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 problem on your own or call Moore Appliance Repair for professional refrigerator repair California.

There are many reasons for the water dispenser in a refrigerator to not work anymore. Again, some suggestions could sound a bit crazy. However, something as obvious as an off switch on the refrigerator has been the culprit in the past. Be sure to check the more obvious potential problems prior to moving forward with refrigerator repair. Let’s start to tackle this appliance repair problem and see all of the solutions we can reference for a broken water dispenser.

The reason for a water dispenser not working is usually an installation issue, a filter problem or frozen water tubes:

New Refrigerator Installation Problems

You just purchased a new refrigerator for your kitchen with a water dispenser, but it’s broken. The water dispenser has to be hooked up to the home’s water line. That could be the issue.

If your brand new refrigerator is replacing an older refrigerator that did not include a water dispenser or ice maker, there’s a chance that you don’t have a water line near this area of the kitchen. A water line is usually run from under a home either in a crawl space or basement. You can purchase this line at almost any hardware store and they’re very easy for the average homeowner to install. Typically they have include a built-in water shut-off valve, which is important so that if you 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 needs to be lined up with the hose. And, is there water running through the pipe that you have used 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’s possible the water dispenser may not be plugged in. Review the owner’s manual to see the wire harness for the particular refrigerator. Be sure that it’s plugged into the refrigerator.

When the water line is hooked up, usually there is air in it. So, lifting and lowering the dispenser control on the refrigerator to get the air out of it is needed.
Filter Problems

On some household refrigerators, there are different filters. These filters can “expire”, become clogged or freeze. All filters are based on the model and brand of refrigerator. If your filter is blocked it might cause slow filling or no flowing period. It is suggested that your filter is replaced every 6 months. Replacing filters in a refrigerator can be hard sometimes. If you run into problems, go online or call us and find the right process to replace a filter.

One suggestion is to fill the water filter with water prior to installation. Typically the water filters take a long amount of time to fill up, which might cause you to assume that the water dispenser on the refrigerator isn’t working. You should read the manual if all else fails. To ensure it’s not air caught in the water lines, we recommend to depress the dispenser arm for about 5 minutes.

A frozen water tank could be the reason for the problem as well in some models. If the tank is frozen it will begin to leak onto the fresh food bins. Limited food in the fresh food bins can cause freezing to occur.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES