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 solve the issue by yourself or call J&J Jackson Appliance Repair for refrigerator repair Jackson, Mississippi.

There are many reasons for the water dispenser in a kitchen refrigerator to not work. Again, some suggestions are going to sound a little strange. However, something as obvious as a power switch on the refrigerator has been the reason before. Be sure to review the obvious potential problems prior to moving forward with complicated refrigerator repair. Let’s begin to cover this appliance repair problem and see what solutions we can cite for a broken water dispenser.

The reason for a broken water dispenser is commonly either an installation error, a filter failure or frozen water lines:

Refrigerator Installation Issues

You just purchased a new refrigerator with a water dispenser, but it’s not working. The water dispenser has to be hooked up to the water line. That could be the issue.

If your brand new refrigerator is replacing a previous refrigerator that did not have an ice maker or water dispenser, there’s a possibility that you do not have a functioning water line running to this area of the kitchen. Most of the time a water line is usually run from under the home either in a basement or crawl space. You can purchase this type of water line at almost any home repair store and they are pretty simple for the average homeowner to install. Typically they have a a 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 should be in line with the hose. And, is there water going through the pipe you have used to connect the water line? Obvious and common questions, but items that need to be checked.

If you removed the refrigerator doors during installation the water dispenser may not be plugged in. Review the owner’s manual to see the wire harness for that particular refrigerator. Check that it’s plugged into the refrigerator.

Once the water line is connected, usually there’s air in it. So, lifting and lowering the dispenser control to get the air out is needed.
Filter Issues

On some of the popular refrigerators, there are various filters. These filters might “expire”, become clogged or freeze. All of the filters are based on your model and type of refrigerator. If the filter is clogged it will cause slow filling or no flowing period. It is recommended that your filter should be changed every 6 months. Replacing filters can be hard sometimes. If you run into problems, go online and find the right method to change a filter.

One suggestion is to fill the water filter with water before installation. Typically the water filters can take a long time to fill, which might cause you to assume that the water dispenser on the refrigerator is not working right. You should read the directions if nothing is working. To be sure it is not air caught in the lines, depress the dispenser lever for around 5 minutes.

A frozen water tank might also be the reason for the problem as well in some models. If the tank freezes it will leak onto the food bins. Minimal food inside of the fresh food bins will cause freezing to happen.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES