Why is My Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working?

Is the water dispenser on your refrigerator broken? If so, you can attempt to solve the issue on your own or call Valor Appliance Repair for professional refrigerator repair.

There are a lot of reasons for the water dispenser in a refrigerator to stop working. Again, some reasons might sound a little strange. However, something as simple as an off switch has been the reason before. Be sure to inspect the more obvious potential issues prior to proceeding with refrigerator repair. Let’s begin to cover this appliance repair problem and see all of the solutions we can come up with for a broken water dispenser.

The cause of a broken water dispenser is typically either an installation issue, a filter issue or frozen water lines:

New Refrigerator Installation Problems

You just installed a brand new refrigerator with a water dispenser, but it is broken. The water dispenser must be connected to the water line. That could be the cause of the problem.

If your brand new refrigerator is replacing a prior refrigerator that didn’t include a water dispenser or ice maker, there’s a chance that you don’t have a functioning water line near this area of the kitchen. Most of the time a water line is usually run from under a home either in a crawl space or basement. You can purchase this type of water line at just about any home repair store and they’re pretty easy 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 should need to move the refrigerator, you can shut off the water.

If you have a connected water line, is the valve 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? Obvious and questions, but things that need to be checked.

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

If the water line is connected, most of the time there is air in it. So, lifting and lowering the dispenser lever to get the air out of it is needed.
Filter Issues

On some of the household models, there are various filters. These filters could “expire”, clog or get frozen. All filters are dependent on your style and brand of refrigerator. If the filter is blocked it can cause slow filling or no flowing at all. It’s suggested that your filter be replaced every 6 months. Replacing filters can be hard sometimes. If you run into problems, go online and find the right process to change a filter.

One suggestion is to fill the water filter with water before installing it. Typically the water filters will take a long amount of time to fill, which could lead you to think that the water dispenser isn’t working. You should read the directions if nothing is working. To ensure it is not air trapped in the water lines, depress the dispenser arm for around 5 minutes.

A frozen water tank might be the source of the issue as well in some models. If the water tank is frozen it will begin to leak onto the fresh food bins. Limited food inside of the fresh food bins can cause freezing.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

• Refrigerator Not Cooling
• Refrigerator Noisy
• Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working
• How Does a Refrigerator Work?