How Do You Know if Your Fridge Water Line is Punctured?

Does your refrigerator make ice? Has it been less than stellar lately? If your fridge is supposed to be making ice and is instead spitting out air, there may be something afoot. In fact, your fridge's water line may have been punctured if this is the case.

How can you tell when your refrigerator's water line has been cut or punctured? Let's take a look:

Water damage

This is the obvious way to know when water lines are leaking. Sometimes, plastic supply valves or water lines for the ice maker and door dispenser fall victim to old age or heat damage due to proximity to the refrigerator compressor motor.

In order to find the source of a leak, you can simply pull the fridge away from the wall and feel along the line for a wet spot. In addition, you can check for further water damage. After turning off the supply valve at the wall, you can remove the valve itself, and if there is damage to this piece, you know something is amiss here.

Other indicators

While visible water damage is the most obvious of fridge line puncture indicators, there are also some other ways you can tell if you need to replace your fridge line. Here are some additional ways to see if your fridge water supply line has been punctured or cut:

• The ice maker doesn't work.
• There is water leaking onto the floor.
• The fridge is making too much noise.

How to repair your water line

If your fridge water line is made out of copper, you should examine the supply line to determine where the leak is coming from. Then, after turning off the water supply, you should cut out the damaged section of copper, however, you should make sure to hold the refrigerator's supply line connection with an adjustable wrench or pliers while you're removing it. If you don't, you could damage the unit.

It goes without saying, though, that you should always call a plumber for a professional opinion first, before undertaking any serious repairs by yourself. Get in touch with your local plumber at Roto-Rooter for more information about how you can get an assessment and how a professional can help you deduce the source of your water leak issues.