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I have a Whirlpool Gold refrigerator about eight years old. The water dispenser runs water in a glass for a few seconds normally but then runs slow. Note that it doesn't slow down. It's an immediate switch to slow dispensing after about 2oz of water is dispensed.

I think (I think) this started after replacing the filter a couple of months back. I believe I was to fill the filter with water and let it sit for a while (or somesuch) but forgot to do that and just installed it. I'm wondering if that may have caused an issue in the filter to make it clog after a few seconds.

I would replace the filter to find out but I don't have one.

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    Look up your filter on the internet and read the instructions. If you botched something up then try a new filter. If you didn't botch anything up then try a new filter anyways. It's probably the cheapest and easiest thing to test in your situation so it's a good starting point.
    – MonkeyZeus
    Dec 15, 2020 at 18:32
  • Go get a replacement filter locally if at all possible. If you can't get out to pick one up locally, order online. It'll probably be cheaper anyway.
    – FreeMan
    Dec 15, 2020 at 19:30
  • did you turn off the water supply to change the filter?
    – dandavis
    Dec 15, 2020 at 23:22
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    @dandavis One does not need to turn the water off to change the filter on this model.
    – Rob
    Dec 15, 2020 at 23:51
  • What type of filter did you buy? Filters that filter "better" are also more restrictive. Some filters rely on restriction to provide adequate contact time of the water on the filter media (e.g. charcoal) to be able to remove the listed contaminants. @Ed Beal is likely correct in that your system pressures up to static pressure while idle, then the flow seems to reduce as the flow passes across the filter. Those units are designed to function without the filter via a bypass, I believe. Pull the filter and check flow, this will prove out the filter as the culprit.
    – Jimmy Fix-it
    Dec 16, 2020 at 3:02

2 Answers 2

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I have found when you have a “burst of water” followed by a low flow, the inlet valve in the filter housing is not fully opened. The large filter area pressurizes over time maybe only a few seconds then when you open the valve you get a burst followed by a trickle. A possible other cause would be media that is two fine and limiting the flow. Pre soak usually eliminates channeling but I would look at the filter seating / length as a possible cause.

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  • It isn't a burst of water. It's a normal flow followed by the slowness. Even then, it's not a trickle. It's just half the normal flow. Your answer suggests that my forgetting to pre-soak can cause "channeling"; something I never heard of before. When I rock the filter back and forth, I also hear a slight clunk as if something is sliding back and forth. I don't know if I've heard that before. I'm thinking I should just chalk it up as a bad filter.
    – Rob
    Dec 15, 2020 at 23:50
  • That is a flow down to low flow it maw well be the problem but my explanation is not in your terms. The other place I have found this issue is on saddle valves the attachment to the pipe that bolts on and punctures the pipe, saddle valves are the plumbers version of back stabs they work but routinely fail from leaking to getting plugged because of the small orifice. If you turn the water off then disconnect and verify there is a high flow available this would narrow it down to the filter OR the valve that stops the flow of water when the filter is removed (this is fairly common).
    – Ed Beal
    Dec 16, 2020 at 14:07
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My ice maker started acting up. It presented the same issue. I could hear the water start filling just fine but then it, too, would slow to a trickle. I finally called a service man out to look at the problem. Turns out the water valve on the pipe feeding the refrigerator was clogged. Clearing that solved the original issue that brought up this question plus the ice maker problem.

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