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Refrigerators

Self-Filling Water Pitcher Keeps Your Glass Half Full

GE's FirstBuild microfactory is only a day old, and it's already changed our lives for the better.

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If your household is anything like mine, you'll frequently open your fridge to find an empty pitcher of water that someone forgot to refill.

Well, a new self-filling water pitcher promises to put an end to lukewarm water. It's a product of GE Appliances' FirstBuild microfactory, and it's set to debut later this year.

Unlike a through-the-door water dispenser, GE's self-filling water pitcher can be retrofitted to existing fridges. The product uses magnets to make sure the pitcher is securely in place before refilling, and a simple float valve keeps water from spilling all over your fridge.

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GE will be providing instructions for installing the kit on GE-built fridges, and fridges with the pitcher pre-installed will be on sale on the FirstBuild website. It's easiest to install in a fridge that already has an icemaker kit, because the water lines are already there.

Once installed, there's room for a six-cup pitcher that sits on the fridge's top shelf. It takes up some storage space, but I think it's a worthy tradeoff for a guarantee of cold water.

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Because the project came out of the FirstBuild microfactory, it will initially be built in low volumes—as low as a few thousand, with plans available online ready for 3D printing on a MakerBot. If sales take off, and a business case can be made, there's a chance that it will go into wider production.

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