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Installing an Ice Maker
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" Now, we're all familiar with the automatic icemaker from this perspective. It's one of the best accessories you can get with a new refrigerator or freezer. And fewer of us know where the hook-up is on the back. Ed, what am I interrupting here?"
" Bob, I was just taking the desk cover off----"
" Okay."
" and as soon as we can get to the---- in that water solenoid,"
" Here you go."
" you can see what we're doing."
" Now that can be pretty intimidating if you don't know where you're gonna make the hook-up. And where does it go?"
" Right here is the automatic solenoid."
" And that's the valve that calls for water whenever you need it up there in the icemaker, right?"
" Yes, Bob."
" Okay. Now, the pipe that's used is copper?"
" This is a soft refrigerator tubing cord, wrenched tubing----"
" And you've got enough of it that there would be about 4 or 5 feet of slack, right?"
" Yes."
" Yeah."
" Because it's very flexible. They can be pulled in and out that way."
" That's nice cleaning behind the refrigerator. "
" Cleaning and installation."
" Yeah."
" I've already connected---- made a connection downstairs."
" So that's just with one of those little saddle clamps that you tightened on to the pipe?"
" No, Bob. Actually, that is a convenient way to do it if you were doing it yourself, but being a plumber, I try to do it a little more professionally. I put a 1/2-inch copper tee and a compression valve that you can shut off in case you ever have to disconnect it for any reasons."
" Sounds good. It looks terrific."
" What do you do next?"
" Okay. First, we put this anchor clamp onto the pipe."
" Now, that's the clamp that fastens the pipe tight to the frame of the refrigerator so there won't be any vibration?"
" That's right."
" Yeah."
" It comes with the refrigerator. We'll put that on last."
" Yeah."
" But you got to get it through there in order to----"
" Now, we need to put the compression knot, a 1/4-inch compression knot and a 1/4-inch compression sleeve."
" Okay."
" If you could hold that up."
" Yeah. I'll hold this out of your way so that you can go to your next step----"
" No."
" which is to put some tape on it."
" I like to put some Teflon tape right around this compression sleeve, whirl it around 2 or 3 times like that. It ensures a good tight joint when you tighten down the compression knot."
" Okay. And that comes right back over it."
" Which we are ready to do now. This just goes---- slides right under the top----"
" And you don't need any tape down there at the bottom where it slides in?"
" No. The compression ring that we used is what actually makes the seal."
" Okay."
" Now, when your automatic---- when the icemaker calls the water, this automatically opens, the water travels up this tube and into your refrigerator and----"
" Yeah."
" the freezer unit."
" And that's all there is to it?"
" And that's all there is to it."
" And then, of course, you got to tighten this guy up here."
" We'll make this just a little bit tighter."
" But you never wanna overtighten those connections, do you?"
" No, because if you overtighten them, you'll ruin the compression sleeve itself and then you don't have a---- it will leak."
" That's about it."
" Then, we put the clamp back on and this holds the pipe solid so that it doesn't move around on the---- and loosen this connection."
" Exactly. And of course----"
" As you move piping in there."
" pipe comes in, rather, the water comes into here. This regulates the solenoid and then the water continues up this plastic feed to the icemaker trays up there."