Century City · ice makers
After the building turns the water back on
A notice goes up in the elevator: water to your stack will be off for plumbing work on a weekday morning. By evening it is back. The taps sputter for a minute and then run clear. The Sub-Zero ice maker, though, may take longer to recover. Air in the line, a burst of loosened sediment and a filter suddenly loaded with grit can leave it stalled, slow or making odd ice for days.
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Why did my ice maker stop working after the water was shut off?
When building water is turned off and back on, air pockets and loosened sediment travel through the pipes. Air can keep the ice maker's fill from completing, and sediment can clog the water filter or the small screen at the refrigerator's inlet valve. Either can stall ice production until the line is purged or the restriction cleared.
The first day after the water returns
Simple steps that often bring the ice back on their own.
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Run the kitchen tap first
Let the cold tap run until it flows smoothly and clear. That pushes air and debris out of the shared pipes before they reach the refrigerator.
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Purge the dispenser, if you have one
If your Sub-Zero has a water dispenser, pull several brief glassfuls, pausing between them, until it pours smoothly. That helps clear air from the refrigerator's own line.
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Discard the first ice
Early harvests may come out undersized, milky or flavored by pipe scale. Throw them away.
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Give it time
Allow the ice maker a full day to settle into normal cycles before judging it.
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Look at the filter
If production stays weak, a filter loaded with sediment is a common culprit. Replace it as your model's guide describes, then purge again.
What lingering trouble looks like
If the ice is still off after a day or two, these clues help separate a clog from a fault.
- An empty bin even though the mechanism keeps attempting cycles
- Likely cause Water not reaching the mold: a clogged inlet screen, a sticking valve, or a fill tube iced shut by a half-delivered fill
- Small, hollow or thin cubes
- Likely cause Restricted flow from a sediment-loaded filter or inlet screen Repair page
- Cloudy ice with a gritty or metallic taste
- Likely cause Sediment still passing through; the filter may need changing
- Water dribbling into the bin or freezing in clumps
- Likely cause A valve not closing fully after debris got caught in it
- A buzzing sound with little water delivered
- Likely cause The inlet valve calling for water that a blocked screen will not let through
Why towers make this a regular event
General context about high-rise living here, not a list of past jobs.
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Shared risers
Residential high-rises near Avenue of the Stars supply dozens of units from shared vertical pipes. Work on one riser can mean a shutoff for a whole stack.
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Planned maintenance
Large buildings schedule plumbing work, valve replacements and upgrades from time to time, with notices to residents. Each one can stir sediment.
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Apartments used part-time
If you were away during the shutoff, the ice maker may have spent days calling for water that never arrived. Check the bin and the fill area when you return.
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Booking a visit in a tower
Pass along your tower's contractor routine: which door, which elevator, where to park. Our Century City overview explains how visits here are arranged.
Should I change the refrigerator water filter after a building water shutoff?
If ice or water flow is weaker afterwards, yes, it is a sensible step. Sediment released when water returns often collects in the filter. Replace it as your Sub-Zero guide describes, flush the line, and see whether production recovers before calling.
Shutoff myths
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Often heard
Once the taps run clear, the ice maker is fine too.How it really worksThe refrigerator's line, filter and valve can still hold air or sediment after the kitchen tap has cleared.
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Often heard
A stalled ice maker after a shutoff means a broken part.How it really worksOften it is air or a clog. Purging the line and changing the filter solve many cases. If they do not, a technician checks the valve and fill.
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Often heard
A quick off-and-on of the ice switch clears the problem.How it really worksIt may restart the cycle, but it does not clear a clogged screen or a frozen fill tube.
Tower residents ask about ice after a shutoff
- Is it smart to pause ice production before a scheduled shutoff?
- It can help. Pausing production beforehand keeps the ice maker from attempting fills on a dry line. Switch it back on once the tap runs clear.
- There is water under the refrigerator since the shutoff. Is that related?
- Possibly. Pressure changes can loosen a fitting or upset a valve. Close the refrigerator's supply valve, dry the floor, and call; our page on Sub-Zero leaks explains the usual sources.
- How do you charge for the visit?
- We charge $89 to come up, a flat amount covering every Sub-Zero cabinet in the apartment we check, later netted against work you accept. Repairs are priced after testing (pricing).
- Where is your general guide to ice maker problems?
- On the citywide ice maker repair page and in the ice maker troubleshooting article.
Is there a Sub-Zero ice maker specialist for Century City high-rises?
Yes. Brentwood Refrigeration Services, an independent Brentwood team with Sub-Zero refrigeration as its entire trade, fixes ice makers in built-ins, freezer columns and stand-alone ice units throughout the district. Appointments run 8 AM until 6 PM daily, someone answers 24/7, and the $89 drive charge is credited against approved work.
Ice still missing after the shutoff?
Tell us when the water went off and what you have tried. Call (310) 878-0630 or book a time online.
Trip charge $89, counted per driveway and never per unit; it is credited in full once you approve the repair.