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 solve the problem on your own or call Excel Kent Appliance Repair for refrigerator repair Kent, Washington.

There are a lot of reasons for the water dispenser in a refrigerator to stop working. Again, some of the reasons could sound a bit crazy. However, something as obvious as an off switch has been the culprit in some instances. Be sure to inspect the more obvious potential problems prior to moving forward with refrigerator repair. Let’s begin to cover this appliance repair issue and see all of the solutions we can reference for a broken water dispenser.

The cause of a water dispenser not working is usually either an installation problem, a filter issue or frozen water tubes:

Refrigerator Installation Problems

You just bought a new refrigerator with a water dispenser, but it’s not working. The water dispenser has to be hooked up to the water line. That might be the issue.

If your new refrigerator is replacing a prior refrigerator that did not have a water dispenser or ice maker, there is a possibility that you do not have a functioning water line near this area of the kitchen. A water line is typically run from under the house either in a basement or crawl space. You can get this type of water line at just about any home repair store and they are pretty easy for the average homeowner to install. Usually they have include a water shut-off valve, which is necessary so that if you should need to relocate the refrigerator, you can turn off the water.

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

If you removed the refrigerator doors during installation it is possible the water dispenser may not be plugged in. Review the owner’s manual to see the wire harness for that particular refrigerator. Be sure that it is plugged into the refrigerator.

Once the water line is connected, usually there is air in the line. So, engaging and disengaging the water dispenser lever to get the air out of it is needed.
Filter Issues

On some of the popular refrigerators, there are different filters. These filters could “expire”, clog or freeze. All filters are dependent on your model and brand of refrigerator. If the filter is blocked it will cause slow filling or no flowing at all. It is recommended that your filter is changed every 6 months. Replacing filters in a refrigerator can be challenging. If you run into issues, go online or call us and learn the right method to change a filter.

One idea is to fill the filter with water prior to installation. A lot of time the water filters need a long time to fill, which could cause you to think the water dispenser on the refrigerator is not working. You should read the manual if all else fails. To be certain it’s not air caught in the water lines, depress the dispenser arm for about 5 minutes.

A frozen water tank might also be the source of the problem as well in some models. If the tank is frozen it will leak onto the fresh food bins. Low amounts of food in the fresh food bins will cause freezing to occur.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES