Why is My Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working?

broken refrigerator water dispenser

Is the water dispenser on your refrigerator broken? If so, you can try to solve the problem by yourself or call Cole Appliance Repair for professional refrigerator repair CITY, STATE.

There are several reasons for a water dispenser in a kitchen refrigerator to stop working. Again, some suggestions might sound a little strange. However, something as simple as an on/off switch on the refrigerator has been the reason in the past. Be sure to review the obvious potential problems prior to proceeding with complicated refrigerator repair. Let’s start to tackle this appliance repair problem and see what solutions we can reference for a broken water dispenser on a refrigerator.

The cause of a water dispenser not dispensing is typically either an installation issue, a filter issue or frozen water tubes:

New Refrigerator Installation Issues

You just purchased a brand new refrigerator with a water dispenser, but it is not dispensing water. The water dispenser has to be connected to the water line. That could be the issue.

If the brand new refrigerator is replacing a previous refrigerator that did not feature a water dispenser or ice maker, there is a possibility 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 under a house either in a basement or crawl space. You can get this line at just about any hardware store and they’re very easy for the typical homeowner to install. Usually they have a a built-in water shut-off valve, which is important so that if you need to relocate the refrigerator, you can turn off the water.

If there’s an attached water line, is the valve turned on? The valve handle needs to be lined up with the hose. And, is water going 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 the water dispenser might not be plugged in. Read the manual to find the wire harness for the particular model of refrigerator. Ensure that it’s plugged into the refrigerator.

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

On some refrigerators, there are different filters. These filters can “expire”, clog or freeze. All of the filters are based on your style and type of refrigerator. If your filter is blocked it can cause slow filling or no flowing. It is suggested that your filter be changed every 6 months. Replacing filters can be challenging. If you run into issues, go online and find the proper process to change a filter.

One suggestion is to fill the filter with water before installing it. Typically the water filters can take a long amount of time to fill up, which could lead you to believe the water dispenser isn’t working. You will want to read the owner’s manual if nothing is working. To be sure it’s not air trapped in the lines, depress the dispenser arm for around 5 minutes.

A frozen water tank could be the cause of the problem as well in some models. If the tank freezes it will begin to leak onto the food bins. Low amounts of food in the fresh food bins could cause freezing to happen.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES