DIY install of water filter for ice maker
LaRea
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I love my boat’s cockpit icemaker, but I have always just used it as a freezer for bag ice. This year, I decided to add an inline water filter to see if I can make drinking ice that tastes good. It was a relatively easy project, so I thought I’d share.
I used this filter and cartridge:
I also replaced the icemaker supply line with a braided stainless steel line so it will be easier to temporarily remove the icemaker when necessary. The hose includes all necessary fittings.
Here’s a picture looking forward from where the icemaker usually sits. At the top you can see the opening for the trash can. The filter is mounted to the fiberglass panel behind the helm seat. I used 1/4-20 bolts with washers on both sides. The other side is easy to reach by sliding the helm seat forward.
The filter comes with the input fitting on the left, but it’s easy to rotate it and have the input on the right.
The filter output (on the left) feeds the icemaker and the sink faucet, so I built a custom manifold using soldered copper pipe. The fittings that screw into the filter are 3/8" male threaded, with lots of teflon tape. The two outputs are 1/2-inch male threaded fittings. The connections to the blue tubing are Sharkbite 1/2-inch female threaded connectors. Those Sharkbite fittings are expensive, but boy are they easy to use. Worth it.
The picture below shows how the braided line attaches to the ice maker (after removing the lower front panel). The brass elbow fitting is included with the kit.
Comments
[Edit: when installing the filter cartridge into the sump, you have to make sure it seats correctly so the sump can screw all the way into the filter body, with no threads visible. I had to wiggle the sump around to get the cartridge seated correctly. On my first attempt, water sprayed everywhere when I turned on the pump. ]
2018 Cherokee 39RL Land Yacht (Sorry...)
The ice tastes just fine, and it's really convenient to have a steady supply of drinkable ice. Coffee made from the tap tastes fine. Drinking water from the tap tastes okay, maybe not quite as good as bottled water. The flow from the faucet is starting to slow down, so I need to replace the filter, which you'd expect after 1.5 seasons.
I had no issues with winterizing, and no leaks from the plumbing.