Appliance Tubing

[Deleted User]

Just bought a new Frigidaire refrigerator tonight. The salesperson sold me a hook up kit w/ plastic tubing & a piercing type of saddle valve. Now the instructions say
DO NOT use plastic tubing & a self piercing valve. They are concerned about potential leaks & want me to use copper-even though there are plastic lines on the fridge itself.
So is plastic OK? It sure will make it easier to pull out the fridge when needed for cleaning & such.
Thanks
Dennis

Unknown

if u are

If u are using RO water treatment for ice making , must use approved ploy tubing for same, what I do is I install smaller ploy tubing inside larger tubing, that way the smaller tubing is more protected while the frigde being moved and if there's a leak, the water will drip inside larger tubing to exposed basement (if possible) and less or no h20 damges to wood floors,etc

JK_4

no harder to move

When I istall copper tubing on the unit I leave about 4 or 5 coils of the tubing behind the fridge as the allows for easy movement without any bending of the tubing

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Robert O'Connor_12

Self piercing saddle valves

Dennis, I'd use a standard valve. The insurance industy has lobbied to have self piercing saddle valves taken out of the code, and when fully adopted will affect existing installations (meaning they will NOT pay the claim). The data the insurer's are posting show that property damaged caused by the rubber seal (saddle), dry rots and fails and that they pay out more in claims between this and rubber clothes washing machine hose failures then of all fires nationally combined. Do yourself a favor and install a standard ball valve.


Robert O'Connor/NJ

Don Robertson

I would use a stainless steel braided connector w/ a standard valve. Oatey and other co's sell kits w/ a rough in box w/ the valve and connector all in one.