Why is My Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working?

refrigerator water dispenser picture

Is the water dispenser on your refrigerator not working? If so, you can attempt to repair the issue by yourself or call J&L Thousand Oaks Appliance Repair for refrigerator repair Thousand Oaks, California.

There are a lot of reasons for the water dispenser in a kitchen refrigerator to not work anymore. Again, some of the suggestions are going to sound a bit crazy. However, something as simple as an off switch on the refrigerator has been the reason in the past. Be sure to inspect the obvious potential problems before moving forward with refrigerator repair. Let’s start to tackle this appliance repair problem and see what reasons we can reference for a broken water dispenser on a refrigerator.

The reason for a water dispenser not working is usually either an installation problem, a filter failure or frozen water tubes:

Refrigerator Installation Issues

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

If your new refrigerator is replacing a prior refrigerator that didn’t have a water dispenser or ice maker, there is a possibility that you don’t have a functioning water line running to this area. Most of the time a water line is commonly run from underneath a home either in a crawl space or basement. You can acquire this line at almost any home repair store and they are very simple for even the average homeowner to install. Typically they have come with a built-in water shut-off valve, which is necessary so that if you should need to move the refrigerator, you can shut off the water.

If there is a connected water line, is the valve on? The valve handle must be lined up with the hose. And, is there water running through the pipe you have installed to connect the water line? Simple and questions, but things that have to be accounted for.

If you had to remove the refrigerator doors during installation it is possible the water dispenser is not plugged in. Check the owner’s manual to find the wire harness for the particular refrigerator. Ensure that it’s plugged into the refrigerator.

Once the water is hooked up, most of the time there’s air in the line. So, lifting and lowering the dispenser lever to get the air out is needed.
Filter Problems

On some of the popular models, there are different filters. These filters might “expire”, become clogged or freeze. All of the filters are dependent on the model and type of refrigerator. If your filter is blocked it can cause slow filling or no flowing at all. It is suggested that your filter should be replaced every 6 months. Changing filters can be hard sometimes. If you run into issues, go online and learn the right method to change a filter.

One idea is to fill up the filter with water prior to installation. Typically the water filters need a long amount of time to fill, which might lead you to assume the water dispenser isn’t working. You will want to read the manual if nothing is working. To be certain it is not air trapped in the lines, we recommend to depress the dispenser arm for around 5 minutes.

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

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES