It has rained pretty hard on a few occasions and I was feeling pretty good that there hasn't been any leaks so where is this water coming from in the basement? I placed a towel to soak up the puddle one day and again another appeared. This went on all last week and more each day. So I stood next to the present puddle and saw a drop, then another and another. Ah ha! I thought a leak in the water line OH NO! I reached up but the water line was dry. Hmmm. I was puzzled for the next couple of days until it dawned on me -- the ice maker. I pulled the frig out and sure enough the water was coming through the water line which was not connected to the frig. Ok let's find out how to cut this water off. Youtube here I come. So there is a specific valve that controls the water flow to the ice maker. So I carried my ladder over and found it very easily. I turned it one way and water started to fall much faster; then turned it the other way ran up stairs to check and still the dripping continued. I made a call to see if the repair was covered under my home warranty with hopes of saving some money but no such luck. The plumber will be out tomorrow morning.
If it’s the same “tinker toy” tap that I have, sometimes it needs to be replaced because, it’s cheap (but useful).. Normally it’s about a 20 minute job if one considers shutting off the water to the house and then removing the valve and replacing it with a new one in the same spot the water pipe was “tapped”. But yeah, I have had the same thing happen so my sympathies...... The price for plumbers is right up there with brain surgery.
Sorry to hear this Von - if only each and every one of us had a plumber friend - make life a little easier wouldn't it All the best wishes for a happy outcome for you
Ugh; it's always something. Good for you for trying to tackle it on your own, Von!! Hopefully it will be a simple fix and not a lot of money.
@Von Jones you probably had a saddle valve for your ice maker. They are cheap and easy for a homeowner to install. They even come with some icemakers. They are illegal in most states for professionals (plumbers) to use, however, as they are considered too unreliable for professional use. Perhaps your plumber will sweat (solder) a fitting in or use PEX pr shorkbite fittings to solve your problem. Sorry you had the problem but good catch on finding the leak!
You found the valve that was leaking on youtube. Probably to late to suggest looking up the fix on youtube.
I just picked a random video on repairing ice makers and watched it and learned what to look for which was the valve. I had no knowledge at all about the workings of an ice maker. It would have been an added expense to have it hooked up.
I'm glad you got it fixed, Von. We all know how much damage a "little leak" can do, so that may have been a bargain!
Von, you are smart to know what you can do, and what you can't do, and what isn't worth doing, even if you could. Glad you got it fixed quickly. You did good.
Well @Von Jones , I'm sorry it cost you so much. I was expecting you to come up with something like this: