You Win Some, You Samsung

The old refrigerator conked out cold, and we finally got delivery of the new Samsung. But not without an unexpected finding: we could not turn off the water to the old fridge's ice line. The thin copper tubing from the wall has a valve at the wall--I couldn't turn it to shut it off. Here come the delivery guys, and without being able to turn it off, they can't switch the line to the new appliance. They come, drop off the new Samsung; every time I turn the 1/2" nut to disconnect the water line, it sprays me in the face, so they can't take the old fridge. The wall valve is stuck open. The old broken refer is acting as a "cork", stopping the water from spraying all over the kitchen. Okay, I thought as you are: turn off the main water valve to the entire unit. Well, sure enough, we turn it off and it only 1/2 works--the handle turns all the way but due to some unknown issue in the valve itself, it won't shut off the water to our condo. Now I really don't want to work on the refrigerator line; if it breaks, I can't shut off the water at all and the apt. below me will flood.

The delivery guys try the wall valve a couple times and fail, also, and leave. They don't take the old broken fridge, and I am stuck with two fridges standing in my kitchen. Then Stan, my neighbor, comes and saves the day. He pulls the refrigerator water valve out from the wall, works it back and forth many times with better leverage than I had, and shuts it off. Thank God it didn't break or, unlike Noah, we'd have no time to build an arc. Yes, now I can detach the old fridge (the delivery guys are coming back Sunday to finish the chore and take the old one--thanks, gentleman). I have carefully installed the new Samsung, purchasing a new steel braided ice line in the meantime, and leveled it in place. It's purring, making ice, and to the best of my knowledge, not leaking. The main water control valve to my unit must be changed out before some other leaky mishap (washing machine, water heater, etc.) causes a major flood because I can't shut it off. To do so, Stan (on our Board) says that we should notify the building owners, the plumber shuts off the water to the whole building (all forty units), and changes out out our main valve. But at least I will know that it works. Maybe put in a double valve in series. We will have this done in December. But for now, ice and soda and drinks for all.