Why is My Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working?

defective refrigerator water dispenser

Is the water dispenser on your refrigerator broken? If not, you can attempt to repair the problem by yourself or call Select Appliance Repair for professional refrigerator repair.

There are a lot of reasons for the water dispenser in a refrigerator to stop working. Again, some of the reasons could sound a little strange. However, something as obvious as a power switch has been the reason in the past. Be sure to inspect the more obvious potential issues before moving forward with complicated refrigerator repair. Let’s start to cover this appliance repair issue and see all of the causes we can come up with for a broken water dispenser on a refrigerator.

The reason for a broken water dispenser is usually an installation problem, a filter failure or frozen water lines:

Refrigerator Installation Issues

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 home’s water line. That could be the cause of the issue.

If your brand new refrigerator is replacing a prior refrigerator that did not feature an ice maker or water dispenser, there’s a chance that you don’t have a functioning water line near this area. A water line is usually run from underneath a home either in a basement or crawl space. You can buy this type of water line at nearly any home repair store and they are very simple for even the typical homeowner to install. Typically they have come with a built-in water shut-off valve, which is necessary so that if you need to move the refrigerator, you can turn off the water.

If you have a water line, is the valve turned on? The valve handle should be in line with the hose. And, is there water running through the pipe you have installed to connect the water line? Simple and questions, but items that need to be checked.

If you removed the refrigerator doors during installation the water dispenser isn’t plugged in. Check the manual to see the wire harness for the particular refrigerator. Check that it is plugged into the refrigerator.

When the water line is connected, usually there is air in it. So, lifting and lowering the water dispenser lever to get the air out of it is necessary.
Filter Issues

On some of the popular refrigerators, there are various filters. These filters could “expire”, become clogged or freeze. All filters are dependent on the model and type of refrigerator. If your filter is clogged it might cause slow filling or no flowing period. It is recommended that your filter be changed every 6 months. Replacing filters in a refrigerator can be challenging. If you run into issues, go online and learn the right method to change a filter.

One suggestion is to fill up the water filter with water before installing it. A lot of time the water filters will take a long amount of time to fill, which might lead you to think 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 caught in the water lines, we recommend to depress the dispenser lever for about 5 minutes.

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

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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