Just bought a new refrigerator today and it will be delivered Saturday. I've already measured the space where it's going in my new place and everything checks out.
There is already a water valve in the refrigerator alcove so I think all I do is hook up the power cord and run the water line from that valve to the frig.
Then I need to make sure it's level. Should I put some sort of padding down as well?


Did I miss anything? I really don't see the need to pay Sears 130$ to install it.

7/21/2009 6:25:32 PM

nope, you got it. refrigerators are pretty much plug and play.

and I wouldn't worry about padding. the best way to do it without damaging your floor is to put the fridge on a piece of cardboard, slide it into place, then pull the cardboard out from under it.

[Edited on July 21, 2009 at 6:56 PM. Reason : a]

7/21/2009 6:50:22 PM

what DJ said. I've installed quite a few fridges in my day and all they'll do is use a screw/bolt combination to fasten the hose to the fridge and test for water leaks, plug it in, level it (slightly backwards so the doors will always close themselves), then tell you to wait at least an hour (i think) until you put anything in there so it has a chance to cool down safely. They'll probably recommend 4 hours, but an hour is minimum. If you put everything back in the fridge immediately you could burn out the compressor and be shit out of luck...and out a fridge.

That, and run water through any dispenser you got to get the air bubbles out of the line, then tell you to fill up a pitcher of that water and toss it out. Toss out the first ice bucket you make if you got an ice maker.

After that, they'll take all the packaging off the fridge, put up the shelves, clean up, and take the old fridge with them to...where ever Sears takes fridges. Takes about 30 minutes to an hour for the whole ordeal of arriving, unpacking, delivering into the house, etc etc. The bitch part is getting into the house, especially if you need to take the doors off of the fridge. Not to mention having to navigate your house with a heavy fridge.

I wouldn't say that new fridges are apt to damage floors at all though. I did a few deliveries where we laid out cardboard to avoid any damage but that rarely, if ever, happened.

7/21/2009 7:23:14 PM

Quote :

"they'll do is use a screw/bolt combination to fasten the hose to the fridge"

wtf no man, they use a 1/4" compression fitting, or 3/8 pipe thread, pick up an icemaker install kit and it will have everything you need, plus a tap valve and a few other things you dont, but it's cheap and since you have no idea what you're doing, you'll never get the right fittings anyway

Quote :

"put the fridge on a piece of cardboard, slide it into place"

every damn fridge made since 1842 has wheels in the bottom for this purpose, and there should be a 3/8" or 10mm, depending on the brand, bolt behind the lower plastic cover to adjust the level with

[Edited on July 21, 2009 at 8:44 PM. Reason : you know lowes does all this for free right? you got jewed]

Quote :

"They'll probably recommend 4 hours, but an hour is minimum. If you put everything back in the fridge immediately you could burn out the compressor and be shit out of luck...and out a fridge."

that is before you plug it in, so the oil can settle back into the compressor

[Edited on July 21, 2009 at 8:46 PM. Reason : missed that jewel]

[Edited on July 21, 2009 at 8:46 PM. Reason : ^ these are the kinda scrotards that will be delivering it btw]

7/21/2009 8:44:21 PM

^Yeah, I didn't know the name of the fitting. It kinda acts like a bolt on a screw though

They would use the compression fittings, we didn't do any pipe threading. Unless he bought an ice maker he won't need the kit and besides, you could go into Lowe's and ask "I need to hook up my fridge, what fitting do I need?" and they'll point you in the right direction.

Quote :

"every damn fridge made since 1842 has wheels in the bottom for this purpose"

That doesn't stop paranoid owners of a brand new home demanding you to put down card board...or to take off your shoes to protect the fucking marble floor. Thankfully, we aren't allowed to take off our shoes...

7/21/2009 8:52:26 PM

i have a french door fridge
i thought i was going to hate it when i first got it...but i LOVE it

7/21/2009 9:03:39 PM

Quote :

"Unless he bought an ice maker he won't need the kit and besides"

the kit comes with the tubing, nut and ferrule for both ends, and a tap valve for an existing line if you need it

Quote :

"you could go into Lowe's and ask "I need to hook up my fridge, what fitting do I need?" and they'll point you in the right direction."

you will either get a confused look or go home with exactly what you don't need, someone has obviously never been in the section with brass pipe and compression fittings, unless you know exactly what you need for your application, you will not get any useful help

7/21/2009 10:16:38 PM

ThePeter- please, stop with the poor advice. i mean, it's one thing to tell someone the wrong way to install their new blinds. honest/innocent mistake, not likely to hurt anyone. however, bad advice involving things that have the potential to ruin (flood) their house is downright irresponsible.

7/21/2009 10:42:19 PM

Yeah, because I've installed many more fridges than you people ever will. Maybe my terminology is off, but I'm speaking from what the installers actually do on a day-to-day basis.

