When it comes to designing a new home, sometimes we need to find the perfect spot for all our furniture beforehand.
For example, we would already imagine where to put the tv, where the sofas will go, where the dining room will be and there is also the fact where the refrigerator needs to be.
Some of the unique refrigerators need to have a water line, and for that, we would need to plan ahead for such an endeavor. In this case, we would not need to worry about the length of the water line but rather the size of the water line present in the refrigerator.
Therefore, if you do not want to have a hassle while moving into a new home and want to plan ahead or you want to replace the water line in your already owned refrigerator because it is broken.
Then continue reading below, as we will discuss about all of this and more.
What size is a refrigerator water line?
Refrigerator water lines can come in different materials and thus it makes it difficult to keep track of the water line sizes. However, there is still a preferred and recommended size for the water line, and that is a ¼-inch diameter. Other cases also involve water lines of 5/16-inch as well.
Refrigerators are a necessity in almost all households. Refrigerators usually come with automatic ice makers. However, some of them do not and we have to make some manual things in order for it to be able to give water supply.
Usually, refrigerators come with water lines that can range from different materials in different models. Some can be made from copper, while the ones can be made from plastic such as PVC.
Like the typical dishwasher, a refrigerator can also have braided steel tubes that supply it with water.
In most cases, the refrigerator can have a similar size water line. This does not deviate much even from company to company.
The size of a ¼-inch diameter or 5/16-inch as well remains constant among the different refrigerators in the market apart from a few exceptions.
We will discuss more about the refrigerator and its water lines below. We will also go through the different materials and which can be better for you. As a bonus, we will also set up a guide below for you to be able to replace a water tube if you wanted to.
Therefore, if you are interested in such a topic and would want to know more about the nuances of having a refrigerator then keep reading below.
Are all refrigerator water lines the same?
No, not all refrigerator water lines are the same. Different manufacturers use different parts. This in turn makes it difficult for all the water lines to be the same in all cases.
However, there is one lucky thing, in this case, all the adapters and ice-maker supply lines will simply connect to most refrigerators.
The material for the water lines can be either made of copper, plastic, or braided steel. Braided steel is the strongest one among the bunch and is expensive as well. The plastic one is the cheapest and with great features as well.
Copper on the other hand, well is just copper, it is not bad or good at the same time. Furthermore, in most cases, the supply line for the water of a refrigerator should be around ¼-inch diameter.
How long can a refrigerator water line be?
The refrigerator water line can be in different materials. The materials can range from plastic like the PVC and PEX pipes then there’s the Braided steel water tubing. Lastly, we have copper tubing which is one of the preferred water tubings for a refrigerator.
However, the material does not matter in this particular case. As well as the requirement for the water line does not matter how long it is. The only thing matters is that the material cost and how much you need.
Furthermore, the water line of a refrigerator can be 8ft or 10ft it matters not, since there is no maximum length of the water line of a refrigerator.
What size is the water line on a frigidaire and LG refrigerator?
One of the world’s best companies of appliances is the Frigidaire. They and LG both are regarded as the leading brands in home appliances. Both have massive respect in the community as well.
Usually, the size of the water line is not the same for every refrigerator out there. There can be subtle differences due to the manufacturing decisions by the different companies. It is mostly depending on the material they use for the water line.
However, in most cases apart from a few exceptions here and there. We can see that both the Frigidaire and the LG both have water tubes of 5/15”-inch for the refrigerators.
What type of tubing is used for a refrigerator water line?
There are different materials for water line tubing in the case of a refrigerator. Some of them are better than the others while the latter ones have other pros than the first ones. We will go into the details of these below.
Plastic Tubing:
Two different types of plastic tubing are most popular. One is the Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and the other is the Cross-linked Polyethylene (PEX).
Plastic is essentially the go-to material for both piping systems or any other plumbing-related things.
In the case of plumbing scenarios, the flexible version of the pipe is used. That one is usually seen in other water supply lines as well.
PEX is preferred more in the case of plumbing and other water supply tubing because of the abrasion and corrosion resistance it has. Another reason is that this particular tubing does not melt and can handle high temperatures.
Copper Tubing:
Unlike the other materials like plastic and different alloys of braided steel, copper is most of the time a singular material that has no other mixture in it.
When we end up using copper there are no other materials present along with it, it is just copper alone.
Copper tubing can be a great affordable choice because of the copper’s durability.
There are other pros to using copper as the water line tubing like the water or ice will not taste bad. This bad taste we are talking about comes from the plastic tubing reportedly.
Braided Steel Tubing:
A bit unpopular among the above two tubing materials comes to the Braided Steel tubing.
These are strong and durable and do not get cut easily. They also do not make the water taste foul unlike the plastic tubes reportedly.
How do you replace a refrigerator water line?
Below is a step-by-step guide for replacing a refrigerator water line.
Ensure no water line is connected:
The first step is that we take our fridge and check behind it to make sure there is no water line connected. Then check if the shutoff valve is already there sticking out on the floor.
Lastly, we connect a 1/4-by-1/4-inch flex supply tube to that shutoff valve.
Get the tools:
We gather the tools we need, like a rag or bucket for the water leakages. Two adjustable wrenches, an Add-A-Tee adapter, and ¼-inch flexible water supply tubing with compression connectors.
Turn off the water:
We need to turn off the water before disconnecting the faucet water line.
Disconnect the faucet:
Then we proceed to disconnect the faucet water lines and make sure there is a rag or bucket beneath as there’s going to be water leakage.
We will also need the two adjustable wrenches at this point to disconnect the faucet.
Connect adapter:
Connect the Tee Adapter by threading it onto the outlet port of the shutoff valve. We can tighten it by hand at first then we finish it off by using the tools.
Connect the outlet:
Now we will need to connect the Faucet and Refrigerator Supply Tubes to the 3/8-inch outlet on the Add-A-Tee.
Connect new supply:
After going through all of that we can connect the new Supply Tube to the Refrigerator.
Turn on the water:
The last step is us just simply turning on the Water and then we are done.
Final Thoughts
Refrigerators can have any length of water line. However, the size of the water line can differ between different manufacturers and companies. The usual standard size that every other manufacturer more or less uses is ¼”-inch diameter and 5/16”-inch as well.