Why is My Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working?

refrigerator water dispenser image

Is the water dispenser on your refrigerator not working? If not, you can attempt to repair the issue by yourself or call Lee’s Summit Appliance Repair for refrigerator repair Lee’s Summit, Missouri.

There are many reasons for the water dispenser in a refrigerator to not work. Again, some of the suggestions could sound a little strange. However, something as simple as an off switch has been the reason in some instances. Be sure to check the more obvious potential issues before moving forward with refrigerator repair. Let’s begin to tackle this appliance repair problem and see all of the causes we can reference for a broken water dispenser.

The reason for a water dispenser not dispensing is usually either an installation problem, a filter problem or frozen water tubes:

New Refrigerator Installation Problems

You just bought a new refrigerator for your kitchen with a water dispenser, but it is broken. The water dispenser must be hooked up to the water line. That might be the cause of the problem.

If the new refrigerator is replacing an old refrigerator that didn’t feature a water dispenser or ice maker, there’s a chance that you don’t have a functioning water line running to this area of the kitchen. A water line is usually run from under the home either in a basement or crawl space. You can get this type of water line at just about any hardware store and they’re very easy for even the average homeowner to install. Usually they have a a water shut-off valve, which is necessary so that if you should need to relocate the refrigerator, you can shut off the water.

If there’s an attached water line, is the valve on? The valve handle must be lined up with the hose. And, is water running through the pipe you have used to connect the water line? Simple and questions, but things that have to be confirmed.

If you removed the doors during installation the water dispenser isn’t plugged in. Read the manual to find the wire harness for the particular refrigerator. Be sure that it’s plugged into the refrigerator.

Once the water is hooked up, most of the time there is air in it. So, engaging and disengaging the dispenser lever to get the air out of it is necessary.
Filter Issues

On some popular refrigerators, there are different filters. These filters could “expire”, clog or freeze. All of the filters are dependent on your style and type of refrigerator. If the filter is blocked it can cause slow filling or no flowing at all. It’s recommended that your filter is replaced every 6 months. Replacing filters in a refrigerator can be challenging. If you run into problems, go online and learn the proper process to replace a filter.

One recommendation is to fill up the water filter with water before installing it. A lot of time the water filters take a long time to fill, which could cause you to think the water dispenser on the refrigerator is not working right. You should read the manual if nothing is working. To be certain it’s not air caught in the water lines, depress the dispenser lever for around 5 minutes.

A frozen water tank might also be the reason for the problem as well on some models. If the water tank is frozen it will begin to leak onto the fresh food bins. Minimal food in the fresh food bins will cause freezing to happen.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES