Ice maker repair for Sub-Zero built-ins and undercounter ice machines

What we check on a visit

1. The supply. Shutoff, line and flow: a kink where the unit was pushed back, a valve that never fully reopened, or pressure too weak to fill the mold in the time the module allows.
2. The filter. An overdue cartridge slows the flow until the mold only part-fills, and part-filled molds give small, thin or hollow cubes.
3. The water valve. Whether its coil gets power when the module calls for water, and whether the screen at its inlet is packed with grit.
4. The fill tube. A tube frozen shut stops every fill. We find out why it froze rather than just thaw it, or it freezes again.
5. The module and bin sensing. Ejector motor, the mold thermostat or sensor, and the arm or sensor that decides the bin is full.
6. The freezer itself. An ice maker in a freezer that has drifted well above its usual 0°F works slowly or not at all, so we check the temperature before we blame the module.

Undercounter ice machines

A 15-inch undercounter ice machine is not a freezer ice maker in a smaller box. Water runs over a chilled plate and freezes in layers, which is what makes its ice clear; the water that does not freeze carries the leftover minerals away. That design has its own faults:

• Drainage. Every one of these machines has to get rid of water. A blocked drain line, or a drain pump that has quit on models that use one, leaves water standing where it should not be.
• Scale. Minerals left on the freezing plate slow the harvest and thin the ice. The cleaning cycle in your use and care guide is part of owning one, and with Highlands Ranch water it is worth keeping to it.
• Harvest. Ice that sticks to the plate or breaks off in pieces points to the harvest cycle and the parts that control it.

What it costs

The visit is $89 and covers the diagnosis; it comes off the bill when you approve the repair. Work on the ice maker, its water valve or its supply line typically runs $290–$840, depending on the part and how much of the unit has to come apart to reach it. You get the exact figure before we start. If the trouble turns out to be the refrigeration itself, those ranges are on our refrigerator and freezer repair page.

Ice that has turned cloudy without slowing down is usually the water, not a part. Our page on Highlands Ranch water and your ice explains why.

Before the visit

Is there anything to look up before I phone?

If you can, find the tag with the model and serial numbers: on most built-ins it is inside the refrigerator section near the top, or behind the top grille. Then note when the ice stopped and whether the water dispenser still runs at full speed. That narrows the likely parts before we arrive.

Should I empty the bin before the visit?

Bag the ice and keep it in the freezer or a cooler so the bin and the area behind it are clear. Leave the water turned on unless something is leaking: we need to watch a fill cycle to see whether water actually reaches the mold.