Why is My Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working?

Is the water dispenser on your refrigerator not dispensing water? If so, you can try to solve the issue on your own or call Finch Appliance Repair for professional refrigerator repair.

There are a lot of reasons for a water dispenser in a kitchen refrigerator to not work anymore. Again, some suggestions might sound a bit crazy. However, something as obvious as a power switch on the refrigerator has been the cause in some instances. Be sure to inspect the obvious potential issues prior to proceeding with refrigerator repair. Let’s start to cover this appliance repair issue and see what reasons we can reference for a broken water dispenser.

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

Refrigerator Installation Issues

You just bought a brand new refrigerator for your kitchen with a water dispenser, but it’s broken. The water dispenser must be connected to the home’s water line. That might be the cause of the issue.

If the new refrigerator is replacing an old refrigerator that didn’t have an ice maker or water dispenser, there is a possibility that you don’t have a functioning water line running to this area. Most of the time a water line is typically run from under the home either in a crawl space or basement. You can get this line at nearly any hardware store and they are pretty easy for the average homeowner to install. Typically they have come with a built-in water shut-off valve, which is necessary so that if you need to move the refrigerator, you can turn off the water.

If you have a connected water line, is the valve turned on? The valve handle needs to be in line with the hose. And, is there water going through the pipe you have used to connect the water line? Simple and basic questions, but things that need to be confirmed.

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

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

On some popular refrigerators, there are various filters. These filters might “expire”, become clogged or get frozen. All filters are dependent on the style and type of refrigerator. If your filter is clogged it can cause slow filling or no flowing. It is recommended that your filter be changed every 6 months. Changing filters can be hard sometimes. If you run into problems, go online and find the proper method to replace a filter.

One idea is to fill the water filter with water prior to installation. Typically the water filters can need a long time to fill, which might cause you to believe 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 is not air trapped in the lines, we recommend to depress the dispenser arm for around 5 minutes.

A frozen water tank could be the source of the issue as well on some refrigerators. If the water tank is frozen it will leak onto the food bins. Small amounts of 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?