Most modern day American style Fridge Freezers now use Fridge 1/4 inch water supply tube or pipe to supply water into the fridge. The water is then dispensed through the door at the front or by means of the ice making facility in some fridge freezer models.
The standard supply of tube size is 1/4 inch OD. What that means is the pipe has a one quarter of an inch outside diameter with a internal diameter of 0.170 inches which is approximatley 11/64 inch. Don’t ask me what that is in new money because if you need to ask then you are being mislead.
Let me explain. I know that most of us/you assume 1/4 inch is the same as 6mm. Well it’s not. I get called on the phone nearly everyday with people asking me for 6mm water tube for their fridge freezer. We do not sell or supply 6mm water tube.
Maybe we should sell 6mm pipe because we would sell an awful lot of it but we would be selling the wrong thing to our customer because what you really need is 1/4 inch tubing. If you want to do the math then 1/4 inch is equal to 6.35 mm. Water pipe fittings are supplied as imperial fittings as standard. The ISO standard for water pipe fittings is BSP – British Standard Pipe Thread or to be correct BSPT.
I know what you are going to say. my copper pipe in the kitchen is 15mm. Yes it is but water pipe is measured on the bore of the pipe and the British Standard cold water feed in you house is 1/2 inch on the bore. Due to manufacturing these now becomes 15mm OD. Now add on your pipe fitting to allow you to connect an external piece of equipment. You need a BSP pipe fitting. They are imperial fittings. We use John Guest fittings to connect your water supply to your fridge freezer. They are designed to take 1/4 inch OD tubing.
Now if we were to supply you with the 6mm tube you are so eager to buy, when you go to fit the tube to the fitting, you won’t get a tight fit to make the seal because the 6mm tube is 0.35mm smaller than the 1/4 inch fitting you are trying to connect to.
So think on the next time you call me or anyone for that matter, you have to ask for 1/4 inch OD tubing and not 6mm. I have a stock of 6mm tubing especially for those that ask for it but I won’t be giving you a warning to say that you may be making a purchasing blunder. You have been warned.
Of course if you hadn’t got to read my post on Fridge 1/4 inch water tube then you would never have known not to order it.
For those people I have made an allowance ;-}
Take care and thanks for listening.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I have an LG fridge and the plastic water supply that came with the fridge has developed pin-hole leaks just above the connection to the water supply from the house, I shortened the water line to remove the leak and reconnected it, and a few months later it has happened again.
I want to replace this line completely, it goes through the back of the fridge and connects with a filter system. What is the best product to use, and have you heard of this happening before. I have seen a few references to the same issue with LG fridges on-line.