Just got schooled by a plumber about ice maker water lines

I was finishing a fridge install in a condo downtown and the building's main plumber, a guy named Ray who's been there 20 years, stopped to watch. He saw me hooking up the plastic water line and just shook his head. He said, 'Kid, those things are a ticking time bomb. I've cut open three walls this year from slow leaks on those exact lines.' He told me to always use the braided stainless steel ones, even if the homeowner complains about the extra $15. It hit different because he wasn't trying to sell me anything, he was just tired of cleaning up the mess. I've probably installed a hundred of those plastic lines without a second thought. Now I'm looking at my van stock differently. How many of you guys actually make that switch a standard part of your fridge jobs?

3 comments

3 Comments

uma_nelson852mo ago

Three walls cut open this year? That's a sobering number.

the_jake2mo ago

What exactly do you mean by walls being cut open? Are we talking about people breaking into houses through the walls, or is this some kind of weird construction thing? That number sounds absolutely wild for one year. I can't even picture how that happens three separate times. Was it the same place or different ones?

tarat592mo ago

That number sounds wild to you, but it feels pretty normal for my neighborhood.

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