the top of the tank is equally ludicrous and is like saying that you can pour mercury in a reservoir and still drink water from the top. All this for the sake of PRETTY ICE!!

It may be that the original plumber didn't pay too much attention to what he was doing and ran hot water line to the fridge..

It may be that the original plumber didn't pay too much attention to what he was doing and ran hot water line to the fridge..
Someone on this thread stated that using the Hot Water line is common practice to make clearer ice. Then someone stated that lead was not used but it WAS especially before 1986.The point is that I believe the hot water supply from the tank to the icemaker is less hygienic than the cold water supply due to sediment, etc. all seemingly to make more appealing ice.

Article - Drinking Water: Lead-Pipe and Lead-Solder Concerns - HealthyHouseInstitute.com (http://www.healthyhouseinstitute.com/a_662-Drinking_Water_Lead_Pipe_and_Lead_Solder_Concerns)

According to one source you can run your cold water line for several minutes to purge any water that MIGHT have made contact with solder containing lead but the same, of course, is not true of the hot water supply. But lead was NOT my point to start with. Cruddy sediment-containing hot water WAS. After all, the cold water line cannot be flushed from lead unless you want to stand there and flush it before the refrigerator timer calls for more water.

I ask this question: Would you tap water from your 15 year old hot water tank and drink it? That is what you are doing when the hot water line is tapped to make ice.

Let it run . . . and get the lead out! - EnglishDrinking Water Protection: Environmental Health in Minnesota (http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/water/com/fs/letitrun_english.html)

The reply above that there were no customer complaints in years and years of tapping hot water lines is almost amusing. IN THE FIRST PLACE, THE CUSTOMERS ARE NOT AWARE THAT THEIR HOT WATER TANKS HAVE BEEN TAPPED FOR DRINKING ICE!! OF COUSE THEY DON'T COMPLAIN! And even if they were aware of it, technicians that have no idea what they are doing would convince them that it is perfectly safe and sanitary. PROVE that the hot water tank supply is safe to drink and THEN tap the hot water line!!
Hot water tanks contain anodes inserted into them that deteriorate, plastic dip tubes that slowly disintegrate, brass fittings that may contain lead, years and years of accumulated crud, with who knows what chemical composition.

Gee whizz! I didn't mean to start a fire storm when I mentioned we pipe from the hot water side for clearer ice cubes. I wasn't aware until commonsense informed me I was piping poison into our customers icemakers.
Not only that but our solder joints have been adding more poisen in our installations for the last 30 years. We have a epidemic here in Sarasota. The hospitals are overrun with half the population suffering from lead posing and the other half with a new disease called " Icecubeitus". You see they didn't know they were sick until comonsense told them that they were.
I guess this puts a death watch on clear ice cubes. And we have comonsense to thank for this. Plumbers from all over the nation are converging on Sarasota to replace all the copper water pipes with plastic and to make supplying ice makers with hot water a capital offense.
I would like at this time to nominate comonsense to head up a new department called, The Ice Cube Police or Cube Cops for short. His job will be to inspect all ice cubes and condemn any that he finds clear and not milky like they should be.
Comon! Loosen up. Nobodys got sick yet from their ice cubes or from the homes we piped using 50/50 solder. The points you make are most likely valid ones but we haven't experienced the fallout that you say will happen and there are thousands of homes in my area that are piped with 50/50 solder and Ice makers piped from the hot water supply. Your input's
Appreciated and noted but what do you suggest that we do for the installations that we've already built? Regards, Tom

Yep. Maybe we should just outlaw water hearters. After all we are bathing in that filty, contaminated,lead infested, hot water.

Hospitals are full of alzheimer patients that they have no idea what is caused by, and a myriad of other maladies of unknown cause. I am not suggesting that hot water tanks are full of poison or even harmful contamination, but YOU are saying that they are NOT. Thank you Doctor Plumber.

