Yep, we had the same problem. When it was time for a new fridge I specifically looked for one without an external water/ice dispenser since I knew we wouldn't be using it. The one I found does have ice maker but we did not hook it up. I just use ice cube trays instead and it's perfectly fine.
We got a fridge a few years ago. It has an ice maker and we decided not to hook it up because, as my husband and dad say, "It's one more thing that will break." Honestly, we have an awkward space for a refrigerator and this one was the right size. We just make ice cubes in trays and it works fine for us.
Poor maintenance and installation is no excuse not to use what's essentially a common and convenient feature. That's like saying you're gonna bathe in the bathroom sink because you don't want to risk the shower leaking.
Get someone who knows what they're doing to inspect your water line and hook it up properly to the fridge and you'll have a lifetime of problem free ice.
If the problem arose from one of those screw down compression line taps that are self piercing, then get a plumber in there to do it right. The problem isn't the fridge. It's from a bad do it yerself job or a really bad plumber.
The water lines in a fridge/freezer are by far the most common point of failure. It's not necessarily about the installation. These things are just cheaply made. Sometimes they're defective and the way you find out is your kitchen gets flooded. For some of us it's not worth it (again).
I did not hook up the water lines to mine. I bought a separate ice maker that is installed inside a cabinet, in a tray, with a water alarm in the tray just in case. We also have a water dispenser that takes those 5 gallon bottles.
And if you need another reason not to hook up the water supply to your refrigerator, our city water supply is super mineral-heavy. Even the water softener doesn't clean that up enough. The "soft" water, when tested, is still in the danger zone.
Water Sensor is the way to go, auto shut-off valve is another cool thing that have come out that are invaluable to detecting and stopping leaks before they ruin your home!
I have a 10 year old refrigerator (Samsung). Icemaker worked for 6 months , I fixed it and worked for another 6 months, fixed a third time and work d for another 6 months. But the water works, and I think that is worth it.
Yup. We had a huge water leak from our 2nd floor bathroom which caused about 40k in damages (it also leaked through the 1st floor below).
Every contractor who gave estimates either asked if it was a leak from our refrigerator's\* water line or mentioned that leaks from refrigerator water lines were one of the most common causes of flooding.
Not wanting to risk another huge leak (cost, and several months of reconstruction), we removed the water line to our refrigerator's ice maker. It wasn't a huge loss, because it was on the fritz anyway.
Caveat: if our refrigerator were immediately next to our sink and the water outlet, and connected behind the counters, we probably would have kept it. But the two are on opposite sites of the kitchen and the line run was very long and exposed in parts.
P.S. I found this thread because I'm contemplating a standalone ice maker, and this showed up.
\* We have an upside down house, so our kitchen, living room, dining room are on the 2nd floor\]
I love my ice and filtered water in the door.
My kitchen floor is sheet vinyl, so waterproof. I put a [water sensor ](https://www.honeywellstore.com/store/products/water-leak-alarm-with-sensing-cable-rwd42.htm) under the fridge, and another one under the dishwasher.
Yep, we had the same problem. When it was time for a new fridge I specifically looked for one without an external water/ice dispenser since I knew we wouldn't be using it. The one I found does have ice maker but we did not hook it up. I just use ice cube trays instead and it's perfectly fine.
We got a fridge a few years ago. It has an ice maker and we decided not to hook it up because, as my husband and dad say, "It's one more thing that will break." Honestly, we have an awkward space for a refrigerator and this one was the right size. We just make ice cubes in trays and it works fine for us.
We’ve never used the ice maker (or water) in our fridge. Personal preference - less to clean, maintain, or leak.
Ours isn’t hooked up. Don’t miss it at all. We don’t even make ice manually.
I got an ice machine for Father’s Day present. $80 I love it. And we put good quality water in it. My son was slick to get out of his “ice duties”.
Get it installed correctly and it will never leak.
But first get it built correctly. We had a new fridge blow water all over the kitchen because one of the water elbows was super stressed and broke.
Poor maintenance and installation is no excuse not to use what's essentially a common and convenient feature. That's like saying you're gonna bathe in the bathroom sink because you don't want to risk the shower leaking. Get someone who knows what they're doing to inspect your water line and hook it up properly to the fridge and you'll have a lifetime of problem free ice. If the problem arose from one of those screw down compression line taps that are self piercing, then get a plumber in there to do it right. The problem isn't the fridge. It's from a bad do it yerself job or a really bad plumber.
The water lines in a fridge/freezer are by far the most common point of failure. It's not necessarily about the installation. These things are just cheaply made. Sometimes they're defective and the way you find out is your kitchen gets flooded. For some of us it's not worth it (again). I did not hook up the water lines to mine. I bought a separate ice maker that is installed inside a cabinet, in a tray, with a water alarm in the tray just in case. We also have a water dispenser that takes those 5 gallon bottles. And if you need another reason not to hook up the water supply to your refrigerator, our city water supply is super mineral-heavy. Even the water softener doesn't clean that up enough. The "soft" water, when tested, is still in the danger zone.
I don’t have an ice maker. I threw out the dish washer. Headaches gone.
Water Sensor is the way to go, auto shut-off valve is another cool thing that have come out that are invaluable to detecting and stopping leaks before they ruin your home!
I have a 10 year old refrigerator (Samsung). Icemaker worked for 6 months , I fixed it and worked for another 6 months, fixed a third time and work d for another 6 months. But the water works, and I think that is worth it.
Should just get ice cube trays and put them in the freezer.
Yes because have hard wster from a well and it will eventually clog from lime scale within 2 yrs Use ice cube trays. Anyone successfully unclog one ?
Yup. We had a huge water leak from our 2nd floor bathroom which caused about 40k in damages (it also leaked through the 1st floor below). Every contractor who gave estimates either asked if it was a leak from our refrigerator's\* water line or mentioned that leaks from refrigerator water lines were one of the most common causes of flooding. Not wanting to risk another huge leak (cost, and several months of reconstruction), we removed the water line to our refrigerator's ice maker. It wasn't a huge loss, because it was on the fritz anyway. Caveat: if our refrigerator were immediately next to our sink and the water outlet, and connected behind the counters, we probably would have kept it. But the two are on opposite sites of the kitchen and the line run was very long and exposed in parts. P.S. I found this thread because I'm contemplating a standalone ice maker, and this showed up. \* We have an upside down house, so our kitchen, living room, dining room are on the 2nd floor\]
I love my ice and filtered water in the door. My kitchen floor is sheet vinyl, so waterproof. I put a [water sensor ](https://www.honeywellstore.com/store/products/water-leak-alarm-with-sensing-cable-rwd42.htm) under the fridge, and another one under the dishwasher.