The line, the valve and the pressure
How do I shut off water to the ice maker?
Not on the unit — Sub-Zero states there is "no internal water supply shut-off valve" on the refrigerator, so the tap you need is out in the house. It is usually in an adjacent cabinet, under a nearby sink or in the basement. Denver Sub-Zero Repair Experts switches the ice maker off at the same time, for a reason most people learn the hard way.
Pattern
What we usually find
- A valve behind the kickplate. Sub-Zero allows it there as long as it stays reachable, and the line does come in under the unit.
- One in the cabinet next door, tucked behind the bin drawer or a stack of trays nobody has moved in years.
- A basement valve on the branch that feeds the kitchen, unlabelled, sitting among four others that look the same.
- No dedicated valve at all, because the line was teed off during a remodel and never given one.
Most often first. Order comes from what the visits keep turning up, not from a count.
Why the order matters
Shutting the water and leaving the ice maker running is one of the ways Sub-Zero lists for freezing a fill tube: the machine keeps calling for a fill that never comes, and what moisture is there ends as a plug at the end of the tube. Taking the bin out and leaving the ice maker on does the same thing.
When there is no valve to find
If nothing turns, the main stop for the house is the fall-back, and after that it is a plumber’s job to put a proper stop valve on the branch. Worth doing before the next leak rather than during it: a valve within reach of the kitchen is the difference between a wet floor and a wet ceiling below.
Before you call
Two minutes, before anyone comes out
- Pull the kickplate off and look for the line coming in under the unit.
- Open the cabinet next to the refrigerator and feel along the back wall.
- Switch the ice maker off before the water goes off, not after.
That is as far as an owner should take it. If what you find does not match this page, call Denver Sub-Zero Repair Experts on (720) 903-2603 and the water path gets measured end to end.
When it needs somebody out: Ice Maker Repair in Denver.