Power, heat, fire and salt
What Do I Do With a Sub-Zero After an Evacuation?
| What you are looking at | What it means |
|---|---|
| First, before you open it | See whether the breaker held and the panel is lit; a shut door still holds what cold is left |
| Second, the food | Above 42°F in the refrigerator section it goes; frozen food above 20°F is not refrozen |
| Third, the interior | Empty it, then wash liner, gaskets and drain with warm water, detergent and a capful of bleach |
| Fourth, the grille | Clear dust and ash off the coil before judging how well it is cooling |
| Last, the cooling | Give it a day at its normal setting, then read a thermometer instead of the display |
Work down the table in that order and most of a return sorts itself out. What is left over is a service call, and Sub-Zero Appliance Repair Los Angeles takes it on (310) 496-7399.
- Panelled door, ajar
- Base vent
Why the order is the answer
Every step above makes the next one honest. A temperature taken through a door you have already held open says nothing about what the food lived through, and a cabinet judged while the coil is still loaded is written off for the wrong reason.
What a long warm spell leaves behind
Two things outlive the event: odour, which soaks into the liner, the seals and the drain and returns when the cabinet runs again, and a coil carrying whatever was in the air while nobody was home, which shows up as running time rather than a fault.
When to have it looked at
Book it when the refrigerator side will not hold its setting after a full day, when the smell survives a proper clean, or when something that used to be quiet now is not.
Two more things people ask
- The panel is dark. What can I safely try?
- Switch the breaker for the unit off for ten seconds and back on, confirm the outlet works by plugging something else into it, and see whether it sits on a GFCI. That is the end of the list an owner should work through; the rest is behind a panel.
- The house stood empty for weeks. Should it have been left running?
- Sub-Zero's procedure for a unit going out of service is to switch it off, let it warm with the doors open, and dry the inside before it is shut. Coming home to a closed cabinet that sat warm is what Sub-Zero Appliance Repair Los Angeles gets called about.
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