really dumb question about refrigerators and ice makers, help!

[Anonymous]

If we currently have an old refrigerator without an ice maker and want to buy a new one with an ice maker, we will need to run water to the fridge, right? Do we have to pay a professional to do this?

[Anonymous]

Well, you should check to see if there's a water line already there (running to near the back of the fridge). But if you know there isn't, and you're getting a fridge with an ice maker, then, yes, you'll have to have one installed. As with almost all things water in a house, it's best to have it professionally done. Hire a plumber.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, you should check to see if there's a water line already there (running to near the back of the fridge). But if you know there isn't, and you're getting a fridge with an ice maker, then, yes, you'll have to have one installed. As with almost all things water in a house, it's best to have it professionally done. Hire a plumber.

Agree with this. When we got our fridge with the ice maker/water filter, we installed a water line ourselves - it was pretty straight forward. We got some copper piping (it's sort of flexible) and drilled holes through the backs of our cabinets along the floor to the sink and then installed a T junction on the water supply under the kitchen sink. The pressure really sucked, though, and we ultimately had our contractor replace the junction that we put in with something else (don't remember what). It worked fine, though, just very, very slowly. It is not a super complicated thing, as long as the layout of your kitchen makes it easy.

[Anonymous]

Yes - you need a water line to run to the back of the fridge. When we first bought our house in Arlington, there was no water line. Had to use the old ice cube trays which my husband hated as he likes ice in all drinks.

btw, not a dumb question!

[Anonymous]

Yes. I hope the layout of your kitchen makes this easy. There is only one space for a fridge in our house and we would have to open the ceiling or floor to run water over to it.

[Anonymous]

We're in a similar position and our contractor has indicated that running a water line to a fridge is much less involved than moving plumbing (which we nixed at the outset due to costs/complications.) I'd sort of assumed we'd just continue to make do without an icemaker, but they said it wasn't a big deal and built it into the estimate. Hope that helps!

[Anonymous]

There may already be a hookup behind your fridge and just not being used.