Your logic is not consistent, if you don't think there are contaminants in the water heater what your objection to making ice from water that has passed through the heater? Alzheimer's is a genetically inheirted disease

My 50 year old house that I haved lived in for 15 years, is piped with copper lines and the solder composition is unknown to me. Just to try to be safer I run my cold tap water for a few minutes before using it for drinking, etc. per numerous "authorities" that recommend that you do that. I had noticed years earlier that the original plumber had tapped the hot water line for the icemaker and I thought he had obviously made a mistake but didn't think anything much of it. Now we learn that hot water is used for cosmetic purposes.
Both of the original owners of this house died with Alzheimer's disease after having consumed hot water tank ice for 35 years. Is this a coincidence? YES it probably is! But I'm not going to say it doesn't have anything to do with it. Whatever caused their disease is unknown.
All this reminds me of when I was renting a room in Lafayette, La. In a lady's house and the contract pest control tech said he was going to spray my room. I said that I would prefer that he didn't. He replied "Oh, it won't hurt you!" No, maybe not now, but how about in 20 or 30 years?
Water from the hot water tank? "Oh, it won't hurt you!" That's a statement that I would be afraid to make even if it is true.

I would say that the previous owner more likely died from Alzheimer's because he used that new fangle electricity to cook with.

Your logic is not consistant, if you don't think there are contaminants in the water heater what your objection to making ice from water that has passed thru the heater? Alzheimer's is a genetically inheirted disease
From Dictionary.com: Alzheimer's disease:

A common form of dementia of unknown cause, usually beginning in late middle age, characterized by memory lapses, confusion, emotional instability, and progressive loss of mental ability.

It does say UNKNOWN doesn't it? It doesn't say of genetic cause does it?


I would say that the previous owner more likely died from Alzheimer's because he used that new fangle electricty to cook with.
Or maybe electromagnetic waves emanating from 30,000 volt power lines.

Yep. Maybe we should just outlaw water hearters. After all we are bathing in that filty, contaminated,lead infested, hot water.I hope you're not going to suggest that you're going to go green and recycle that bath water to the ice maker!

Yep from my bath to your ice maker.

Both of the original owners of this house died with Alzheimer's disease after having consumed hot water tank ice for 35 years. Is this a coincidence? YES it probably is! But I'm not going to sa it doesn't have anything to do with it. Whatever caused their disease is unknown.
My Gawd! So that's what's been killing off our older residents here in Florida?
They didn't die from old age. They all had the dreaded "HOT WATER DISEASE from bathing in hot water. OK! THAT"S IT!!! From now on hot water's outlawed in Florida. Commonsense has just solved a medical mystry.
He has discovered the root cause of Alzheimer's disease and I'll bet he's not even a doctor. It's been water heaters all along. Way ta go commnon!! And ya can bet yo bippy that your pipe joints were all soldered with 50/50 solder in that 50 year old house of yours.
I dunno much about "dementia" but it seems to me that if you can catch it by association I want to stay away from you. Regards, Tom

yep from my bath to your ice maker.That retort has already been used.

Well folks, the Plumber/Scientists are shooting me down. Come on over to the HVACTalk forum where things really get hot. Bye.

Interesting post. I stumbled on this topic as I am about to put a fridge with a water line in the former location of a water heater, so both hot and cold lines are nearby. I was hoping to find a clearcut answer on which one to hook to. You all make good points, some I think more relevant than others.

I wanted to throw out another pointless fact. Hot water freezes more quickly than cold.

Can hot water freeze faster than cold water? (http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/hot_water.html)

Given the ambient room temperature, this probably matters little, if any.

Plumb guy,

The link is correct, I support cold and you can use the hot water connection too, in most states it is connected to the cold supply, so lets use the cold side let this post to rest and the case is closed, Thanks.

John

I don't have an answer for this question. I came across this information by doing Google search. I live in a condo that was severely damaged as a result of a flood last May. My whole first floor had to be torn out to the studs. I just moved back in to my restored condo and have all new appliances in my kitchen. My new refrigerator is the kind that has a water dispenser and it was dispensing hot water at first. I was very concerned because I thought it was something that needed to be corrected and might require a lot of work. However, if I am understanding speedball1's answers correctly, it appears that everything is okay. If that's the case then I am very relieved.

On post#4 of this thread In gave a reason for hooking the ice maker to hot water. For three reeasons.
1) It freezes faster\
2) the cubes aren't cloudy with air bubbles **and**'
3) The water in the ice maker supply wei will cool to room temperature between draws if the supply line is 6 to 10 feet long, I'm not sure about the performance if the supply's shorter.
Here's what I wrote;
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 you 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 you know the rest of the story.
Good luck, Tom

Sorry, Speedball, I agree with commonsense. If anybody hooked my refrigerator to the hot water line, I would not use him again as my plumber and would make sure he rerouted it to the cold water line. Clear ice? Freezes faster? Give me a break, hot water side water tastes really bad. You can drink it if you want, but not me! Besides, the water dispenser would surely be dispensing hot water by the time even one glass was filled in many installations. What about the situation where there is a circulation pump? Or when you are having a party for teens? I have a Hotpoint which does not even chill the water. We sometimes take as much as a gallon out of there. It is not used for ice only.

