Why is My Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working?

image ofrefrigerator water dispenser

Is the water dispenser on your refrigerator broken? If so, you can try to repair the problem on your own or call Remedy Appliance Repair for professional refrigerator repair Central California.

There are a lot of reasons for the water dispenser in a refrigerator to not work. Again, some of the suggestions could sound a bit crazy. However, something as simple as a power switch has been the reason before. Be sure to inspect the more obvious potential issues before proceeding with refrigerator repair. Let’s start to tackle this appliance repair issue and see all of the causes we can come up with for a broken water dispenser.

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

New Refrigerator Installation Problems

You just purchased a brand new refrigerator for your kitchen with a water dispenser, but it’s not working. The water dispenser has to be connected to the water line. That might be the problem.

If your new refrigerator is replacing an older refrigerator that didn’t feature a water dispenser or ice maker, there’s a chance that you don’t have a water line running to this area of the kitchen. Most of the time a water line is commonly run from underneath a house either in a crawl space or basement. You can buy this line at just about any hardware store and they are pretty easy for even the average homeowner to install. Usually they have include a water shut-off valve, which is necessary so that if you ever need to move the refrigerator, you can turn off the water.

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

If you removed the doors during installation the water dispenser may not be plugged in. Read the owner’s manual to find the wire harness for that particular model of refrigerator. Be sure that it’s plugged into the refrigerator.

If the water is connected, most of the time there’s air in the line. So, engaging and disengaging the water dispenser lever on the refrigerator to get the air out is needed.
Filter Problems

On some models, there are different filters. These filters might “expire”, become clogged or freeze. All of the filters are dependent on your style and brand of refrigerator. If the filter is blocked it might cause slow filling or no flowing. It is recommended that your filter is replaced every 6 months. Changing filters can be hard sometimes. If you run into problems, go online or call us and find the proper process to change a filter.

One suggestion is to fill up the filter with water prior to installation. Typically the water filters can take a long time to fill, which could cause you to think that the water dispenser isn’t working right. You will want to read the directions if nothing is working. To ensure it is not air caught in the lines, depress the dispenser lever for about 5 minutes.

A frozen water tank might also be the cause of the issue as well in some models. If the tank freezes it will begin to leak onto the fresh food bins. Small amounts of food in the fresh food bins will cause freezing to occur.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES