refrigeratorwater
On the back of our fridge is a drainage tube (I assume it's for the ice maker; correct me if i'm wrong). Whenever water drains out of it, it leaks. I've identified that the source of the problem is a sort of coupler in the middle of the tube. (I'm not sure what it's called)
I've fiddled with it a little bit but I can't seem to get it to stop leaking. Is there a trick to tighten it? Or should I buy a new one? (If so, anyone know where I can get one?)
There may be an accumulation of dust and debris behind the unit and near the compressor. Also the bolts or fasteners that hold it all together there may need a little tightening- give it a good cleaning and look for accumulated dust on the fan and fan blades.
There will indeed be some type of rubber, silicone or other type of flexible materal washer thing inside the nut. The cross section picture below attempts to show how the typical compression fitting of this type works.
As the nut tightens it compresses the "rubber" part against the end of the threaded plastic piece and around the outside of the incoming water line. Leaks can arise as from this "rubber" part getting hard and inflexible. The chorine added to water can accelerate this this problem. Over tightening the compression nut will also lead to problems. Sometimes a corrosive build up on the water tube can also lead to leak issues. Usually it is combination of all three elements and everything is OK till there is some flexure in the joint and then it starts to leak.
To fix it is suggested to replace the compression nut and the "rubber" part. If the inlet tubing is corroded then clean it up with steel wool. If the plastic threaded part is stripped from previous over tightening then you will also have to replace the fill valve assembly in the tank too. You should be able to find replacement parts at hardware or home stores. Replacement parts are usually fairly reasonable in cost.
Best Answer
Keep in mind there is a lot of pressure in the water line. I don't like using the plastic tubing that comes with the fridges, I use copper lines only. I would change the tubing from that connector to the water line with 1/4" copper tubing and a brass compression fitting to replace that plastic one. A compression fitting like this one will do nicely.A brass insert, like this one is used to connect the plastic pipe to one side.
