Sub-Zero Repair in Ballard
North / Northwest Lead appliance: Refrigerator
Ballard kitchens run from newer multi-unit buildings near downtown Ballard to detached houses on the streets toward Shilshole Bay, and in both this page opens with the refrigerator whose fresh-food side has started running warm.
- Loose gasket
- Door liner
- Stainless door edge
Pattern Ledger
Ballard: how it usually goes
- Most often Fresh-food evaporator fan stopped, or the door switch that runs it
-
Gives itself away by Freezer still hard, refrigerator side climbing, and the soft whir that used to come from behind the rear panel has gone quiet
Price band Evaporator or condenser fan motor$330–$690
- Sometimes Gasket loose or lifted at one corner of the door
-
Gives itself away by A corner of the seal stands away from the cabinet, and damp or a rim of frost gathers on the liner just inside it
Price band Door gasket or seal replacement$290–$640
- Rarely Leak or restriction on the refrigerator's own compressor circuit
-
Gives itself away by Every cheaper cause has tested sound, and the refrigerator still cannot pull down to its setting after a full day
Price band Compressor or sealed-system repair$1,410–$3,350
Telling these three apart is what the $89 visit is for. Sub-Zero Appliance Repair Seattle · (206) 339-4211
Lukewarm milk, a freezer that is fine
The owner’s description barely changes from one Ballard address to the next: the milk is lukewarm, the lettuce has wilted, and the ice cream in the freezer is as firm as ever. On a built-in combination Sub-Zero that split is informative, because the refrigerator and the freezer are cooled by two separate compressors under independent control. The freezer working tells us the fault lives on the fresh-food side, and there the search runs in a settled order.
First the fan. On the 600-series built-ins the fresh-food fan only runs while the closed door holds its switch in, so a failed motor and a bent switch actuator look the same from the kitchen. Then the sensor that tells the control how cold the compartment is, since a misreading one can leave the cabinet warm while the display looks content. Then frost on the refrigerator coil, which the service manual for these units traces to a door left ajar, a fan fault or a sensor misreading. The sealed system comes last, once all of that has passed.
Openings that differ from house to house
The newer kitchens tend to set the refrigerator tight into cabinetry chosen to match; the older houses tend to have gained theirs during a remodel, in an opening cut to whatever the room allowed. Either way the condenser needs air. Sub-Zero’s 600-series design guide warns that a decorative grille panel larger than specified can restrict airflow to the compressor area, and a cabinet short of air runs warm in a way that is easy to mistake for a failing compressor. The room matters too: these units are designed for a space between 60°F and 90°F.
Booking a visit in Ballard
If parking near your door is scarce, tell us where a vehicle can be left. In a multi-unit building, mention the building office, a service elevator or a loading entrance; in a house, mention steps or a side door that is easier than the front. Sub-Zero Appliance Repair Seattle takes bookings on (206) 339-4211; keep the model number to hand, along with what each side’s display reads and whether the fan is audible.
Customer reviews
What Seattle owners say
Built-in Sub-Zero calls in Queen Anne, Madison Park, Laurelhurst and Magnolia.
4.9/ 5589 reviews
Fresh food side crept into the low fifties while the freezer stayed solid, so I assumed the whole unit was finished. It was the evaporator fan on the fresh food circuit, and he had one on the van. Cold air again inside two hours.
Rosemary K.Queen Anne
The unit in the pool house had quietly stopped producing and nobody noticed until guests arrived. Drain pump had failed and the bin sensor was gummed up. New pump, bin cleaned properly, back in service.
Clementine R.Laurelhurst
Frost rebuilt on the rear panel days after I scraped it off. A torn drawer seal was letting room air in and the drain was half clogged. Both dealt with in one visit. Six weeks on, none.
Nadine B.Laurelhurst
Cabinet running warm?
Ring before the food decides for you
Give the model number and what the cabinet is doing, and the visit is booked from there. Visits 8:00 am – 8:00 pm, seven days; a person answers the phone 24/7.