Hello Jdubya,

Will come to this web site stick around and you will learn more and we will learn from you too, FYI speedball is the master and he is out sick wait, He will respond back to you when he recovers, Thanks.

John

johnterry91: Sorry but I don't know what question you are trying to answer. If hot water being dispensed by the refrigerator can be caused by the refrigerator filter, I sure would like to know how. If a person wants clear ice cubes and doesn't give a rip what they taste like - go for it, hook the thing up to the hot water side. If not, better hook it up to the cold side. Your answer is over a year late - hardly consideration in sorting it out quickly.

Hi,
This is a very interesting discussion, and I'm surprised to learn that hot water is used intentionally for refrigerator hookup. It's like one of those things that goes against our everyday common experience, such as quantum theory.
I moved into a 10 year old house recently and just bought a refrigerator with water dispenser and ice maker. The manual recommended to flush out 3 gallons of water before drinking. Half way through this process, I noticed the water getting really hot. This seems very odd to me, so I did a search and found this website. Our previous house, only 5 years old, had the line hooked up to cold water, so it seems really odd to me to have hot water. Also, I found this hobbyist article during my search, that readers here might find interesting regarding hot vs cold water:
http://www.h2oc.com/pdfs/Refrigerator.pdf
Actually the study mainly focuses on filtered vs. tap water, and is in Missouri, but does show that the hot tap water has a couple more particles in it, probably from the hot water tank.
I'd like to reroute to cold water instead of hot, but not sure how to do this. I'm not a handy person, so I'd probably hire someone to do it, and I'm guessing that would be fairly expensive.
I personally don't care so much about clear vs. cloudy ice cubes. I just don't like the idea of running hot water into a cold refrigerator. I think someone brought up a point about the refrigerator working harder to cool the water. Not sure if true, but seems reasonable. Also, would prefer to have cooler water than hot, especially during summer.

Hi Newfridg and Welcome to The Plumbing Page. At AskMeHelpDesk.com. You're responding to a 6 year old dead thread Look in then upper left hand corner of the first post form the date before you post, Thanks,

I just don't like the idea of running hot water into a cold refrigerator. I think someone brought up a point about the refrigerator working harder to cool the water. Not sure if true, but seems reasonable. Also, would prefer to have cooler water than hot, especially during summer.

This is your choice.
However you are wrong in your conclusions. If the icemaker line comes off the kitchen sink it will come to room temperature between draws. This, no matter if the water's hot or cold. So that shoots that a argument down.
As far as nasty sediment the hot water you sick, you both bath in it and use it to cook. So there goes another argument out the window. I still stick by my statement.
1) It freezes faster\
2) the cubes aren't cloudy with air bubbles **and**'
3) The water in the ice maker supply wei will cool to room temperature between draws if the supply line is 6 to 10 feet long, I'm not sure about the performance if the supply's shorter.
Ya just can't argue against facts. Good luck, Tom

Hi Tom,
Thank you for your reply.
There is something I still don't really get in your reasoning of using hot water because it freezes faster. If you argue that the hot water that reaches the freezer is no longer hot due to the infrequent draws and the line length, then I don't see there being any advantage of using the hot water line over the cold water line, since both would end up cold by the time it reaches the ice maker. Then they should both take the same amount of time to freeze. Drawing water from the hot water tank, then requires filling more water into the hot water tank causing the water heater to turn on more frequently, so it does consume a little more energy overall.
I don't cook with water from the hot water line, but I do shower with it. You also can swim in a swimming pool filled with chlorine and chemicals, but that doesn't equate to ingesting it.
I know that the thread started 6 years ago because I read through all of the posts, but the most recent post was less than a month ago. If I violated some nonverbal agreement about posting, then please accept my apologies.
Thanks.

I don't see there being any advantage of using the hot water line over the cold water line, Then you haven't read the previous post where I laid out the reasons. #2 comes to mind.

they should both take the same amount of time to freeze Not so! The hot water freezes faster and clearer.

