Why is My Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working?

defective refrigerator water dispenser

Is the water dispenser on your refrigerator not working? If not, you can try to repair the problem by yourself or call Beaverton Appliance Repair for refrigerator repair Beaverton, Oregon.

There are many reasons for a water dispenser in a kitchen refrigerator to not work. Again, some suggestions could sound a little strange. However, something as simple as an on/off switch has been the reason in the past. Be sure to inspect the more obvious potential issues prior to moving forward with complicated refrigerator repair. Let’s start to cover this appliance repair problem and see all of the reasons we can cite for a broken water dispenser on a refrigerator.

The reason for a broken water dispenser is typically an installation issue, a filter issue or frozen water lines:

Refrigerator Installation Issues

You just bought a new refrigerator with a water dispenser, but it’s not working. The water dispenser must be hooked up to the water line. That could be the issue.

If your new refrigerator is replacing a previous refrigerator that did not feature a water dispenser or ice maker, there’s a possibility that you don’t have a functioning water line near this area. Most of the time a water line is typically run from under the home either in a basement or crawl space. You can buy this line at almost any home repair store and they’re very simple for even the typical homeowner to install. Typically they have a a built-in water shut-off valve, which is necessary so that if you ever 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 must be in line with the hose. And, is water running through the pipe that you have installed to connect the water line? Simple and common questions, but items that need to be accounted for.

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

When the water line is connected, usually there is air in it. So, engaging and disengaging the dispenser lever 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 filters are dependent on your style and brand of refrigerator. If the filter is blocked it will cause slow filling or no flowing at all. It’s recommended that your filter should be changed every 6 months. Changing filters in a refrigerator can be difficult. If you have issues, go online or call us and find the right process to replace a filter.

One recommendation is to fill the water filter with water prior to installing it. A lot of time the water filters will take a long amount of time to fill up, which could cause you to assume the water dispenser on the refrigerator isn’t working right. You will want to read the manual if nothing is working. To ensure it’s not air trapped in the water lines, we recommend to depress the dispenser arm for about 5 minutes.

A frozen water tank might also be the source of the issue as well in some refrigerators. If the water tank freezes it will leak onto the fresh food bins. Limited food inside of the fresh food bins could cause freezing to occur.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES