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 Elroy Appliance Repair for professional refrigerator repair Tennessee.

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 bit crazy. However, something as simple as an on/off switch has been the cause in the past. Be sure to inspect the more obvious potential problems prior to proceeding with complicated refrigerator repair. Let’s begin to cover this appliance repair issue and see what solutions we can reference for a broken water dispenser.

The cause of a water dispenser not working is typically either an installation problem, a filter failure or frozen water lines:

New Refrigerator Installation Problems

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

If your new refrigerator is replacing an older refrigerator that did not have an ice maker or water dispenser, there is a possibility that you do not have a functioning water line running to this area of the kitchen. A water line is typically run from underneath the home either in a basement or crawl space. You can buy this line at almost any home repair store and they are pretty simple for even the typical homeowner to install. Typically they have include a built-in water shut-off valve, which is necessary so that if you need to relocate the refrigerator, you can shut off the water.

If there is a connected water line, is the valve on? The valve handle needs to be lined up with the hose. And, is there water running through the pipe that you have installed to connect the water line? Obvious and questions, but items that have to be confirmed.

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

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

On some of the household refrigerators, there are different filters. These filters might “expire”, become clogged or get frozen. All filters are based on your style and brand of refrigerator. If the filter is blocked it might cause slow filling or no flowing at all. It’s recommended that your filter should be changed every 6 months. Replacing filters can be hard sometimes. If you have hiccups, go online or call us and learn the proper process to change a filter.

One idea is to fill the water filter with water before installation. Typically the water filters will need a long time to fill up, which could cause you to believe that the water dispenser isn’t working right. You will want to read the directions if nothing is working. To be sure it is not air caught in the water lines, depress the dispenser arm for around 5 minutes.

A frozen water tank could be the reason for the problem as well on some models. If the water tank is frozen it will leak onto the fresh food bins. Limited food in 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?