Hello Folks,

Few days ago I was tying to run and install an ice maker/refrigerator water line from basement to kitchen right above. Using reference points above and below it is possible to pinpoint a spot with maybe 1 feet accuracy. So, I was trying to drill a small hole from basement and this hole should end up somewhere inside a wall (back of drywall) at the back of the refrigerator.

Already drilled a 5 inches hole and there is still a blockage. Whenever more drilling is required some white/grey powder (maybe white cement, drywall) comes out of the hole, so I would believe that I am not hitting a beam or whatnot.

Below are some pics depicting the situation:



Any insights and inputs would be appreciated.

 

Mine was drilled straight down through the tile next to the wall, but looking at your hose it may take a larger hole... mine uses small tubing that looks to be about 1/4"

 

If you've drilled 5" you are not in the center of the wall. You may be drilling up into a wall stud.
You should be drilling thru the flooring and the plate.... roughly 2".
When you drill on a heavy angle like that you also need to come far enough away from the wall so that you just catch the plate and come out in the wall. You could just be hitting the other side of the wall.

When installing a new water line for the fridge.... there is no need to run it thru the wall. I'll drill a hole thru the floor as close to the base molding as I can. Even an inch away from the molding is ok. The fridge won't go all the way to the wall especially with the extra water line behind it required to roll the unit away while being connected

 

That looks like 1/4" copper pipe in the picture. You would use either 1/4" copper or poly.
Copper is my choice.

You need enough pipe thru the floor to almost reach the top of the fridge so that you can make a loop to pull the unit out and away from the wall.

If that's actually hose in the picture then that may be what connects the solenoid to the ice maker and has been disconnected.

 

Always easier to drill from the top down!

 

That’s exactly how someone did it in my house. With copper tubing.

Maybe tk3000 doesn’t want to attempt to drill a hole in the tile. If I’m not mistaken you can use a carbide bit (from HD or Lowes etc.) and drill right through without any problem.

 

I wouldn't drill a tile. I'd drill thru a grout joint like I marked in your picture.
Easier and less chance of cracking a tile. Still need a masonry bit. I'd recommend 3/8".

 

Ah yes – now I do remember hearing that you should drill through the grout joint. Makes much more sense.

 

Doorman:

Yeah, these flexible tubes seem to have a different thread size and/or pitch or are not really 1/4 size wise compatible with normal ntp.

I am using braided 1/4 flexible tubing which is thicker than basic pvc or vinyl one, so will need a slight larger hole (but right now I am probing, so the whole does not have to be too large and can always be enlarged). Also, plan to install a plastic wall mount+valve+arrestor. So the tubing has to go up, be near the floor, behind the wall and right next to the refrigerator water inlet.

 

Pjmax:
Sorry, my bad; the length of the hole drilled is about 4 and 5/8 inches at most. But, still, as you pointed out 2" should about enough.

Maybe it would be better off to drill from above (kitchen). But before that I will try another small hole to see it breaks free.

My plan is to use a plastic outlet box with a valve and water arrestor. So, in this case, I have to drill a hole behind the wall through the subfloor and wall plate.

 

Pjmax:

"You need enough pipe thru the floor to almost reach the top of the fridge so that you can make a loop to pull the unit out and away from the wall."

It is good to know about that. At first I was considering leaving only 2 foot of flex tubing slack behind the refrigerator.

In the left of the second pic of the first post there are some copper pipes in view, but they are 1/2". I am planning on installing a self pierce valve, and then run a threaded braided flexible tubing from the piercing valve horizontally, and then up through the hole to the kitchen.

Below is a pic the proposed setup:

 

I haven't used a self-piercing valve in 15 years. In most areas they are no longer allowed by code. I do replace plenty of them that leak or get plugged up.

It looks like the wall your are going up is built on top of block. we can definitely see up to 4" drain lines that go up the wall so you know exactly where the sill is. I see water lines also going up the wall. Not the most practical but ok if insulated correctly. Running a single line up in a different location in that same outside wall would not be recommended as it now presents a freeze issue.

It can be hard to picture exactly where the sill is as it sits on top of the floor.
You need to be just on the edge of it to end up inside the wall.
You've drilled the blue line. You need to be more like the red.

 

Pjmax:

Yeah, in the past I heard that these piercing valves are not great. It seems that it is due to the material they are made and how they interface and interact with copper pipe rather than the design itself. But they seem to be so prevalent in hardware stores where I live, so I never gave much of thought about it.

After a cursory search trying to find any single tee made out of brass with the configuration "1/2 sweat + 1/4 OD + 1/2 sweat" could not find any. I found some shark bite push to connect (with a built-in valve as well), but I don't trust shark bite in the long run.

In a cursory search tried to find any single tee made ouf of brass with the configuration: 1/2 sweat + 1/4 OD + 1/2 sweat, but could not find any. I found some shark bite push to connect (which comes with a valve built-in as well), but I don't trust shark bite in the long run.

It is the basement, so the wall sill plate is visible. But on the other side is not really an exterior wall; instead it is a garage. When you say sill plate, are you referring to the wall plate or the sill plate connected to the concrete wall below grade?

Thanks for the drawings, it makes it more clear. But when I drilled the hole shown in the first pic of the first post, I tried to drill it at a 90 degree angle (it likely is very close 90 degrees). Looking in hindsight, though, I was very close (to be explained) to a good spot, guess I was unlock.

The pic below shows the behind of the refrigerator with the baseboard removed.

Planning on installing the plastic box for the water line in the area demarcated by the rectangle.

As you suggested, I drilled small hole through the grout and then inserted a small (low volt) red wire into the hole. The wire passed through the hole easily and ended up in the basement ceiling. But upon the removal of the baseboard and closer inspection a small deformity in the drywall is noticed, maybe indicating that in the past someone used a long flexible drill bit to drill a hole in the baseboard (I imagine that it could be related to electrical wiring). In the pic below an arrow points to the aforementioned deformity and the other arrow to the new hole with a red wire going through it to the basement:




Last but not least, the a pic of the ending point of the hole in the basement ceiling with the wire passing through it.


Indeed, it is a different room, but it is adjacent to the other one and very close. This second hole with the red wire through it is only 6 inches from the first one I drilled from the basement upwards to the kitchen (first pic of first post); so the holes are only 6" apart. Moreover, the second hole (red wire) is about 4" from the header joist; while the first hole is at about 3" from the header joist. So, the first hole should be somewhere in the baseboard.

 

So if I'm following you correctly.... you need to drill a hole approx. 1" closer to the joist from where the red wire came out but straight up.

 

Pjmax:

It turned out that I did not make some basic considerations, and thus got some distances wrong. Actually, the very first hole I drilled was almost spot on, and indeed did hit a the drywall. There are actually two layers of drywall making up the kitchen wall, making it rather thick. Also, did not take into account the width of the header joist and did not account for the fact that a 2x4 is not really a 2x4 dimensionally (but likely 1.5x3.5); apart from the fact that the measurement were approximate.

So, in the pic below, what I though was an old hole (arrow number 1) or deformity in the drywall was in fact the first hole I drilled down from the basement and cut through the drywall; other than that it was a perfect spot (had I drilled it 1" closer to the header joist, it would have been perfect).


Arrow 2 points to a cut out made to explore the interior looking for wires, etc; and also the future location of an enlarged opening for the plastic outlet of the of water valve+arrestor.