My friend Julia and I decided it would be fun to document installing a water line for a fridge on my rental property today. We used the following items:
1/4 inch flexible water line
sharkbite copper valve
compression fitting
For convenience if your looking for all the items you need to hook up your fridge water line, this kit from your local home depot has everything you should need: water line kit
Now onto the installation, the first step is to slip the copper compression fitting over the line running from your fridge (see below). One important item to note, keep the round fitting close to the end of the line when you are pushing the small copper nipple inside of the tubing during the next step. If you don’t do that it is very hard to push the fitting back up over the nipple to the edge of the line where it needs to be (See below)
Once you complete that, you are ready to make the connection from the fridge line to the 1/4inch line you purchased. You will essentially just do the same thing to the new line and then screw it together See image below:
Now your ready to put the sharkbite fitting on the copper pipe. You want to assemble it and put it on the pipe like so:
Once you tighten down the screws to secure the fitting, you will turn the plunger on the top several turns and it will penetrate the copper water line. *Note water will not flow until you back the plunger out a turn or 2. So what you want to do it hook up your water line to the fitting using your compression nut. Turn the plunger 3 or 4 turns, then turn it backwards 1 turn or so and you will hear the water flow out. The final result should look like:
*Note. The small black rubber piece that comes in the kit goes on top of the copper shark bit fitting. It houses the metal dagger that breaks through the copper pipe and helps create a seal.