Unlock Your DIY Potential: Steps to Connect a Refrigerator

Have you been considering trying your hand at doing a little DIY, but aren’t really sure where to start? Or maybe you’re not sure that you can really do it yourself? Yes, you can- and a great place to start is with your kitchen plumbing.

If you’ve got a refrigerator with an ice maker or water dispenser that needs connecting, we recommend this job for the novice DIY Reno, NV homeowner. All you need are the right tools, the time to devote to the job and a list of easy-to-follow steps to get it done right. Here is what you need to do.

Don’t be shy to ask for Help

Although we are supremely confident that you can accomplish this DIY task all on your own, there is always support available from your plumber.

If you’ve got complicated plumbing, or if you aren’t entirely sure that you’ve got enough time to work on the job, don’t be shy to ask for help. Your neighborhood plumber will get the job done quickly and correctly.

Connecting the Ice Maker

It’s so much easier to fill your glass with ice right from the fridge than to wrestle with ice cubes. Have you ever gone to fill your glass and realized that the last person didn’t refill the tray? That’s something you won’t need to worry about anymore after you connect your ice maker.

To begin, you need to identify the cold water source for your fridge (note: this step is similar, regardless if you hooking up your ice maker or your water dispenser). Typically, you’ll want to do this from your kitchen sink, but if that isn’t possible, you may need to go through the basement.

Decide where you will attach the line to the fridge on the cold water pipe. Attach a valve from your installation kit tightly. Drill small holes through the base of your cabinetry (if you are running the line from your sink) or through the floor (if you are running the line from the basement).

Attach the tubing to the valve on the sink using compression nuts. Fit a ferrule over the tubing and then wind in through the holes. Be sure to coil loosely at the back of the fridge so that it doesn’t become disconnected when you pull it out to clean. Connect the end of the hose to the ice maker valve and turn the ice maker to the “on” position. You will want to discard the first few batches of ice.

Hooking up the Water Dispenser

Follow similar steps to connect to the cold water supply. To get rid of the unclean water at the initial hookup, let the water run from the hose into a bucket before you connect it to the water dispenser valve.

Once you’ve proven to yourself that you can DIY with your kitchen plumbing, the sky's the limit!