There are several sources of potential leaks in a house, but did you know that your ice maker could be one of them? If you suspect your ice machine is leaking, how can you fix it?
Today, we’re walking you through the step-by-step process of fixing a leak in the intake hose of your home ice maker. These instructions should work for any ice machine that has a water hose attached to it but check your manual to make sure.
Shut Off the Water
The first thing you should do is shut off the water to your ice maker. There may be a shutoff valve leading directly to your ice maker. However, you might have to go outside to shut all the water off as well. As an experiment, you can turn off the shutoff valve and drain the fridge to see if the leak continues or not, just in case the leak is happening further up the pipe.
Pull Out the Fridge
Once you’ve shut off the water supply, the next thing to do is to move the fridge away from the wall so you can get a better view of the piping leading to the ice maker. Find the intake hose.
Examine the Hose
In many cases, this water hose is going to be the cause of all your troubles. Try turning on the water again and examining the hose for a leak.
Splice the Leak
If the hose is leaking, use a sharp knife and completely excise the bits on either side of the leak. Then splice the ends of the hose with a union connector. You can take the cut section of pipe to a home supply store and ask for the right size. It’s simply a matter of shoving the ends of the hose into each side of the connector.
Turn the Water Back On
Now is the moment of truth. Turn the water to the refrigerator and the countertop ice maker back on. If it leaks, then you have another leak somewhere in the system. If it doesn’t, you’ve fixed the leak.
Put Everything Back
If there are no leaks, it’s time to put everything back where you found it and cheer at the fact that you just fixed your own water leak. Of the leaks out there, this one is one of the easier ones to fix.
Fixing a leak in your intake hose is pretty easy, but if there is a leak inside the refrigerator you may need to get professional help to repair the leak. Still, this is a common problem and one that you can easily fix on your own. Good luck with your repairs!