Why is My Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working?

refrigerator water dispenser image

Is the water dispenser on your refrigerator not working? If so, you can attempt to repair the issue by yourself or call Sterling Appliance Repair for professional refrigerator repair.

There are a lot of reasons for the water dispenser in a refrigerator to not work. Again, some of the reasons are going to sound a bit crazy. However, something as simple as a power switch has been the culprit in some instances. Be sure to inspect the more obvious potential problems before proceeding with refrigerator repair. Let’s begin to tackle this appliance repair problem and see all of the causes we can come up with for a broken water dispenser on a refrigerator.

The cause of a broken water dispenser is typically an installation issue, a filter failure or frozen water lines:

New Refrigerator Installation Issues

You just purchased 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 reason for the issue.

If the brand new refrigerator is replacing a prior refrigerator that did not feature an ice maker or water dispenser, there’s a possibility that you don’t have a water line near this area of the kitchen. 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 just about any home repair store and they are pretty 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 need to move the refrigerator, you can turn off the water.

If there is a connected water line, is the valve on? The valve handle needs to be in line 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 things that need to be checked.

If you removed the doors during installation the water dispenser is not plugged in. Read the manual to find the wire harness for that particular refrigerator. Ensure that it’s plugged into the refrigerator.

If the water line is connected, most of the time there’s air in it. So, lifting and lowering the dispenser control on the refrigerator to get the air out is needed.
Filter Problems

On some of the popular refrigerators, there are different filters. These filters can “expire”, clog or become frozen. All of the filters are based on the model and type of refrigerator. If your filter is clogged it might cause slow filling or no flowing. It is recommended that your filter should be changed every 6 months. Changing filters in a refrigerator can be difficult. If you have issues, go online and learn the proper method to replace a filter.

One recommendation is to fill up the water filter with water prior to installing it. A lot of time the water filters will take a long amount of time to fill up, which could lead you to believe that the water dispenser is not working. You will want to read the owner’s manual if all else fails. To be sure it is not air trapped in the water lines, we recommend to depress the dispenser lever for about 5 minutes.

A frozen water tank might also be the source of the issue as well on some refrigerators. If the water tank freezes it will leak onto the fresh food bins. Limited food in the fresh food bins can cause freezing.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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