Drawing water from the hot water tank, then requires filling more water into the hot water tank causing the water heater to turn on more frequently, so it does consume a little more energy overall.
SAY What? Do you really think that filling a ice cube tray (4 or 5 oz. of water) will cost you more? You say you've read all the posts and can still come back with the arguments n you've presented? Bottom line! Both cold and hot will work. I just gave you the reason that we hook our icemakers up to a hot water line. Good luck, Tom

Tom, here is what you said:


If the icemaker line comes off the kitchen sink it will come to room temperature between draws. This, no matter if the water's hot or cold.. .
1) It freezes faster\

If both hot and cold water lines come to the same temperature at the ice maker, then using the hot water line shouldn't affect the freezing time. Have you actually tried this experiment yourself, or are you just going off what others say? I don't question the fact that hot water freezes faster than cold, but if you say that the water is not hot by the time it reaches the ice maker, then it won't freeze any faster than the cold water. Another way to put it, how much time do you save using the "hot" water vs. cold?



Do you really think that filling a ice cube tray (4 or 5 oz. of water) will cost you more?

I agree, probably not much more.



You say you've read all the posts and can still come back with the arguments n you've presented?

I like to ask questions and think for myself. But I sense that you don't like people questioning things. Just do as we are told, right?

Hello Newfrige,

Welcome to this wonderful Plumbing website, I believe there is no need for arguments here, Tom is the most expert guy here and he has a lot of experience and he done a lot of these installation.
We give our advices to people for free and we are not telling them that you must do this if people likes our advices they are welcome if they don't then they are welcome too,Thanks.

Best Regards.

Welcome to this wonderful Plumbing website, I believe there is no need for arguments here, Tom is the most expert guy here and he has a lot of experience and he done a lot of these installation.
We give our advices to people for free and we are not telling them that you must do this if people likes our advices they are welcome if they don't then they are welcome too,Thanks.

Please tell me how I'm considered as arguing here? I'm trying to ask Tom to explain his answer in more detail. He claims that using the hot water line helps the ice maker work faster based on the fact that hot water freezes faster. However, he also claims that regardless of using the hot water line or cold water line, both lines become room temp by the time it reaches the ice maker. So I have trouble understanding why that would make the hot water line make ice faster.

Sorry afaroo, but Tom is wrong about hooking to the hot water line. His assumption is that it is only done for ice cubes. That makes everything all wet because the water is dispensed by many (most new) refrigerators as cold water. The comments that you get clear ice, hot water freezes faster and that the water returns to room temp between uses is In my opinion true. He continues to ignore, however, the bad taste of hot water and that the hot water does not turn-over (get refreshed) like the cold water side does. When you add to that trying to get a cool glass of water out of the refrig dispenser and it ends up hot or warm, that's enough for me - I want mine connected to the cold water line. Also, if you have trouble with the water line freezing, that is exacerbated by the hot water line freezing faster. At the time he has referred to, the refrigerators did not dispense water, they made ice cubes and the plan was more acceptable for that. Not true for water dispensing refrigerators - you probably will not find using hot water line for ice cubes unacceptable or dangerous. And if you want it that way, fine - do it.

Newfrige: The points Tom makes are true - hot water freezes faster for the same reason it makes clear ice cubes - oxygen is out of it. It also has fewer minerals in it. Hot water also feeds into a tank where little things can grow, but they are heated up so most of them die before growing. Cold water doesn't have that stagnant water problem and turns over faster because more of it is used. And cold water is not heated to kill that bad stuff. But cold water tastes better because of the minerals and oxygen in it. That is the main reason besides taking a cold drink of hot water that I would call the deal breaker. I want cold water supply for my refrigerator - I think you do also. For what he said, Tom is not wrong, but I think overall, he didn't give the full story for what you wanted to know. Am I successful at that?

Thank you jdubya. You've explained it very well. The missing piece of information about older refrigerators only having ice makers, and newer ones adding the water dispenser makes the picture more clear, pun not intended.

I don't dispute that hot water freezes faster, but I don't understand why hot water that has cooled to room temp freezes faster than cold water that has been sitting there all along. From what I've read, the phenomenon is only true for water that is hot (e.g. 35C), and doesn't mention water that has been heated, then cooled down. It's above me. I guess it doesn't matter.

If both hot and cold water lines come to the same temperature at the ice makerSTOP!! that's not what I said at all. I said the water in the iced maker linewill come to room temperature just setting there waiting for the next draw.
Juubya makes a valid point about ice water. My only defense is that in all the ice makers we have installed we have never had a complaint.

