irismartinez•27d agoOG Member

Remembering when we used to just guess on those old ice maker fill tubes

In my experience, the old way was to bend a copper tube by hand and hope it fit. About five years back, I started using the pre-formed plastic kits with the universal bracket. The difference was huge, maybe saving 15 minutes per job and way fewer callbacks for leaks. I had one fridge, a Whirlpool from 2010, where the copper tube cracked after a year but the plastic replacement is still fine. It's a small thing, but it made the whole job feel less like a puzzle. Anyone else find a simple part swap that just made things way more reliable?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_nina27d ago

Gotta disagree on the plastic kits being the clear winner. That universal bracket never seems to line up right on older models, so you're still bending something. A good hand-bent copper line, done once, is a permanent fix. I've seen those plastic tubes get brittle and split in cold climates. The copper might crack if you kink it during the bend, but that's a skill issue, not a part issue.

the_patricia27d ago

Oh man, "hope it fit" is the story of my life back then. I think I spent more time re-bending tubes than actually installing them. Felt like a total hack sometimes.

adams.linda17d ago

Used to swear by copper myself, thought plastic was just a cheap shortcut. Then I saw a plastic line I put in five years ago, still looking brand new in a nasty cold snap. Changed my whole view on what "permanent" really means. Sometimes the new way is just better, even if it feels wrong at first.