^^People in Appliances aren't completely retarded, and all fridges (especially for water connections) are generally the same. Not all fridges are hooked up with brass piping anyway, although that depends on the existing connections or personal preferences. Most of ours were done with plastic tubing which made it much easier to hook up.

If you really wanted, you could ask someone from delivery to tell you what to get.

^Because I'm giving detailed, step by step instructions on how to install a water line on a fridge

7/21/2009 11:36:00 PM

You should be aware that he (^^) runs a motherfucking plumbing business.

[Edited on July 21, 2009 at 11:48 PM. Reason : ]

7/21/2009 11:48:06 PM

lol, yeah, wtf do i know compared to this LOWES SUPERSTAR...

7/22/2009 12:00:51 AM

Oh my, a plumber! Thank heavens you're here.

Then post something fucking useful, big shot.

Anyway, I posted what the delivery people will do to the fridge. As you can see I don't know the intricacies of the water line deal, but its not that hard to do so save the $130 if you think you can manage it.

[Edited on July 22, 2009 at 12:14 AM. Reason : I still hold that I've installed more refridgerators than anyone in here ]

7/22/2009 12:12:34 AM

That still doesn't mean you know what the hell you're talking about, you're arguing with two licensed plumbers here, you need to just quit before you look like more of an idiot.

7/22/2009 7:02:20 AM

Tdub:


Where even the most innocent threads can turn into a pissing contest.

7/22/2009 7:28:24 AM

Quote :

"every damn fridge made since 1842 has wheels in the bottom for this purpose"

I don't wanna speak out of turn here, but it's still a good idea to put something down to roll the fridge on.


Those hard plastic wheels can catch a grain of sand or something granular and run a big scratch into your floors.

7/22/2009 9:33:42 AM

^ what I was about to post. I never roll anything across linoleum. Now if you have tile floors, you're probably ok to roll it.

[Edited on July 22, 2009 at 10:21 AM. Reason : a]

7/22/2009 10:20:48 AM

never had any problems with it before

7/22/2009 10:38:40 AM

the linoleum in my mama's kitchen has several tears in it from moving the fridge

7/22/2009 10:43:10 AM

Just because it has never been a problem, doesn't mean it's not worth the extra 10 seconds it takes to lay down some cardboard. I dunno, I guess I am just one of those "worst case scenario" types of people.

7/22/2009 10:47:12 AM

well its gonna be heavy...you are paying 130 bucks to not have to lift that shit! haha.

Also, when you install it, run a couple of gallons of water through the water maker, and throw out the first batch of ice, because they will be mixed with the sealant they use for the hoses.

Other than that, it's easy as balls.

7/22/2009 10:49:42 AM

Hey, I've got a fridge question...

I bought a used refrigerator on Craigslist and hooked everything up myself. Everything seems to work fine, but the water dispenser doesn't work anymore. The ice machine and dispenser work, but not the water. You press a glass on the lever and it makes a clicking noise like it wants to come out, but nothing. When I first got the fridge, water would randomly come out after a few seconds of pressing the lever but it was never consistent. Now, it never comes out.. although the ice maker continues to work. Guess that's what I get for getting a used fridge.

Any ideas?

7/22/2009 11:43:24 AM

I am no fridge expert, but I would guess there is a problem with the line that runs to the water dispenser. It may be clogged or pinched

7/22/2009 12:07:04 PM

don't they have filters in there? could be clogged.

7/22/2009 12:17:48 PM

The water line could be frozen up. My dad has had this issue several times with his GE fridge and ended up insulating portions of the water line that had a tendency to freeze. I think they made a kit to insulate it (or so a service tech could insulate it for $$$).

7/22/2009 1:04:56 PM

^I've got a GE fridge too. Next time I buy a fridge it's not gonna be another GE. I have to turn my ice maker on and off manually because the feeler arm is designed like a turd.


But anyhow, here's some ideas you could try out, testing the valves, etc. You might try to defrost teh line with a hairdryer before you shell out for the heater element.



http://fixitnow.com/wp/2009/01/25/no-water-from-the-dispenser-on-a-ge-refrigerator/

7/22/2009 1:15:53 PM

Quote :

"I bought a used refrigerator on Craigslist and hooked everything up myself. Everything seems to work fine, but the water dispenser doesn't work anymore. The ice machine and dispenser work, but not the water. You press a glass on the lever and it makes a clicking noise like it wants to come out, but nothing. When I first got the fridge, water would randomly come out after a few seconds of pressing the lever but it was never consistent. Now, it never comes out.. although the ice maker continues to work. Guess that's what I get for getting a used fridge."

if the icemaker works, prob not the filter, from your description, i would say the solenoid valve is bad, disconnect the water line that feeds the door from the control solenoid and try it, if water doesn't spray out, replace it

7/22/2009 6:36:51 PM