Refrigerators are the essential home appliance that is used to preserve food and medicinal products. Refrigerators are mainly used to store food for a long period of time. Microorganisms can’t grow in food when the food is stored at cold temperatures.
The low temperature inside the refrigerators forms ice and it is essential for storing food items. This article will provide an in-depth answer and offer you deep insights into the water line connection of the refrigerators and their requisiteness.
Do refrigerators need a water line?
Refrigerators need a water line to make ice. The automatic ice-maker system of the refrigerators needs to be connected with a water source. If you want to make ice using your refrigerator then you have to connect it with a water supply. A water line is attached that supplies water into the fridge.
Refrigerators need a water line in order to make ice. The machine that transforms water into ice, requires a water line connection. For this reason, the ice-maker system needs to be connected with a water line that will circulate enough water for ice-making.
A refrigerator is used to store products at low temperatures. Sometimes ice making is required in order to store easily spoiled food. Refrigerators produce minus temperatures in order to form ice. And this requires a supply of water.
Without the water supply, ice can’t form inside the refrigerator.
But you can also use the refrigerator without a water line connection. But in that case, your refrigerator won’t form any ice. But you will be able to store general food products in the refrigerator and the products won’t be spoiled.
American-style fridge and freezer also require to connect with a water supply to make ice. Without the connection with a water supply, American freezers don’t make any ice.
The water line can also be connected separately with the refrigerator. You can attach a water line to your refrigerator anytime you want.
Why does the refrigerator need a water line?
Low temperatures are maintained in the refrigerator to store foods and products. And a water line is necessary for the refrigerator for multiple reasons. Some are listed here –
Water dispenser:
A refrigerator needs a water line to dispense excess water from the fridge. Accumulation of excess water into the fridge can cause problems. Besides, it is unhygienic. Microorganisms can grow in dirty water. And it can spread diseases.
The refrigerator contains a built-in water dispenser which is used to evacuate excess fluid from the fridge. But if your fridge doesn’t have any built-in dispenser, then it is better to establish a water line so that excess water can release through it.
Ice formation:
A water line with the refrigerator is necessary to make ice. Ice formation is a chemical process where water converts into its solid ice form. And this process requires low temperature.
For this reason, the supply of water into the refrigerator is essential for ice formation. If you don’t want to make ice using your refrigerator, you can disconnect the water line from the refrigerator.
But a water line connection is mandatory if you want to make ice using your refrigerator.
Can a refrigerator be used without a water line?
A refrigerator can be used without a water line. But in that case, you wouldn’t able to make ice using the refrigerator. Moreover, you can supply water manually also. In that case, you have to fill the water tank regularly to get ice from the freezer.
Refrigerators can be used without a water line. It depends on your purpose. A water line is connected with the refrigerator in order to make ice. And a water line is also attached to the refrigerator so that it can dispense excess water from the fridge.
But if you don’t want to make ice in your refrigerator then you won’t need a water line connection with the fridge. Ice formation is a chemical process where liquid water changes its state. In low temperature, water fridges into ice crystals.
And for this reason, a supply of water into the fridge is essential.
Without a proper water supply, you can’t make ice only using the refrigerator. Moreover, if your fridge doesn’t have a water dispenser line then you won’t have to connect your refrigerator with a water line.
And in this scenario, you can use the refrigerator without the waterline.
Many refrigerators contain a build-in waterline. But if your fridge doesn’t have, you can easily attach a water line with your refrigerator.
But connect a water line, only when you need it. Because, if you don’t need to make ice using the refrigerator, then a connection of water line is redundant. That’s why every fridge doesn’t require a water line.
But fridges that are used to make ice generally contain a water line connected with a water supply.
What are the alternatives to a refrigerator water line?
There are many problems regarding the waterline of household refrigerators. And attaching a water line with the fridge is not always cost-efficient, mostly when you don’t make ice on a regular basis. But there are some alternatives to a refrigerator water line.
The alternative tips to a refrigerator water line are listed here-
Undercounter ice maker machine:
The under-counter ice maker machine is an alternate to a refrigerator water line. Those under-counter ice maker machines make tons of ice and can be used to produce ice on a commercial basis.
Undercounter ice maker can be used also as an under-sink water chiller and dispenser. It is an easy alternative to the refrigerator ice maker.
Manual supply of water:
You can manually supply water into your refrigerator. This works best when you don’t want to make ice regularly. In that case, a water line and dispenser will be a waste of money.
So it is better to manually supply water into your fridge whenever you want to make ice. It is a lucrative alternative to the refrigerator water dispenser.
Is it easy to install a refrigerator water line? How much does it cost to install?
Now it is easy to install a refrigerator water line. A water line is generally installed using ¼ -inch bendable copper tubing and one end of the line is connected with the refrigerator and another side is attached with the nearest water source.
The water source is tapped with the water lining using different types of fittings such as saddle valves.
There are more convenient and flexible water lining tubes available in the market that have made the installation process much easier. And those tubes are less susceptible to leakage than the saddle valves.
A refrigerator water line usually costs $65 to $170. The installation cost of a refrigerator water line is around $250. You have to buy the water line first. It will cost you quite a penny. After that, you need to purchase the valves.
And if you require an electrical outlet and you have to pay around $220 to $770 for the installation. Then you have to provide the remuneration of the electrician for the service.
So, the total installation procedure of a water line will cost roughly about $1000.
How far can you run a water line for a refrigerator? Can you extend it?
There is no restriction on running the water line for a refrigerator. You can run the waterline of a refrigerator as long as the requirement to reach the main water supply. A water line can be one to twenty feet in length.
¼ -inch diameter of the water line is used to connect the refrigerator with a water supply. You can extend the length of the water line based on your requirement.
Plumbed or non-plumbed fridge freezer, which one is better?
If you want an unlimited supply of ice with a water dispenser then, a plumb fridge freezer is better than the non-plumbed one. The non-plumb freezer will also produce ice. But you have to manually supply water into the freezer.
Using a non-plumbed freezer won’t be a good idea when a vast amount of ice is required to make. A water line is connected with the plumbed freezer so that you don’t need to manually supply water into the refrigerator.
But if you want to make ice occasionally, then a non-plumbed fridge will be better than the plumbed one.
Do all fridges with ice makers need plumbing?
All fridges with ice makers don’t need plumbing. Many refrigerators have an in-build ice maker. Those ice makers are connected with a water supply. Without the waterline, those ice makers can’t make ice.
But other disconnect fridges use a water tank to make ice. Those fridges contain an outer tank of water and it is manually filled.
Final thoughts
Refrigerators only require a water line to make ice. A refrigerator is connected with a water supply so that it can make ice. For this reason, a water dispenser is also essential. But if you don’t want to make ice, then a water line is not required to attach to the refrigerator.