Reverse osmosis on refrigerator with an "ice line"

[electra225]

We had a water softerner, water filter and reverse osmosis system installed in the house. The water here measures over 10 grains of hardness. There is chlorine, pharmacuticals, salmonella and all kinds of nasty things in our city water. All nice and legal, well within the "legal" limits. Any water fixture, faucets, toilets, toilet valves anything that comes in contact with this water has a short life. The water softener part went fine. They had to install a water pressure regulator (I think this was a sales bump, but what do I know? ) to lower the water pressure so the water softener would not blow up. The measured water pressure was 92 psi before the regulator which cut it to 70 psi. The problem was in the refrigerator. After they installed the RO system, the water pressure to the fridge was not very good. We noticed water on the floor, but figured it was due to the work that was done under the cabinets. We cleaned up the water and it re-appeared. Then I got to looking. The water dispenser in the door of the refrigerator was leaking. When you use the dispenser, you can hear the water valve close when you are done. I couldn't hear that valve. I got on the Internet, went to the Whirlpool site and found that our model of refrigerator uses a sliding valve, normally closed by water pressure. An electric switch closes when you move the handle, this activates an electric solenoid that pulls the valve open. If water pressure is insufficient, the valve may not close properly. We called the installer, they said it was our problem. I informed them that THEIR problem was going to be how to get that crap out from under our cabinets if it was not going to work with our refrigerator. They said that installing the RO was one thing, connecting the "Ice Line" was a "luxury" available to extra cost. I made a call to Whirlpool, told the nice lady my dilemna. Of course, she replied, if you use an external filter, such as an RO system, that will cut water pressure so the valve in the fridge won't seat. There is a by-pass plug we need to eliminate the filter in the fridge. This should restore water pressure so the valve will seat. I threw such a fit that the installer agreed to get the part, install it and make sure everything operated correctly with no leaks, and at no charge. Their estimator should have been aware of this. This can't be the only Whirlpool refrigerator with an "ice line" they have ever installed an RO system on. They should note the make, model and serial number of the refrigerator when they sell the job. Some refrigerators won't be affected at all using two filters. Some may still dispense water if you remove the filter. Some will be like our Whirlpool that needs the by-pass plug so water pressure won't be too low to seat that valve. I posted this not to complain, but as a heads-up if anybody is considering having a reverse osmosis, or other water filtration system installed in series with the internal filter in their refrigerator.

[William]

Thanks, Greg! Why can't anything ever go right anymore? It always seems to be a hassle, and getting someone or a company to just do the job right is a pain.

Bill

[Firedome]

Be leery of any ice-maker, my wife's sister had $10,000 worth of damage to her kitchen and basement when the ice-maker water line began leaking while she was at work and flooded everything. We've opted not to connect the ice-maker in either of our fridges, filling the trays is preferable to that kind of damage, and I've since heard of several other cases where that has happened.

[electra225]

We just had our system checked out. We've never had problems with damage due to an ice maker.

[TC Chris]

I came home after w weekend away and heard an odd sound from the fridge. Opened the freezer and there was a frozen Niagara Falls inside. The icemaker valve leaked (I had replaced the saddle valve on the water line to it and some crud floated up and let the icemaker valve seep). Eventually the device stopped working and I've never bothered to diagnose it. Don't use ice all that much.

Chris Campbell

[19&41]

Is the water pressure regulator adjustable? I had to install one on my plumbing. If I tried to use a garden hose and had the sprayer shut off when turning on the faucet, it would inflate and explode my hose, just like the cartoons.. I wouldn't have any water connections to my fridge. I have enough problems in my life without having a slow time bomb in the freezer.

[electra225]

Wow.....

I had no idea that an ice maker with "water in the door" was so avante gard. I thought is currently difficult to buy a refrigerator not so equipped. We've had ice makers in the fridge since the late 1970's when they were clunky little boxes in the corner of the freezer, prone to breakdown. We have our refrigerator and chest freezer checked yearly, typically when the guy services the air conditioner on the house. Our first factory ice and water dispenser was in a 1985 Monkey Ward refrigerator we bought, made by Whirlpool. We sold it to a friend when we moved to AZ, and they are still using it. We had the ice maker replaced maybe 20 years ago. The only real issues we have had have been self-inflicted. The water filters that go in the fridge are expensive, but we don't have to pack bottled water.

[Motorola minion]

I had no idea how lucky I was just to have nitrates and occasional mud in our well water.

We have a salt-nugget softener and that is a must when you have an RO system, which is needed to reduce the nitrates and who knows what else. The grains are over 20 hardness , nitrates are often 40% over federal limit of 10 ppm. The house pressure is between 45 and 65 PSI at the tank, which is normal for a house. Delivery at 90 PSI is too much! I thought older Trident water meters also regulated pressure?

I use a whole house filter with a 5 micron cartridge that needs changed every 6 months, an ultra violet purifier lamp every year. There is maintenance but its worth it, when you are dealing with well water. The softener salt does eventually destroy faucets and other things in the system that are metallic. The RO removes salt and nitrates plus ??? from cooking/drinking faucet on the sink. The RO system came via an Fish Aquarium place for 1/3 the price of one from a plummer, and it works with no expensive membrane filter upgrade. After testing nitrates every few years over the last 25 we have lived here, I realized there was no difference when I upgraded RO systems after filters became unavailable at reasonable cost.

Staying true to my convictions and PA-dutch cheepness, I buy only the no-frills model appliances, thus avoiding all the new issues of "progress". The Whirlpool is a 2018 with bottom freezer and the ice maker has a solenoid for its water supply from the RO. WTF use anything else? I escaped a major dehumidifier recall because I bought a small model that didn't have those "advanced electronic controls" that caused some fires! I had a NEW condensate pump (for our gas heat and AC units) that failed because of an undersized microswitch mounted on an uncoated printed circuit board, my clue was the phenolic smell of hot plastic. WHO would ever design a critical plumbing appurtenance with a printed board ?!?!

[electra225]

The company that installed the water system replaced the water filter in the refrigerator with a genuine, approved, Whirlpool factory bypass plug. I now had 34 psi to the water dispenser, 30 psi is required to close and hold closed the dispenser water valve. No leaks up to this point. My understanding is that the RO system cuts water line pressure by 50% then the filter in the fridge cuts it another 50%. That would mean there was only 17.5 psi to the water valve with two filters in series, which was not enough to hold the valve closed. I have also learned that there are homes in our area where the water pressure is above 100 psi. The water pressure regulator is not that bad of an idea, apparently.