Why is My Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working?

Is the water dispenser on your refrigerator broken? If not, you can attempt to repair the problem by yourself or call DC Appliance Repair ASAP for refrigerator repair Washington DC.

There are a lot of reasons for a water dispenser in a refrigerator to not work anymore. Again, some of the reasons might sound a bit crazy. However, something as simple as an off switch on the refrigerator has been the culprit in some instances. Be sure to check the 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 solutions we can come up with for a broken water dispenser on a refrigerator.

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

New Refrigerator Installation Issues

You just installed a new refrigerator with a water dispenser, but it is broken. The water dispenser must be hooked up to the home’s water line. That could be the cause of the problem.

If the brand new refrigerator is replacing an older refrigerator that did not feature an ice maker or water dispenser, there is a chance that you do not have a water line running to this area. A water line is commonly run from underneath a house either in a crawl space or basement. You can buy this type of water line at almost any hardware store and they are very easy for the average homeowner to install. Typically they have include a 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 a connected water line, is the valve on? The valve handle must be lined up with the hose. And, is water running through the pipe that you have installed to connect the water line? Simple and questions, but items that have to be accounted for.

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 the particular model of refrigerator. Check that it is plugged into the refrigerator.

When the water line is connected, usually there is air in it. So, lifting and lowering the dispenser lever to get the air out is needed.
Filter Problems

On some popular refrigerators, there are various filters. These filters can “expire”, become clogged or become frozen. All of the filters are based on the style and type of refrigerator. If the filter is clogged it can cause slow filling or no flowing at all. It is suggested that your filter be changed every 6 months. Changing filters in a refrigerator can be challenging. If you run into issues, go online and learn the right process to change a filter.

One idea is to fill up the water filter with water prior to installation. Typically the water filters will need a long time to fill, which might cause you to assume that the water dispenser isn’t working right. You will want to read the manual if nothing is working. To be certain it’s not air trapped in the lines, we recommend to depress the dispenser arm for about 5 minutes.

A frozen water tank could be the cause of the issue as well on some models. If the water tank is frozen it will start to leak onto the food bins. Limited food inside of the fresh food bins can cause freezing to occur.