Why is My Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working?

Is the water dispenser on your refrigerator broken? If so, you can try to repair the problem by yourself or call Lee Appliance Repair for professional refrigerator repair Sioux City, Iowa.

There are a lot of reasons for the water dispenser in a kitchen refrigerator to stop working. Again, some of the suggestions could 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 review the more obvious potential issues before moving forward with refrigerator repair. Let’s begin to cover this appliance repair problem and see what reasons we can come up with for a broken water dispenser.

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

Refrigerator Installation Problems

You just installed a brand new refrigerator 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 reason for the issue.

If the brand new refrigerator is replacing an old refrigerator that did not have an ice maker or water dispenser, there is a chance that you don’t have a water line running to this area of the kitchen. A water line is usually run from underneath the home either in a basement or crawl space. You can get this type of water line at almost any home repair store and they are very easy for the typical homeowner to install. Usually they have include a built-in water shut-off valve, which is necessary so that if you should need to move the refrigerator, you can turn off the water.

If there’s an attached water line, is the valve turned on? The valve handle should be lined up with the hose. And, is there water going through the pipe that you have installed to connect the water line? Obvious and common questions, but items that have to be checked.

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

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

On some refrigerators, there are different filters. These filters might “expire”, become clogged or freeze. All filters are dependent on the model and brand of refrigerator. If the filter is blocked it can cause slow filling or no flowing at all. It’s suggested that your filter be replaced every 6 months. Changing filters in a refrigerator can be hard sometimes. If you have issues, go online and learn the proper process to replace a filter.

One recommendation 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 believe the water dispenser isn’t working. You should read the directions if nothing is working. To ensure it’s not air trapped in the lines, depress the dispenser lever for around 5 minutes.

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

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

• Refrigerator Not Cooling
• Refrigerator Noisy
• Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working
• How Does a Refrigerator Work?