Question for the cabinet installers/kitchen fitters out there.

[mastercabman]

     I don't know why you are calling people at Whirlpool idiots....

I DO KNOW WHY!!!!! [laughing] [laughing] [laughing]

 

[tiralie]

     In my experience with water on most wood floors is that it may take a few weeks but the cupping should all but go away once thoroughly dried. 

Mine as well, well even on cabinet sides of veneered chip board. If the cabinet sides swell because they are exposed (absorbed water from the floor) to water from a leaking shower etc. because of a poor caulking job they do recover.
Once they dry out, they are almost as flat as they were before the damage and you can't tell where the damage was.  Problem is most folks can't stand looking at it while it dries out. Which is understandable.
Tim

 

[Jonhilgen]

jon,that's pretty screw up the way it shows how the drain is connected.IT'S NOT!!  Looks to me that you need to place the icemaker so that the drain tube is right above the pvc drain.NOT INSIDE THE PVC! Needs a 1" gap between the tube and pipe.
What are those appliances engineer are thinking? ???

Did the builder/contractor gave you a chance to do the repaire yourself? Or are you not comfortable with it?

Yeah, someone at whirlpool is clearly an idiot.  From the looks of the spec sheet it looks like the plumber at least gave me a fighting chance by having the drain on the ice maker lip into the floor drain...a half inch fighting chance.

I wouldn't know how to have repaired the floor myself.  It was netters to have a water damage repair co. come in and do it with specialized equipment.  I would have preferred  waiting a bit since its starting to warm up down here and the a/c will be running in his house shortly.  Who knows, it might make it worse!

Jon

     Ice Makers can be a sore spot for a lot of folks.  We install them but always use ones with internal pumps because actual floor drains can be a pain to keep clean and clear.  Over time you'll get build up and the water flow from the ice maker isn't always enough to keep the drain clear so there's some maintenance involved. 

     I don't know why you are calling people at Whirlpool idiots.  They gave pretty clear instructions on how to install it properly that weren't followed.  The "air gap" could be a code issue to keep anything from backing up into the ice maker from the drain and/or to allow the drain to work better by having venting.  The fact that you didn't know how anything about an ice maker and the way the plumber installed the drain seem like the issue to me.  You moved it causing the tube to come out of the drain (these tubes are generally very flexible almost like silicone tubing).  Since there wasn't the "air gap" if you were to push the ice maker back the tube would hit against the drain and bend and not center back over the drain (I personally would say you are not responsible because the appliance was installed outside of manufacturer specifications).  Was there a large cutout in the cabinet next to the ice maker so you could get a visual on drain tube alignment?  How were you supposed to know?  A real floor drain is generally a large cast object with a build in p-trap and you'd have a 3-4" opening.  The tile can and should be sloped to the drain in case there is some mis-alignment in the drain tube (think shower drain).  This just wasn't a well thought out execution in my opinion.  Again... I install these, I have one in my own home and it's one of my most cherished appliances.  Yes, they have to be installed correctly to perform correctly. 

     In my experience with water on most wood floors is that it may take a few weeks but the cupping should all but go away once thoroughly dried. 

Chris...

Chris,

You are absolutely correct in that I should not have referred to the people at Whirlpool as "idiots".  Blaming someone else for my own ignorance of the specifications (they weren't on site...) is inexcusable and the easy way out.  I guess I am just frustrated about this situation and vented.

That being said, this has been a great excersise.  I've had the time to study the specifications (as have you all), and I think you hit it on the head when you said that the plumber might be the one at fault (not that I'm trying to shirk any and all responsibility) but if the piping in the floor wasn't installed to spec, I'm going to have a real problem paying for this. 

I clearly remember having to reach in behind the ice maker (after I drilled a 3" hole in the adjacent cabinet) to place the soft tube from the whirlpool into the floor drain after pushing it back into place...

I've written an email to the kitchen designer I work for describing in detail what I've found, but I haven't sent it yet.  I am going to another job (same builder, same ice maker, same plumber) to take some pictures and dimensions, then I'll send it.

Thanks again guys.

Jon