Stop 5 of 14 Into the ice maker
The Fill Tube and Why It Freezes Shut
| Blamed | Found |
|---|---|
| The freezer, for running too cold | Pressure swings in the house supply, which Sub-Zero lists first among the causes of a frozen fill tube. |
| The ice maker module, because it stopped | A module waiting on water that cannot get past an iced-over tube; thawed, it often picks up again. |
| A fault in the unit, just after the bin was cleaned | The bin taken out, or the water shut off, while the ice maker was still switched on. |
When the complaint is a lump of ice behind the ice maker and no new cubes, what we usually find is a fill tube frozen shut, most often after the water pressure dipped or the bin came out with the ice maker on. Less often a valve seeping between fills keeps rebuilding the plug. Sub-Zero Repair Bothell works out which one it is, (206) 202-2799.
- Fill tube and fill cup, in one line
- The short passage above the ice maker, through the back or side wall of the freezer, that carries each fill into the mold. Sub-Zero Repair Bothell clears it and finds why it froze.
- Filed
- Written by
- Marta Fennimore
- Works on
- ice systems and water supply
- Years at it
- 12
- Holds
- EPA 608 certified
Where it sits and what it carries
The fill tube comes through the back or side wall of the freezer, just above the ice maker. Water passes through it only when the freezer is cold and the ice maker asks for a fill. A fill that falters, or water still seeping in after the fill should have ended, leaves ice where the next fill must pass.
Why thawing it is not always the end
The manual defrost clears the ice, not whatever put it there. A tube iced over again within days means the water is still at fault, and we test the inlet valve’s close and the flow reaching it before anything is changed.
Check it yourself, or call
| Check | Who | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Ice maker off before the bin comes out or the water goes off | You | Sub-Zero lists both, done with the ice maker left on, among the causes of a frozen tube. |
| Manual defrost: freezer off for four to six hours | You | Sub-Zero's way to thaw the tube. Towels down for the melt, then allow a full day before judging the ice. |
| Valve close and supply flow, when the tube refreezes | Technician | A tube that ices again soon after thawing points upstream, to the valve or the pressure feeding it. |
| Anything behind a panel, and any wiring | Technician | Stop there and call Sub-Zero Repair Bothell on (206) 202-2799. |
What it costs
- Ice maker, water valve or supply line $290–$820
Parts and labour, as a range: the part your model takes and the work to reach it settle where inside it the job falls, and you get that one figure before anything is done. $89 gets a technician to the unit and pays for finding the fault; agree to the repair and that $89 is taken back off its price.
Questions about the fill tube and fill cup
- How do I thaw a frozen fill tube on a Sub-Zero?
- Sub-Zero's answer is a manual defrost: switch the freezer off for four to six hours, with towels down for the melt, then switch it back on and give the ice maker a day. If the tube freezes again, the cause is still there, and Sub-Zero Repair Bothell at (206) 202-2799 is the next step.
- Why does the fill tube keep freezing?
- Usually because its cause was never removed. Sub-Zero lists pressure swings in the house supply, the bin removed or the water turned off with the ice maker still on, and jammed cubes. A valve that seeps between fills does the same, and it is the one we test when a thawed tube ices up again within days.
Where this repair is filed
- Repair Sub-Zero Ice Maker Repair in Bothell
- What it costs The $89 no-ice visit
