Why is My Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working?

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

There are several reasons for a water dispenser in a kitchen refrigerator to not work. Again, some of the reasons could sound a little strange. However, something as simple as a power switch on the refrigerator has been the reason in the past. Be sure to check the obvious potential problems prior to proceeding with complicated refrigerator repair. Let’s begin 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 dispensing is typically an installation issue, a filter issue or frozen water tubes:

Refrigerator Installation Issues

You just purchased a new refrigerator for your kitchen with a water dispenser, but it is not working. The water dispenser must be hooked up to the water line. That might be the issue.

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

If there is a connected water line, is the valve turned on? The valve handle needs to be in line with the hose. And, is water going through the pipe you have used to connect the water line? Simple and common questions, but items that need to be confirmed.

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

If the water is hooked up, most of the time there’s air in it. So, lifting and lowering the dispenser control on the refrigerator to get the air out of it is needed.
Filter Issues

On some popular models, there are various filters. These filters can “expire”, clog or become frozen. All of the filters are based on your model and type of refrigerator. If the filter is blocked it can cause slow filling or no flowing. It’s suggested that your filter is changed every 6 months. Changing filters can be difficult. If you run into issues, go online and learn the proper method to replace a filter.

One recommendation is to fill up the filter with water before installing it. Typically the water filters take a long amount of time to fill, which might lead you to assume the water dispenser isn’t working right. You should read the manual if all else fails. To ensure it is not air caught in the water 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 water tank freezes it will begin to leak onto the food bins. Low amounts of food inside of the fresh food bins can cause freezing to happen.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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