How to Connect a Water Line to a Frigidaire Refrigerator

Many modern refrigerator models come with the capability to automatically make ice and provide cold water, but the refrigerator will need to be connected to the house's water line to do so. This isn't a difficult connection to make in theory, but depending on the logistics of the house water line, the kitchen layout and the model of refrigerator, there are certainly issues to consider before launching into the project. Whether you have a GE or Frigidaire water dispenser tube, you can do basic repairs yourself.

First, you'll want to find the cold water line closest to the refrigerator, according to How Stuff Works. This could be the kitchen sink, but you'll also want to check water lines running in the ceiling of the basement. If there's already a spot where a T-fitting has been installed, that might be an ideal place to branch out of.

Plan the spot where you're going to break the water line, if necessary, and buy your supplies based on that. You're going to need to measure the length of copper pipe you'll need to connect the refrigerator to the water line. Choose the space that's most convenient to break into the water piping, then measure the length and angles of copper pipe needed. Keep in mind you'll want some extra copper piping to coil behind the refrigerator so that you can pull it out for cleaning without detaching the water connection.

You'll need to make sure you have on hand:

• Enough copper piping to reach from the refrigerator to the closest and most convenient cold water source
• A T-fitting, which you can install in the cold water line to make a split that will feed to the refrigerator
• The connection piece that will link the copper tubing to the inlet to the refrigerator
• Any additional valves you may need to insert the proper connection to the cold water line, such as the Frigidaire refrigerator dispenser water inlet valve #242252702 (check your manual to ensure this part fits your Frigidaire model)
• A good set of plumber's tools including a drill, pliers, wrenches and measuring tape
• Frigidaire refrigerator water line kit

In order to create the most appropriate path, you may need to drill through the floor behind the refrigerator or behind drawers and cabinets to trace the copper tubing to a place it will not be disturbed. Drill holes big enough for the tubing, then connect one end of the copper pipe to the inlet of the refrigerator. Weave the copper pipe through its intended path until you reach the water line.

Be sure that the water to the entire home has been shut off before cutting into the line to insert a T-fitting or any other valve. Once the T-fitting has been reached, make all the desired connections and slowly open the house water valve to check for potential leaks. As long as the right connections have been made, the refrigerator should receive water within a few minutes. It will take a couple of hours for the freezer to produce any ice.

The cold water Frigidaire water dispenser tube in the fridge is fairly intuitive: cold water flows from the cold water source, gets additional cooling in the refrigerator and pours into your glass. The ice maker is an automatic process that happens in the background and involves a few more steps in order to make sure you have ice on demand.

The ice maker operates on a cycle. The freezer checks to see whether the ice basin is full or not on a timescale. If it is full, no additional ice is made, but if it is not entirely full, the freezer will call for ice. This process closes a circuit, which causes water to flow into the internal ice tray. The freezer waits a set period of time until the ice will be totally frozen and then moves to dump the ice tray into the ice basin to top it off.