[mrfixit694]

Hello all,

I read an old post about a slow water dispenser on a GE refrigerator and I have a question as to how you do something. Below is the original post and my question is how do you unscrew the "T" shutoff and take the nut off that holds the "T" handle into the valve? I don't want to break the valve and create a worse problem so I am being cautious but I would greatly appreciate it if someone were to explain this to me please.

Thanks in advance.

-Gabriel

Have the answer to the same problem and it costs nothing to fix if your saddle valve is on copper pipe. I was getting 1/8 cup of water in 15 seconds... now it is 1 cup of water in 15 seconds. What you need to do is turn the water off and take the saddle valve apart. DO NOT REMOVE THE WHOLE VALVE. You just need to unscrew the "T" shut off then take the nut off that holds the "T" handle into the valve... do not remove the entire saddle valve, just the handle part. Once you get it out use a 3/32 drill bit. Use the smooth part, not the drilling part and insert it into the valve assembly by wiggling it a bit. You will eventually get it to the copper pipe you have the saddle valve on. Now you take the drill bit [hold it with a pair of pliers so you don't cut your hand] and try to "open up" the hole in the pipe. By making a "figure 8" or go "round and round" with the drill bit you will slowly open the hole in the pipe, which will now let much more water come to the water dispenser. Write me if you need more info... I am so pleased with the "8 times as much water flow" than I had before. Now I actually use it for water! John

[drtom4444]

Turn off the water supply and remove the saddle valve. Then use a 1/8" drill bit to carefully make the hole a little bigger. I have had to do this almost every time I have installed a saddle valve. It makes a much better hole.

[massplumber2008]

I wouldn't even mess with a saddle valve nowadays! I'd simply install a sharkbite service slip tee fitting into the copper tube and then install a new sharkbite 1/4" shut off valve and have full volume/flow at the ice maker. Check out the video below:

[drtom4444]

I agree that I do not like saddle valves either. It's much better to solder or use compression fittings to install a tee and put an in-line shut-off valve in the line to the ice maker. The tiny hole that the saddle valve makes eventually gets stopped up with scale in areas with hard water, anyway, plus it has insufficient water flow. Sharkbite is a very good product that solves the problem very nicely and it even has a shutoff that fits on the tee, but if that brand is not available then a tee with compression fittings can be found almost anywhere.