Stop 8 of 14 Into the ice maker
The Ice-Level Arm
| Blamed | Found |
|---|---|
| The ice maker, because the container stops half full | The arm held up by a cube or a ridge of frost, so the ice maker reads a full container. |
| The control, because nothing drops at all | The arm left raised after the container was taken out and put back. |
| A new ice maker, because ice keeps overfilling | An arm or linkage bent, so production never switches off. |
When the complaint is a container that stops filling halfway, or never starts, what we usually find is an ice-level arm sitting up when it should be down: propped on a stray cube, locked in frost, or held raised by a harvest still in progress. Less often the arm has cracked or its linkage has bent. Sub-Zero Repair Bothell checks the arm before condemning the ice maker, (206) 202-2799.
- Ice-level arm, in one line
- The arm resting on top of the ice that tells the ice maker when the container is full and switches production off until the level drops. Sub-Zero Repair Bothell treats a stuck arm as a check first, a part second.
- Filed
- Written by
- Marta Fennimore
- Works on
- ice systems and water supply
- Years at it
- 12
- Holds
- EPA 608 certified
What the arm is telling the ice maker
The arm lies on top of the ice. As the container fills, the rising ice lifts it, and at the top of its travel it stops the ice maker; as ice is taken out it falls back and production resumes. Sub-Zero’s 500 Series guide describes it this way, and “arm down” sits among the first checks on its no-ice pages.
Why it stays up, and when it is a part
A harvest in progress holds the arm until the cycle ends. Frost or a stray cube can wedge it; Sub-Zero’s answer to ice is a full defrost, not prying. Something inside the mechanism may have broken, or the arm cracked. Once testing shows the arm is at fault, the work sits in the ice maker band below.
Check it yourself, or call
| Check | Who | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Arm in the down position | You | It should flip up and down easily. Press gently; Sub-Zero warns that forcing it can break it. |
| Breaker off for thirty seconds, then on | You | The reset Sub-Zero suggests for an arm that will not lower. |
| Arm, linkage and shut-off tested through a cycle | Technician | A replacement arm is ordered against the serial number. |
| 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 ice-level arm
- Why won't the ice maker arm on my Sub-Zero go down?
- Usually a harvest is still under way and the arm drops once it ends, or frost has built up round it. Wait a little, then press gently and never force it. If ice is the cause, defrost the freezer fully. If it still stays up, Sub-Zero Repair Bothell on (206) 202-2799 tests the arm and linkage.
- Can I hold the arm up to stop the ice maker?
- Use the ice maker key or switch instead; Sub-Zero's guides give it for exactly that, before a holiday for example. The arm is there to read the ice level, and Sub-Zero warns that forcing it can break it, which turns a free adjustment into a part ordered by serial number.
Where this repair is filed
- Repair Sub-Zero Ice Maker Repair in Bothell
- What it costs The $89 no-ice visit
