Refrigerator Valve Leak

Aerynai

We just moved into a new home that has been vacant for some time. However we are having trouble locating the right valve in local hardware stores. This is the valve that has the leak and it is where the refrigerator connects to the main water line. Does anyone know what it is called or where to find it (or a comparable replacement). Everywhere we go they look at us like we are crazy, and some even told us that we would have to order it from the fridge manufacturer...which just drives me crazy since we told them it was the valve for the main water line and not anything inside the fridge.

Any help would greatly appreciated! (I am going crazy not having an ice maker in Florida!!)

Alan

Can you do something to that picture to show where the leak is occuring?

What kind of piping is below the valve? How is it connected to the piping below?

That's some sort of variation on a boiler drain, but normally they are a standard garden hose thread, not compression. It's just a special valve made for icemaker outlet boxes.

If it's leaking where the "Stem" of the handle meets the brass body(my crystal ball guess), you should be able to fix that leak by tightening the packing nut on the valve. You'll need a couple wrenches, one to hold the valve body itself and another to tighten the packing. You should have the valve in the on when you tighten the packing nut.

If it continues to leak after that, you can even replace the packing material inside the valve, but you may not have luck finding it at a hardware store.

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Journeyman Plumber

Aerynai

You are right about the location of the leak.

My husband is attempting to tighten the packing nut. However, he seems to think that the packing material inside the valve has deteriorated, is there anywhere to buy the packing material or the entire valve?

Alan

One good way to see if it's deteriorated is to (turn off the water supply to the house) undo the bonnet nut that he's trying to tighten and remove the entire valve stem. You CAN buy packings for them, but whether or not the correct one for that valve is available or not is up in the air.

You could replace the valve, yes. They make 1/4 turn ball valve style these days, but I can't really tell you much more than that without knowing what is connected to the bottom of that box.

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Journeyman Plumber