Why is My Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working?

broken refrigerator water dispenser

Is the water dispenser on your refrigerator not dispensing water? If not, you can try to repair the issue by yourself or call St. Petersburg Appliance Repair for refrigerator repair St. Petersburg, Florida.

There are many reasons for a water dispenser in a refrigerator to not work. Again, some reasons are going to sound a little strange. However, something as simple as an on/off switch has been the culprit in the past. Be sure to inspect the obvious potential problems prior to proceeding with complicated refrigerator repair. Let’s begin to tackle this appliance repair issue and see all of the solutions we can reference for a broken water dispenser on a refrigerator.

The reason for a broken water dispenser is commonly an installation error, a filter issue or frozen water tubes:

Refrigerator Installation Problems

You just bought a brand new refrigerator for your kitchen with a water dispenser, but it’s broken. The water dispenser must be hooked up to the water line. That could be the issue.

If the brand new refrigerator is replacing an old refrigerator that didn’t have an ice maker or water dispenser, there is a chance that you do not have a functioning water line near this area. Most of the time a water line is typically run from under a house either in a basement or crawl space. You can acquire this type of water line at just about any hardware store and they are very simple for even the typical homeowner to install. Usually 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 shut off the water.

If there is an attached water line, is the valve on? The valve handle must be lined up with the hose. And, is there water going through the pipe you have used to connect the water line? Obvious and common questions, but things that need to be checked.

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

When the water is hooked up, most of the time there’s air in the water line. So, engaging and disengaging the water dispenser lever on the refrigerator to get the air out of it is needed.
Filter Issues

On some household refrigerators, there are various filters. These filters might “expire”, become clogged or freeze. All of the filters are based on your style and type of refrigerator. If the filter is blocked it might cause slow filling or no flowing period. It’s suggested that your filter be replaced every 6 months. Replacing filters can be hard sometimes. If you run into problems, go online or call us and find the proper method to change a filter.

One recommendation is to fill up the water filter with water prior to installation. A lot of time the water filters need a long amount of time to fill up, which might cause you to believe the water dispenser isn’t working. You should read the directions if all else fails. To ensure it is not air caught in the lines, depress the dispenser lever for about 5 minutes.

A frozen water tank could be the cause of the problem as well on some models. If the water tank is frozen it will leak onto the food bins. Small amounts of food in the fresh food bins can cause freezing to occur.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES