Why is My Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working?

broken refrigerator water dispenser

Is the water dispenser on your refrigerator not working? If not, you can attempt to solve the problem by yourself or call Quality Appliance Repair for refrigerator repair Quincy, Massachusetts.

There are a lot of reasons for the water dispenser in a refrigerator to stop working. Again, some of the reasons are going to sound a little strange. However, something as obvious as a power switch on the refrigerator has been the reason in the past. Be sure to review the more obvious potential problems before moving forward with complicated refrigerator repair. Let’s start to cover this appliance repair issue and see all of the causes we can reference for a broken water dispenser.

The reason for a water dispenser not working is usually either an installation error, a filter issue or frozen water lines:

New Refrigerator Installation Problems

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

If the brand new refrigerator is replacing a prior refrigerator that did not include an ice maker or water dispenser, there is a chance that you don’t have a water line running to this area of the kitchen. A water line is usually run from underneath the home either in a basement or crawl space. You can purchase this line at nearly any hardware store and they’re pretty easy for even the typical homeowner to install. Usually they have a a water shut-off valve, which is necessary so that if you should need to relocate the refrigerator, you can shut off the water.

If there is an attached water line, is the valve turned on? The valve handle should be lined up with the hose. And, is there water going through the pipe that you have used to connect the water line? Obvious and basic questions, but items that need to be accounted for.

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

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

On some of the household refrigerators, there are different filters. These filters might “expire”, become clogged or become frozen. All of the filters are based on your model and type of refrigerator. If the filter is blocked it will cause slow filling or no flowing period. It’s 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 change a filter.

One recommendation is to fill up the water filter with water before installation. Typically the water filters can take a long amount of time to fill, which might lead you to think the water dispenser is not working. You should read the directions if nothing is working. To ensure it is not air trapped in the lines, we recommend to depress the dispenser lever for about 5 minutes.

A frozen water tank might be the cause of the problem as well on some refrigerators. If the tank freezes it will leak onto the fresh food bins. Minimal food in the fresh food bins can cause freezing to occur.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES