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Can a Fridge Make Ice Without a Water Line? (Answered)

Fridges have saved us from many storing types of problems and have given us the opportunity to store any sort of food materials for a long time.

Well, the mechanism of how the fridge works is not unknown to anyone, however, many people don’t know that fridges actually store food for a long time by lowering the temperature as well as making the ices.

Although many people assume that the fridge makes those ice with the help of a water source. However, in this article, we will discuss whether a fridge can make ice without a water line or not.

Can a fridge make ice without a water line?

Well, it depends on the model and the capability of the fridge. Because fridges that come with water dispensing as well as automatic ice making mechanism can make ice without a water line. This type of fridge makes ice through the automatic ice maker with the help of a water dispenser.

Most people go for those modern fridges with built-in automatic ice makers and water distributing tanks to avoid any unnecessary water leakage as well as flooding problems.

The fridges with an automatic ice maker and water dispenser can make ice without the help of any external water source. Because the automatic ice maker will take help from the water dispenser and will make ice easily.

Fridges without the feature of an automatic ice maker or water dispenser need to make ice with the help of an external water source. That means a water line must be connected to the fridge so that the fridge can collect water in order to make ice.

If you still don’t want to buy fridges that need an external water source in order to make ice then you can certainly go for those modern fridges that don’t need a water line to make ice.

Does a fridge with an ice maker need a water line?

Actually, the fridges that come with built-in features like automatic ice maker as well as water dispensing capability, don’t need a water line in order to make ice.

Although if the fridge only has the feature of an automatic ice maker and not a water dispenser, then the fridge might need an external water line.

Because an automatic ice maker will still need water to make ice as it cannot make ice without water despite having the name of automatic ice maker.

All the fridges in the shops let it be an innovative fridge with a water dispenser or without a water dispenser, it will still need water in order to make ice.

Therefore, after the above discussion, it might be clear whether a fridge with an automatic ice maker does need a water line or not.

How can I get water in my refrigerator without a water line?

Well, most of the modern-day fridges come with an automatic ice maker and a water dispenser. The water dispenser is installed with the automatic ice maker so that the ice maker collects the required water from the water dispenser.

However, you can also have the option of buying the fridges only with the feature of an automatic icemaker if you are on a budget. But still, your fridge’s ice maker will need an external water source in order to make ice.

Installing an external water line can be very expensive as well as time-consuming. Therefore, we have described some of the simple ways you can follow in order to get your water to the refrigerator without a water line:

Locate the icemaker:

First things first, you have to locate the automatic ice maker in your refrigerator. Usually, an ice maker is installed in the refrigerator’s compartment. You can find these compartments on the side of the bridge or on the backside of the fridge.

Unscrew the compartment:

If the compartment where the ice maker is Installed is enclosed with screws then you have to unscrew the panels of the compartment.

You have to make sure that you don’t break any of the compartments while unscrewing as most times the panels of these compartments are made with plastic.

Locate the reservoir:

Now you have to locate the water reservoir from where the ice maker will collect water in order to make ice. Usually, the water reservoir is installed behind the ice cube maker tray.

Fill the reservoir:

Then you have to take filtered water or tap water in order to fill the ice maker reservoir. Make sure that the water is completely clean because dirty water can jam the automatic ice maker.

Place all the panels to their initial position:

Finally, you have to cover the water reservoir with its countertop and then you have to place the outside panel of the compartment.

Make sure you have placed all the panels of the compartment in their specified position. Then you have to tightly screw the screws of the panels so that the cover compartment doesn’t come off easily.

Turn on the switch:

The final step will be to turn on the switch of the ice maker. As soon as you turn on the switch of ice maker a small one beside the switch will turn green.

Thus, the ice maker will start to make ice with the help of the water that you poured into the reservoir. The ice maker will need at least four hours in order to make the ice cubes.

However, it is also important to note that you will need to refill the reservoir every 8 hours depending on the water level on the reservoir.

How do I know if my refrigerator has a water line?

Well, to know if your fridge has a water line or not is very simple. You have to just locate whether your fridge has a shut-off valve or not. The shut-off valve is like an on and off switch for the cold water supply line connected to the refrigerator.

The shut-off valve controls the flow of water to the fridge in order to make ice. Usually, this shut-off valve is located to the water supply of the home and this water supply switch can be placed on the backside wall of the refrigerator or under the sink, or even inside the cabinet beside the fridge.

Then you will notice a small ⅓ inches copper line is connected to the cold water supply line from the refrigerator. That small copper line is the water line that is connected to your refrigerator.

How much does it cost to install a water line for a refrigerator?

The cost of installing a water line for a refrigerator actually varies. Because installing a water line to your refrigerator will cost around 70 dollars to even 180 dollars.

Installing an external water line is a very complicated task. Also, if you want to install a water line to the refrigerator on your first floor then it will cost a bit higher which is around 300 dollars. 

How much water does a refrigerator ice maker use?

You will be glad to know that the refrigerator doesn’t use much water in order to make ice. They will use just the required amount of water that it needs to make the ice.

Usually, the ice maker will need 150 gallons of water in order to produce 90 pounds of ice. The gallon measurement can increase depending on the mechanism or the capability of the automatic ice maker.

How to connect the water line to the fridge?

The simple steps to connect the water line to the fridge is given below:

Shut-off the water supply:

First things first, you have to shut off the water supply and then locate the water reservoir of your refrigerator.

Make a hole:

Then you have to drill a hole either through the cabinets beside the fridge or on the back wall of the fridge or even through the ceiling above the fridge.

Connect the water line:

The next step will be thread tubing of copper through that hole. Then you have to attach the one end of that copper line to the waterline of the refrigerator.

Locate the cold water line:

Now you have to locate the cold water line of your home and once located cut one side of the line and then attach T-fittings as well as a water valve to it.

Finally, connect the other side of the copper line to the T-fitting of the cold water line. Lastly, you can turn on the water supply of your refrigerator and there you go the fridge will receive water.

Final thoughts

A fridge can make ice without an external water line only when it has an automatic ice maker system as well as a water dispensing reservoir. Otherwise, if you want your refrigerator to make ice without these features and also without a water line, then you have to get water to your fridge manually.