Why is My Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working?

broken refrigerator water dispenser

Is the water dispenser on your refrigerator not dispensing water? If not, you can try to repair the problem by yourself or call Lawson’s Appliance Repair for professional refrigerator repair Michigan.

There are a lot of reasons for the water dispenser in a kitchen refrigerator to stop working. Again, some of the reasons are going to sound a bit crazy. However, something as obvious as an off switch has been the culprit in the past. Be sure to check the more obvious potential issues prior to proceeding with refrigerator repair. Let’s start to cover this appliance repair problem and see all of the solutions we can reference for a broken water dispenser.

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

Refrigerator Installation Issues

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

If the new refrigerator is replacing a prior refrigerator that didn’t include an ice maker or water dispenser, there’s a possibility that you do not have a functioning water line running to this area. Most of the time a water line is usually run from under a house either in a crawl space or basement. You can get this type of water line at almost any home repair store and they are very simple for the average homeowner to install. Usually they have include a built-in water shut-off valve, which is necessary so that if you ever need to relocate the refrigerator, you can turn off the water.

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

If you had to remove the refrigerator doors during installation it is possible the water dispenser may not be plugged in. Check the manual to find the wire harness for that particular model of refrigerator. Be sure that it is plugged into the refrigerator.

When the water line is hooked up, most of the time there is air in it. So, lifting and lowering the water dispenser control to get the air out of it is necessary.
Filter Issues

On some refrigerators, there are different filters. These filters can “expire”, become clogged or become frozen. All filters are dependent on the model and type of refrigerator. If the filter is clogged it might cause slow filling or no flowing at all. It is suggested that your filter should be changed every 6 months. Changing filters in a refrigerator can be hard sometimes. If you run into hiccups, go online and find the right method to replace a filter.

One recommendation is to fill up the filter with water before installation. A lot of time the water filters can take a long time to fill, which could lead you to believe the water dispenser on the refrigerator is not working right. You should read the directions if all else fails. To be certain it’s not air caught in the lines, we recommend to depress the dispenser lever for around 5 minutes.

A frozen water tank might be the source of the problem as well in some models. If the tank freezes it will begin to leak onto the fresh food bins. Small amounts of food in the fresh food bins will cause freezing to occur.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES