No ice, small or hollow cubes, a bin that never fills, water where the ice should be. SAVA repairs the ice makers in Sub-Zero built-in refrigerators and freezer columns, and the UC-15I undercounter ice maker, across Chicago and the North Shore.
SAVA HVAC & Appliance Repair has repaired Sub-Zero ice makers across Chicago and the North Shore since 2017. Sub-Zero builds two very different kinds. The in-unit ice maker inside a Classic, Designer or PRO refrigerator or freezer makes eight cubes per harvest every two to three hours — 64 to 96 cubes a day by Sub-Zero’s own figures — and depends on a freezer held at or below 5°F, with 0°F recommended. The UC-15I undercounter ice maker, built from 2009 to 2025, is a separate appliance: up to 50 lb of ice a day, up to 25 lb stored, about 24 gallons of water a day, and a drain that works by gravity or by pump. Most calls trace to the water supply, the freezer temperature, the ice maker itself or, on the UC-15I, the drain. Diagnosis is $79, credited toward the repair.
An ice maker needs three things at once: water arriving through the inlet valve and fill tube, a freezer cold enough to freeze it, and a working ice maker to harvest the cubes. Sub-Zero’s own list of causes covers all three — a freezer warmer than 5°F, a frozen fill tube, a water valve fault, low water pressure, or cubes jammed in the mechanism. We check the freezer temperature first, because a warm freezer slows or stops ice long before the food feels soft, then test the valve and the ice maker module rather than guessing between them.
Sub-Zero links small or hollow cubes to low water pressure. The pressure can be low at the house supply, or it can be restricted inside the refrigerator by a clogged water filter or a valve that no longer opens fully. We measure what is actually reaching the ice maker, so you know whether the problem is inside the refrigerator or in the plumbing that feeds it.
Normal production is slower than most people expect: eight cubes every two to three hours, and Sub-Zero notes that an empty bin can take one to two days to fill. Max Ice, on the Classic BI, Designer IT and IC, and PRO 36 and PRO 48 models that have it, raises production only for 24 hours at a time — so a Sub-Zero that needs Max Ice to keep up is usually running below its normal rate. The usual causes are a freezer running warm because of poor condenser airflow, a partly restricted water supply, or an ice maker that harvests erratically.
Water under the ice bin or on the freezer floor usually comes from the fill side: a valve that lets water through when it should be closed, or a fill tube that has frozen and forced water to overflow. Cubes fused into a solid block point to a freezer temperature that rises and falls, so ice partly melts and refreezes. Both look like ice problems, but the second is a freezer problem, and we treat it that way.
The UC-15I is its own appliance, with its own water supply, drain and electrical circuit, and Sub-Zero sets requirements for each: water pressure between 20 and 80 psi, a dedicated 15-amp circuit, and a drain for every unit. Gravity-drain models need the drain line to fall at least ¼ inch per foot, while pump models push the water out through a drain pump. Sub-Zero also notes that a ground-fault (GFCI) circuit is not recommended on indoor models because it can interrupt operation, while the outdoor model requires one. When a UC-15I stops or leaks, we check the drain and pump, the water supply and the circuit as well as the ice-making components, because an installation problem can look exactly like a failed part.
If the freezer cannot reach temperature, no ice maker will keep up. That can trace to the condenser and its fan, the defrost system, or the sealed system — a refrigerant leak or a failing compressor. Sealed-system work involves recovering and recharging refrigerant, which federal rules restrict to EPA Section 608 certified technicians. SAVA is certified, so a Sub-Zero whose ice problem turns out to be a cooling problem is repaired by the same company rather than passed along.
On a built-in Sub-Zero, the ice maker is a component, not the appliance. The ice maker module, water valve and fill tube can be replaced without touching the refrigerator’s sealed system or its cabinetry, so an ice problem on its own is almost never a reason to replace a built-in. The UC-15I is different, because it is a complete refrigeration appliance in a 15-inch opening: we weigh the age of the unit and the cost of the repair against replacement, and tell you which way it points before any work begins.
The more you can describe, the better the chance we arrive with the right part on the truck. It helps to know:
We service Sub-Zero built-in and undercounter ice makers across Chicago and the North Shore and northwest suburbs, including Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Highland Park, Lake Forest, Deerfield, Northbrook, Glenview, Skokie, Lincolnwood and Park Ridge. Same-day service is often available when you call early.
Same-day service if available · $79 diagnostic, credited toward the repair · EPA Section 608 Certified
Same-day service available · $79 diagnostic — credited toward your repair · EPA Certified & insured