Water, water everywhere...

...and plenty of it to drink. In preparation for our large alcove remodel we will be doing in order to hang our microwave range hood, I swapped the places of the fridge and range. The main part of this project was to relocate the water supply for the ice maker and water dispenser on the fridge. The reason these appliances need to be moved is due to the way the microwave opens. The hinge for the door is on the left and if we were to mount it in the alcove on the left side, the microwave would be directly against a side wall and the door would not be able to be opened. In addition to moving the appliances and hanging the microwave, we will also be adding some additional cabinets. Expect the next post to be quite lengthy but for now, lets get some water moving.

The original configuration. 

The door cannot be against a wall on the left side.

The microwave range hood.

This project gave me the chance to replace the existing saddle valve with a new ball valve. Saddle valves are used prolifically from kits for ice maker supplies. From my research, they are generally not recommended but do allow you to attach the line without having to turn off the main water supply. I installed an angle ball valve, similar to what you see for toilet shut off valves. This also gave me a chance to correct a stupid mistake made by whomever installed the water supply previously: the saddle valve was installed after the shutoff valve for the outdoor sillcock. So if I turn off the water to the outdoor faucet (to prevent freezing in winter), I lose water supply to my fridge.

The original saddle valve for the supply line connected after the shutoff for the outdoor sillcock.

Cut where the saddle valve hole was.

Patched with a coupler.

I used a simple coupler to patch where the saddle valve was. This also gave me a chance to practice my soldering skills. I've soldered electronics before and the process is similar except you first add flux to the plumbing fittings before heating them. It is also important to make sure there is no water in the pipes you will solder, so after you turn off the main supply drain the pipe as well as you can. The water will take all of the energy from the torch and turn to steam leaving your pipes too cold to melt the solder and posing a steam burn risk.

After disconnecting the fridge supply I drilled a new hold in the alcove and fed the line through to the basement. It came out in the laundry hamper (which we don't use). I then just ran it across the joists and lined it up to where the new connection will be made.

Feeding the line through the new hole.

Coming through the hamper.

Tacked up to the joists with plastic staples.

Cut the 3/4" water pipe.

The new tee and valve.

I used a tee fitting with a 3/4" pass through and a 1/2" branch. To this branch I attached a fitting with threads for attaching the new valve to. Obviously my soldering could use some practice. The 1/4" fridge supply line is fixed to the valve with a compression fitting. After all the connections were made, I cautiously turned on the main water supply and checked for any leaks. Thankfully there were none and I proceeded to attach the fridge to the copper line coming up through the floor. I turned on the new valve and bled the air out of the supply line and no leaks were found there either. Before moving the appliances into their new positions, I used my razor saw to cut the molding flush with the side walls of the alcove, giving me just a little more room which will allow me to install a 12" base cabinet during the remodel.

Flush sawed the moldings.

The new configuration.

The fridge will move slightly back after I relocate the gas supply for the range and I'm hoping we can install a trash can slide out in the small base cabinet to save some floor space. After everything was put in place I noticed that the water flow to the fridge was much greater than it was with the saddle valve. I had to recalibrate the measured fill on the water dispenser and now instead of waiting minutes for a 16 ounce glass to be filled I only wait seconds. I'm glad I installed this new valve.