by Tracy Morrison

Created on: May 03, 2010

If you sit down and add up what your spending a year in bags of ice, including the shear inconvenience of lugging heavy bags of ice from the car to the kitchen every week, installing an ice maker in your fridge is an economical and time saving option.

Making sure that the freezer you want to install the ice maker into is able to have, is the first step. A suitable freezer will have holes in the back where the Ice maker will be installed. Call your local refrigeration parts store or supplier for the Ice maker for your model of refrigerator/freezer. An internal ice making unit can cost from a mere $65.00 to as much as $200.00. Even though the initial cost may seem high, the savings in money and headache it is well worth it. Ice makers are also very convenient when entertaining and hosting guests for a plentiful supply of ice for drinks and icing down beer cans.

Inspect the water line to the refrigerator for blockage and water flow. If no water line is present, make sure that you are able to install and run a waterline to the refrigerator to provide water for the ice maker. Install a cut off valve to be able to stop it if you do run into any issues with the Ice maker. You can run a water line from underneath your sink or if possible off a washing machine water line. Installing a small water filter onto the water line to the ice maker improves the taste and quality of the ice dramatically. A small water line filter is inexpensive and needed unless you have fresh well water or a water filtration system at the water inlet of the home.

Unplug the refrigerator or freezer before you install the proper ice maker to avoid an injury by electrical shock. In order to install the ice maker you should only need a screwdriver or power drill to attach the unit to the inside of the freezer. If any special tool is needed, it will be in the instructions or will be provided with the unit. Once the unit is installed per the instructions, test the ice maker to be sure it working properly. Typically with automatic ice makers, there is an arm that you move up or down to tell the ice maker whether you want it to continue to make ice.or not.

Learn more about this author, Tracy Morrison.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.