Stop 12 of 14 The undercounter ice machine
The Evaporator in an Undercounter Ice Machine
| Blamed | Found |
|---|---|
| The refrigeration, because the bin stays empty | A condenser caked with dust, so the machine cannot get rid of heat quickly enough to freeze a batch. |
| A dead machine, within hours of switching it on | A machine judged too early; Sub-Zero asks for a full day of running before a no-ice fault counts. |
When the complaint is an undercounter ice machine that has stopped filling its bin, what we usually find is trouble around the evaporator rather than in it: a condenser matted with dust, a delay switched on and forgotten, a spray area that has not seen sanitiser for months. Less often the refrigeration or the control has failed. Sub-Zero Repair Bothell tells you which, (206) 202-2799.
- Ice machine evaporator, in one line
- The chilled surface inside an undercounter ice machine where each batch of water freezes before it is released to the bin. Sub-Zero Repair Bothell condemns it only after the condenser, the water and the controls check out.
- Filed
- Written by
- Marta Fennimore
- Works on
- ice systems and water supply
- Years at it
- 12
- Holds
- EPA 608 certified
Where each batch forms
Behind the curtain of an undercounter ice machine, water from the spray freezes on the evaporator, a surface the machine’s refrigeration keeps cold; the finished batch drops into the bin and the cycle starts again. So the evaporator is judged by two questions: is it cold, and is water reaching it?
Why a sound evaporator stops making ice
The heat taken out of each batch leaves through the condenser, and a coil choked with dust slows freezing to a crawl. Weak supply pressure starves the spray. And Sub-Zero puts regular cleaning on its no-ice list for the UC-15I, because a neglected spray area feeds the cold surface badly.
When the evaporator side has really failed
A full day on, a clean condenser, a steady supply, and still no cold: then the fault is in the refrigeration or the control that runs it. That is a technician’s work, never an owner’s, quoted once the $89 diagnosis has named it.
Check it yourself, or call
| Check | Who | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Machine switched on for a full 24 hours | You | The first batch alone takes about half an hour; Sub-Zero wants a day before anyone calls it a fault. |
| Delay not set, no Replace Filter light, mains power rather than a generator | You | All three are on Sub-Zero's own list for this machine. |
| When the condenser was last cleaned | You | Sub-Zero asks for a clean within the past six to twelve months. If nobody remembers, the visit starts there. |
| Refrigeration and control tested while the machine runs | Technician | Shows whether the evaporator is getting cold at all; it needs panels off and meters on. |
| Anything behind a panel, and any wiring | Technician | Stop there and call Sub-Zero Repair Bothell on (206) 202-2799. |
What it costs
Service call, including the diagnosis $89
$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 ice machine evaporator
- How long should a new Sub-Zero undercounter ice machine take to make ice?
- The UC-15I installation guide puts the first batch at about half an hour to freeze and up to five minutes to release, yet Sub-Zero's troubleshooting still asks for a full day on before a no-ice fault is judged. If a day passes with the bin empty, call Sub-Zero Repair Bothell on (206) 202-2799.
- Why does the bin never pile up the way a freezer bin does?
- The bin on an undercounter machine is not refrigerated. The machine goes on making ice and lets whatever sits unused melt and run away to the drain, so a warm room or direct sun keeps the stock low. A bin that never builds up at all, in a cool room, is worth a diagnosis.
Where this repair is filed
- Repair Sub-Zero Ice Maker Repair in Bothell
- What it costs Undercounter ice machine repair
