Why is My Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working?

refrigerator water dispenser pic

Is the water dispenser on your refrigerator broken? If so, you can attempt to repair the issue by yourself or call Champion Chandler Appliance Repair for refrigerator repair Chandler, Arizona.

There are many reasons for a 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 off switch on the refrigerator has been the reason in the past. Be sure to inspect the obvious potential problems before proceeding with refrigerator repair. Let’s begin to cover this appliance repair issue and see all of the causes we can come up with for a broken water dispenser.

The cause of a water dispenser not working is usually an installation issue, a filter problem or frozen water lines:

New Refrigerator Installation Issues

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

If your brand new refrigerator is replacing a previous refrigerator that didn’t feature an ice maker or water dispenser, there is a chance that you don’t have a functioning water line near this area. Most of the time a water line is usually run from under the home either in a basement or crawl space. You can buy this line at nearly any home repair store and they are very simple for the typical homeowner to install. Typically they have include a built-in water shut-off valve, which is important so that if you should need to move the refrigerator, you can turn off the water.

If there’s a water line, is the valve on? The valve handle should be in line with the hose. And, is there water running through the pipe you have used to connect the water line? Obvious and basic questions, but things that need to be confirmed.

If you had to remove the refrigerator doors during installation it is 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.

Once the water line is hooked up, usually there’s air in the water line. So, engaging and disengaging the dispenser control on the refrigerator to get the air out of it is necessary.
Filter Issues

On some of the refrigerators, there are different filters. These filters can “expire”, become clogged or freeze. All of the filters are dependent on your model and brand of refrigerator. If your filter is clogged it will cause slow filling or no flowing at all. It’s suggested that your filter is replaced every 6 months. Replacing filters in a refrigerator can be difficult. If you run into hiccups, go online and find the right process to change a filter.

One suggestion is to fill up the filter with water before installing it. Typically the water filters can take a long time to fill, which could cause you to think the water dispenser on the refrigerator is not working right. You will want to 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 reason for the issue as well in some refrigerators. If the tank freezes it will leak onto the fresh food bins. Small amounts of food in the fresh food bins will cause freezing.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES