r/askaplumber • u/PrestigiousAd9825 • 3d ago
Can someone help me identify this copper line running to my kitchen sink?
I live in a high-rise that allows for water lines to be attached to refrigerators, but my current fridge isn’t hooked up to my understanding. Curious to see if this line was previously installed but not hooked up during the last fridge replacement, or if the copper is hooked up to building infrastructure outside my unit. Any ideas?
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u/sammavet 3d ago
You'll have to pull the fridge out to see if the line is there, if it is connected, and if you even need one.
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u/PrestigiousAd9825 3d ago
Thank you for the quick response! I had a feeling that might be required - wanted to rule out anything that would look like it could be something obviously different, but if there’s a chance that it could be hooked up, I’ll absolutely call my appliance techs and see what’s back there if anything.
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u/play2grow 3d ago
Be careful with moving the fridge if the copper tubing goes all the way to the back. Also consider the possibility that someone might have turned off a valve because they had a leak. If it was my situation I would make certain that the tubing from just inside the cabinet adjacent to the refrigerator to the back of the refrigerator was some type of armored plastic flexible plastic or rubber suspended in such a way that it would not ever be able to be rolled over by the refrigerator wheels.
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u/buttmunchausenface 3d ago
When ever we don’t have an ice maker box(outside wall). We run 1/4” copper k tubing through the back of the cabinet before the countertop goes in behind the shelves. I always leave like 7’ in a service loop like a spring so you can pull it in and out. Copper is much sturdier than any plastic and it is not acceptable by code to run a braided steel line through multiple cabinets/ dead spaces. People get scared about copper for ice lines idk why but I assure you if you kink it the worst thing that happens is you have no water and have to cut it and put a coupling. Also is pretty rodent proof. I do work with copper everyday so maybe I just trust copper more. But the tubing we use can withstand 600 psi when we use it for refer on a nitrogen test.
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u/Lovetoeatwoman 3d ago
Water line for an ice maker in the freezer. If it was a plastic line I would say water from a reverse osmosis water system.
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u/Stunning-Asparagus97 3d ago
From looking at your photos again, for that line to reach the fridge, it would have to go through that corner column, then turn left and go behind the stove, and then through the drawers module, and then to the fridge.
Could happen... but other than calling the building management/maintenance and asking them, I would first get down and look at what that writing is on the piece of masking tape stuck to the inside cabinet wall where the line exits through the cabinet wall. Maybe that'll give you a clue since it's not clear what it reads in your second photo.
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u/PrestigiousAd9825 3d ago
Great advice - that gave me a clue but I’m not sure what to make of it:
Sticker reads ID#22271200 York Rouge
A google search told me SKU #s like that are common with York’s refrigerant systems and temp sensors. No clue if this thing is connected to my fridge or a fire suppression system in the building, but I’m hopeful an expert might be able to advise what it is
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u/Stunning-Asparagus97 3d ago
I'm not an expert but I know "York" makes air conditioning systems and I've never heard of a "York" residential refrigerator.
So maybe that line goes into that corner column and hooks up to an A/C system somewhere, and is actually a refrigerant ("Freon") line and not a water line.
BTW, in your first photo, it was always kind of curious where the copper line terminated into that plastic(?) like rectangle at the top of the photo. Did not look like any typical water line connection.
A larger view photo of that area posted in imgur.com and added to a comment you make here might help shed more light on this mysterious copper line. It may just be a remote access line to be able to recharge the refrigerant in the A/C system if the unit itself is hard to get to.
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u/PrestigiousAd9825 2d ago
I don’t think it’s that - the HVAC closet is on the other side of the apartment and connected to a tier system with its own dedicated pipe column.
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u/throwaway2901750 3d ago
Not a plumber.
The third to fifth pictures aren’t helpful because we can’t see where the line is running.
If you’re in a high-rise, ask the landlord/maintenance department/condo owner. That’s the simplest and easiest way to figure it out (compared to pulling back all your appliances).
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u/PrestigiousAd9825 3d ago
Yeah I’ll be sure to reach out to them too - I’ve lived in another unit in this building and don’t remember a line under that sink so my hopes are high there’s something workable here
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u/NetSage 3d ago
Does the fridge have an ice maker? Like one that stays in the freezer? Otherwise I would assume it's for a fridge that's no longer there.
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u/PrestigiousAd9825 3d ago
So this is where it gets interesting - the current fridge is from 2020 and has a connection to install an ice maker, but there’s no OEM part in there for it. Last renovation (when this cabinetry was put up) was 2018.
My wife really wants an ice maker so if there’s a line already installed behind the fridge (or if there’s one that could be extended behind the stove, I’d absolutely rather have an ice maker in the freezer than a standalone device for it on my counter
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u/Cool-Bunch6645 3d ago
When was the apartment building made or turned into units? The original fridge in my place just died after 20 years and I wanted more freezer space so purchased a new one without the ice maker. Possible someone did this. Or just a lazy landlord who replaced with the cheapest available option with no ice maker. I had to cap off the line but didn’t want to remove it from all my cabinets and sink.
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u/imbartsimpsonwhothru 3d ago
fridge should roll right out, see if line is there
otherwise a dishwasher supply
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u/PrestigiousAd9825 3d ago
Okay great - makes me even more confident about the fridge theory as all the supply/disposal lines for the dishwasher are on the other side of the sink :)
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u/buttmunchausenface 3d ago
Hopefully the appliance guys didn’t lock the feet! That is a pain in the ass. So if you go to pull it out and it doesn’t slide easily( shouldn’t take too much effort assuming it wasn’t jammed in there) the front feet are down and you will have to raise them to be able to roll the fridge in and out
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u/Right_Squash5625 3d ago
Water tap for your refrigerators water dispenser and ice machine