Why is My Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working?

refrigerator water dispenser picture

Is the water dispenser on your refrigerator broken? If not, you can try to solve the problem on your own or call Ready Appliance Repair for refrigerator repair Annandale, Virginia.

There are several reasons for the water dispenser in a refrigerator to stop working. Again, some reasons might sound a bit crazy. However, something as obvious as a power switch has been the culprit before. Be sure to review the obvious potential problems before moving forward with refrigerator repair. Let’s begin to tackle this appliance repair issue and see all of the causes we can come up with for a broken water dispenser on a refrigerator.

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

Refrigerator Installation Issues

You just bought a brand new refrigerator for your kitchen with a water dispenser, but it is broken. The water dispenser must be connected to the water line. That might be the reason for the issue.

If the new refrigerator is replacing an older refrigerator that did not feature an ice maker or water dispenser, there’s a possibility that you don’t have a functioning water line running to this area of the kitchen. Most of the time a water line is usually run from underneath a home either in a basement or crawl space. You can purchase this line at just about any home repair store and they’re pretty simple for the average homeowner to install. Typically they have come with a built-in water shut-off valve, which is important so that if you should need to move the refrigerator, you can shut off the water.

If there is an attached water line, is the valve turned on? The valve handle must be lined up with the hose. And, is water running through the pipe you have installed to connect the water line? Obvious and basic questions, but things that need to be checked.

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

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

On some of the household refrigerators, there are various filters. These filters could “expire”, clog or freeze. All filters are based on your style and brand of refrigerator. If your filter is clogged it can cause slow filling or no flowing at all. It’s recommended that your filter be changed every 6 months. Replacing filters in a refrigerator can be difficult. If you have issues, go online or call us and find the right method to replace a filter.

One idea is to fill up the water filter with water prior to installing it. Typically the water filters will take a long amount of time to fill, which could lead you to think the water dispenser on the refrigerator isn’t working right. You should read the directions if all else fails. To ensure it’s not air caught in the water lines, we recommend to depress the dispenser lever for around 5 minutes.

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

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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