Why is My Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working?

broken refrigerator water dispenser image

Is the water dispenser on your refrigerator not dispensing water? If so, you can attempt to repair the problem on your own or call Nifty Naperville Appliance Repair for refrigerator repair Naperville, Illinois.

There are a lot of reasons for a water dispenser in a kitchen refrigerator to not work. Again, some of the suggestions might sound a bit crazy. However, something as obvious as an off switch on the refrigerator has been the culprit before. Be sure to check the more obvious potential issues prior to proceeding with refrigerator repair. Let’s begin to cover this appliance repair problem and see what causes we can reference for a broken water dispenser.

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

New Refrigerator Installation Problems

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

If your new refrigerator is replacing an older refrigerator that did not feature an ice maker or water dispenser, there is a possibility that you don’t have a functioning water line running to this area. A water line is usually run from underneath a home either in a basement or crawl space. You can buy this line at just about any hardware store and they’re very simple for even the average homeowner to install. Usually they have a a built-in 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 is a water line, is the valve on? The valve handle needs to be lined up with the hose. And, is water going through the pipe that you have used to connect the water line? Obvious and common questions, but items that have to be confirmed.

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

When the water is connected, usually there’s air in the line. So, lifting and lowering the dispenser lever on the refrigerator to get the air out is necessary.
Filter Problems

On some of the models, there are different filters. These filters can “expire”, clog or get frozen. All filters are dependent on your style and type of refrigerator. If the filter is clogged it might cause slow filling or no flowing. It is recommended that your filter is changed every 6 months. Changing filters in a refrigerator can be hard sometimes. If you have hiccups, go online and find the right process to replace a filter.

One idea is to fill the filter with water prior to installing it. A lot of time the water filters will take a long amount of time to fill up, which might cause you to think the water dispenser on the refrigerator is not working. You will want to read the directions if nothing is working. To ensure it is not air trapped 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 tank is frozen it will leak onto the fresh food bins. Minimal food in the fresh food bins will cause freezing to happen.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES