Why is My Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working?

broken refrigerator water dispenser

Is the water dispenser on your refrigerator not dispensing water? If so, you can attempt to repair the issue on your own or call Prime Nampa Appliance Repair for refrigerator repair Nampa, Idaho.

There are several reasons for a water dispenser in a refrigerator to not work anymore. Again, some suggestions could sound a little strange. However, something as simple as an off switch on the refrigerator has been the reason in some instances. Be sure to check the more obvious potential problems before moving forward with 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 on a refrigerator.

The cause of a water dispenser not dispensing is usually either an installation issue, 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 broken. The water dispenser has to be connected to the water line. That might be the problem.

If the new refrigerator is replacing a previous refrigerator that did not have a water dispenser or ice maker, there is a possibility that you don’t have a water line running to this area. Most of the time a water line is commonly run from under the home either in a crawl space or basement. You can acquire this type of water line at nearly any hardware store and they’re very easy for even the average homeowner to install. Usually they have a a built-in water shut-off valve, which is necessary so that if you ever need to move the refrigerator, you can turn off the water.

If there is an attached water line, is the valve on? The valve handle should be in line with the hose. And, is there water going through the pipe that you have installed to connect the water line? Obvious and questions, but items that need to be checked.

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

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

On some refrigerators, there are various filters. These filters could “expire”, become clogged or freeze. All of the filters are based on your model and type of refrigerator. If the filter is clogged it will cause slow filling or no flowing at all. It is recommended that your filter be changed every 6 months. Replacing filters can be difficult. If you have hiccups, go online and find the proper process to replace a filter.

One idea is to fill the filter with water prior to installing it. Typically the water filters will need a long amount of time to fill, which might cause you to assume that the water dispenser on the refrigerator is not working right. You will want to read the directions if nothing is working. To be sure it’s not air trapped in the water lines, we recommend to depress the dispenser arm for around 5 minutes.

A frozen water tank could be the source of the problem as well on some refrigerators. If the tank is frozen it will start to leak onto the food bins. Small amounts of food inside of the fresh food bins can cause freezing to happen.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES