Water to the refrigerator?

Question

We just bought an apartment and we are in the process of rehab for renters. There is no water to the refrigerator for water and ice machine. We have to replace the fridge anyway. Any opinions on running a line around the kitchen (the sink is on the opposite side of the where the fridge is) to get water to the fridge or .... Is it not worth the hassel? I'm worried about water from where you put the glass up to the fridge getting on the flooring and possible issues with running a line around the kitchen through the cabinets. It's an easy and cheap fix but... pros and cons?  Anyone have an opinion???

Account Closed · Answer

Funny, purchased a rental with ice and water dispensers, actually thought about replacing fridge just to avoid potential future repair.

James Mc Ree · Answer

A way of looking at this: Will the water and ice feature in the fridge get you higher rent?

JD Martin · Answer

We disconnect ice makers in rentals. If you don't, I will promise you that one day you will wish that you had. Ice makers and garbage disposals come out of anything I buy.

Pat L. · Answer

The kitchen redesign (& new bathroom) mentioned above allowed us to up the rent $225/month & it rented immediately.

Pat L. · Answer

We just redesigned a kitchen & because of the wrap around cabinets we installed I was able to run 3/4 Pex to the new fridge inside the cabinet bases. Our tenants are higher end so they appreciate it. I always install a shutoff under the kitchen sink & again at the fridge line feed. We have only had one blow out whereby a tenant decided to pull the fridge out to recover something that rolled under it. She literally tore out the old plastic fridge feed. She was able to shut it off under the sink & paid for all repairs. Now I ensure the feed line is at least 5ft coiled behind the fridge as you will need a good 3-4 ft of clearance to get behind it if its between base cabinets.

Steve S. · Answer

There are more problems with what you're trying to do than benefits....

3 steps away is a sink use that for water.

encourage them to use a water cooler if they don't like tap water.

or they can use some sort of filtered jug like a Brita.

Water lines can get damage. Water causes damage, and fridges that use water/ice dispensers ALWAYS end up breaking.

This would not be a project I would undertake nor encourage my tenants to take on either. In fact if they insisted they wanted a fridge with water and ice I would reply that I will accept their 30 day notice and will start showing the unit to others within 48 hours!

Thomas S. · Answer

I would not bother. It is simply another added extra that is a potential point of failure that will drive up your expenses.

Kim Boyd · Answer

Thank you.. We are doing the vinyl planks and it should be waterproof. I'm just worried about tenants not being careful and running it through all the cabinets. my husband is insistent on doing it but I'm not sold... Kind of... only do necessary fixes.. Also, it would mean getting a bit more expensive fridge- and one more thing to fix if the water line breaks or ice maker goes out. :( . Just wondering if the pros of having a bit more high quality feature out weighs the risk of more broken stuff and possible water damage and holes in the cabinets. :) . Thanks for the opinion :)

Sean Ridlon · Answer

Kim, not knowing what kind of sub floor you have or what level of the building this apartment is on, I'll have to give you more than one answer:

1) run it through the basement and up through the subfloor.

2) fish the water line through the cabinets. It's not to hard to do.

3) tap into domestic water lines if possible in a bathroom that share a common wall with the kitchen.

My other recommendations are:

1) replace the flooring with LVP (luxury vinyl plank). Same install price as laminate, but much more resilient to tenant damage including water, scratches, dings, etc.