Why is My Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working?

Is the water dispenser on your refrigerator not working? If not, you can try to solve the problem on your own or call Spencer Appliance Repair for professional refrigerator repair CITY, STATE.

There are many reasons for a water dispenser in a refrigerator to stop working. Again, some of the suggestions are going to sound a little strange. However, something as simple as an on/off switch has been the reason in some instances. Be sure to check the more obvious potential issues before proceeding with complicated refrigerator repair. Let’s begin to tackle this appliance repair problem and see what solutions we can come up with for a broken water dispenser.

The reason for a water dispenser not working is typically either an installation problem, a filter failure or frozen water tubes:

New Refrigerator Installation Problems

You just purchased a new refrigerator with a water dispenser, but it is not dispensing water. The water dispenser must be hooked up to the water line. That might be the reason for the issue.

If the new refrigerator is replacing a prior refrigerator that did not have a water dispenser or ice maker, there’s a chance that you do not have a functioning water line running to this area of the kitchen. Most of the time a water line is commonly run from underneath the home either in a basement or crawl space. You can purchase this type of water line at just about any home repair store and they’re pretty simple for the typical homeowner to install. Typically they have a a water shut-off valve, which is necessary so that if you ever need to relocate the refrigerator, you can turn off the water.

If you have a water line, is the valve on? The valve handle should be lined up with the hose. And, is water running through the pipe you have used to connect the water line? Obvious and basic questions, but things that need to be checked.

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

When the water line is connected, most of the time there’s air in it. So, lifting and lowering the water dispenser control to get the air out of it is needed.
Filter Problems

On some of the household models, there are various filters. These filters could “expire”, become clogged or get frozen. All filters are based on your style and brand of refrigerator. If the filter is clogged it can cause slow filling or no flowing at all. It’s recommended that your filter be changed every 6 months. Changing filters in a refrigerator can be hard sometimes. If you run into issues, go online or call us and learn the proper method to replace a filter.

One idea is to fill up the filter with water prior to installing it. Typically the water filters can take a long time to fill up, which could cause you to think that the water dispenser on the refrigerator isn’t working right. You should read the manual if all else fails. To ensure it is not air trapped in the lines, depress the dispenser arm for around 5 minutes.

A frozen water tank might also be the cause of the problem as well on some refrigerators. If the water tank freezes it will leak onto the food bins. Low amounts of food inside of the fresh food bins will cause freezing.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

• Refrigerator Not Cooling
• Refrigerator Noisy
• Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working
• How Does a Refrigerator Work?