I don't understand why hot water that has cooled to room temp freezes faster than cold water that has been sitting there all along. Because hot water deoxidizes if the hot water tank. N bIn other words cold waster has more air bubbles. That's why it freezes faster and the cubes are clearer.
But hey. This has been interesting and I'm sure nobody was converted.
Back in my day the refriduators furnished by the condo builder all had i.e. makers and no ice water dispenser. Ice water and frequent draws makes sense to me. Ican see where a thirsty family can drink all the ice water and pull from the ice maker line. Great point joubya!
Hey! It all boils down to personal choice. Knowing what I know now My advice will be to pipe with cold waster. Rewgards, Tom

Hello Jdubya,

Congratulation you explained it very well and everyone understand I personally haven’t connected any one to the hot side but have read a lot and Tom have done many and he claims no body complained, I hope that Newfrige is happy now and lets put this thread in to bed, Thanks.

Regards,
John

The freezing point of water is determined by impurities in the water that disrupt the crystallization process. Oxygen and minerals both affect it some by making it more difficult to solidify thus lowering the freezing point. The water in the cold water line probably freezes at 31.5 degrees or so, Hot water freezes at nearer to 32 where pure water freezes. The amount of difference is not large. As the hot water cools or the cold water warms, the dumping of water into the ice maker would be at nearly room temperature for either hot or cold and so the difference in time to reach the freezing point is not much different - the hot water would be slightly warmer and the cold water slightly colder as it entered the ice maker. Assuming that the latent heat BTUs required to freeze the water is the same for both, the freeze time should favor the hot water slightly because of the freezing temperature of the water. I went to the internet and was surprised to see discussions citing a high school student of the 60's who noticed this phenomenon, but according to the write-up, no solution was subsequently found. I don't remember where, but I remember seeing or hearing the explanation I gave above during my high school or college days - late 50's to mid 60's. So now I am not certain any longer that my description is correct - sure sounds logical anyway.

The chemicals from the hot water heater has to be bad for the health. Would you not think so?

What chemicals, rneal? Are you talking about minerals? If so, nothing unhealthy about minerals.

When water is heated the only real change is that it becomes deoxygenated which creates less kinetic energy... allows freezing to occur more quickly than for cold water.

Mark

The chemicals from the hot water heater has to be bad for the health. Would you not think so? Then you don't use hot water to cook or do dishes. Interesting! Tom

I do not drink water from a water heater, unless they are kept at 140F minimum it is not wise.

Ice makers that are connected to the domestic hot water supply, may produce poor quality cubes. The sacrificial anode rods, found in most tank style water heaters, can react with latent bacteria and create odors in the hot water. Well water that has condition issues, and is treated via water conditioning equipment can be especially prone to hot water fouling.
Domestic hot water DOES NOT freeze faster than cold water; this has been scientifically proven by those a lot smarter than I, however, there are instances where a domestic hot water pipe has frozen before its neighboring cold water pipe - this has more to do with location, usage pattern, etc...

Ice makers that are connected to the domestic hot water supply, may produce poor quality cubes

I don't know about that, Mike. I have never seen a quality difference between hot vs cold water ice cubes. The only difference I have ever observed is that the hot water ice cubes come out crystal clear, but the quality is just fine.

I won't disagree about the hot water VS cold water freezing as I have observed that freezing pipes are dependent on many, many factors, for sure!

Mark

Ice makers that are connected to the domestic hot water supply, may produce poor quality cubes

Sorry Mike, but I disagree.

1- when water sits in the icemaker line it arrives at the icemaker, at room temperature.
2- hot water makes the ice cubes less cloudy because the water in the water heater has lost its oxygen content, leaving the water with less air bubbles to cloud the cubes.

This is why I recommend piping hot water to the icemaker. Cheers, Tom

Tom,

I respect you and your experiences, but here in the northeast we have well water with varying degrees of quality. Some well water will react to the action of the anode rod and produce foul water, that is why I never connect an icemaker to the hot water piping.
There is a website I frequent ( water heaterrescue.com ), that is administered by a well known dhw expert who explains this action in detail...

we have well water with varying degrees of quality. Some well water will react to the action of the anode rod and produce foul water,]
So you're saying that you live in an area that you cannot use hot water for cooking or bathing because of the foul smell. Is that correct? Let me know, Tom

Tom,
I have witnessed very occasional occurrences of fouled dhw, it usually has happened when there is a tank type water heater, well water, and conditioning equipment... I'm not implying that hot water should not be used as you describe... I just prefer not to tempt fate.