Why is My Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working?

defective refrigerator water dispenser

Is the water dispenser on your refrigerator not working? If so, you can try to repair the problem on your own or call Elite Bloomington Appliance Repair for refrigerator repair Bloomington, Minnesota.

There are a lot of reasons for the water dispenser in a kitchen refrigerator to stop working. Again, some of the suggestions might sound a bit crazy. However, something as simple as an on/off switch has been the reason in the past. Be sure to inspect the more obvious potential problems before 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 broken water dispenser is usually an installation error, a filter failure or frozen water tubes:

New Refrigerator Installation Problems

You just installed a brand new refrigerator with a water dispenser, but it’s not dispensing water. The water dispenser must be connected to the water line. That could be the reason for the problem.

If your new refrigerator is replacing a previous refrigerator that did not feature a water dispenser or ice maker, there is a chance that you do not have a functioning water line near this area. A water line is commonly run from under a home either in a crawl space or basement. You can purchase this line at nearly any hardware store and they’re very simple for even the typical homeowner to install. Typically they have come with a water shut-off valve, which is important so that if you need to move the refrigerator, you can shut off the water.

If you have an attached 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 common questions, but items that have to be accounted for.

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

Once the water line is connected, usually there is air in it. So, engaging and disengaging the water dispenser control on the refrigerator to get the air out is needed.
Filter Problems

On some of the refrigerators, there are various filters. These filters can “expire”, clog or freeze. All filters are dependent on your style and brand of refrigerator. If the filter is clogged it will cause slow filling or no flowing. It’s suggested that your filter is replaced every 6 months. Changing filters in a refrigerator can be hard sometimes. If you have problems, go online and find the right method to change a filter.

One suggestion is to fill the filter with water before installing it. A lot of time the water filters can take a long amount of time to fill, which might lead you to believe the water dispenser is not working. You should read the directions if nothing is working. To be sure it’s not air caught in the water lines, we recommend to depress the dispenser arm for about 5 minutes.

A frozen water tank might also be the source of the issue as well on some models. If the tank is frozen it will leak onto the fresh food bins. Low amounts of food inside of the fresh food bins can cause freezing.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES