HOME: What can I do to fix the dispenser in the front of my fridge?

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tooshel1458 Asked 12 years ago

HOME: What can I do to fix the dispenser in the front of my fridge?

My ice maker works (so the fridge is connected to water) but when I try to get water or ice from the door on the fridge nothing happens. Is there a fuse or something that could be blown? I know there is a switch that turns it off when the door is open but how do I take that apart? There are no visible screws or anything.

I don't want to call someone out as it'll probably cost over $200 just to get someone to come over and that's 20% of the cost of the fridge in the first place!

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I'm not sure if this may be the same problem that you are having, but my fridge had a problem with the water line freezing on it's path to the through-door water dispenser. It would work great for a day or two, then ice would block the water flow. I finally just gave up on the through-door thing (it is an old fridge anyway). Have you checked for ice dams? - Scott W 12 years ago

About the lines being frozen . . . that's a good answer and should be an answer so I can comment on the answer and not leave a comment here that could be out of order later. The fridge is newer but I do keep it cold in the fridge part where the "water coil" is so I could check that. But since even the ice dispenser doesn't work I'm thinking the water line is fine. - tooshel 12 years ago

In some models the line that feeds the ice maker and the line that feeds the cold water resevoir separate in the machine, so it wouldn't be at all surprizing that one would work and the other not. This happens to my fridge every winter. - cori 12 years ago

3 Answers Found

No motor is running when I push the buttons . . . it's as if it's disconnected. That's why I think it's the switch but then I wonder if the switch tells the AC part to turn off too. - tooshel 12 years ago

@tooshel - Is it the same switch that makes the lights turn on and off? If so, do those work? - Eric Petroelje 12 years ago

I'm going to check that out! Not by the fridge at the moment but I didn't notice if the light was going on and off. - tooshel 12 years ago

Jeff Atwood593 Answered 12 years ago

Have you checked the manual for your fridge?

At the very least it might have disassembly instructions, maybe fuse locations (if any), and possibly some troubleshooting for the front dispenser.

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Common Jeff, who keeps the manual? - tooshel 12 years ago

I've got all my appliance manuals, but I might be OCD. - Doresoom 12 years ago

@tooshel I actually keep manuals for major appliances.. they're quite useful! - Jeff Atwood 12 years ago

@tooshel - Most of the time you can find the manual online as well if you don't have it. - Eric Petroelje 12 years ago

Barbara2060 Answered 3 months ago

DIY water dispenser on refrigerator door

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score 80 · Accepted Answer

When you push the levers in to dispense water/ice, do you hear the motor running (but nothing comes out)? If so, then it's probably a supply problem (iced up line, etc). If not, then it's likely an electrical problem. Most likely a fuse or a bad relay.

To get into the unit, you would (usually) need to remove the whole plastic panel on the inside of the door. The screws are usually hidden underneath the seal that runs around the edge of the door. Your user manual might have some useful information as well.