The Guides
Repair guides: what we know, written down.
Guides to the machines we work on, and the list keeps growing. Each one is written from the manufacturers’ own service literature or from a named public source, each one says where every number came from, and each one is dated. Where the manual is silent, so are we.
The Guides
- 01 Arizona Heat What a Phoenix summer asks of a refrigerator Room heat, condenser dust and monsoon outages: what the heat actually changes inside the cabinet, and five checks to make before you call anyone. Sub-Zero · Viking · Monogram service manuals
- 02 Power Outage After a power outage: keep it, or throw it out? Four hours in a closed refrigerator, 48 in a full freezer, the 40°F line, the keep-or-discard chart, and what a Sub-Zero quietly recorded while the power was off. USDA · FoodSafety.gov · National Weather Service
- 03 Repair or Replace Repair the refrigerator, or replace it? The $119 visit and a written repair quote set against an $8,000–$19,000 machine and the cabinetry built around it, and the faults that cannot be repaired at all. Our own prices · maker service data
- 04 Makers Compared Sub-Zero, Viking, Monogram: side by side Twelve rows from the service literature: sealed systems, compressors, condensers, defrost, sensors, fault codes, filter-driers, and what each difference changes when one fails. Service manuals · twelve rows
- 05 Error Codes Error codes, and what they mean Sub-Zero 600 Series (600-2) codes and Viking VCC3 inverter flash codes, read from the service manuals. Codes are series-specific, so the page answers only for the series we can verify. Sub-Zero 600-2 · Viking VCC3
- 06 Model Number Find your model number The model and serial tag on Sub-Zero, Wolf, Viking and Monogram refrigerators, ranges and ovens, from the makers’ own guides. It is the most useful thing you can send us. Four makers · from the makers’ guides
- 07 Refrigerator Parts Refrigerator parts, in plain words Twenty parts named on an estimate: what each does, what its failure looks like from the kitchen, which six sit inside the sealed circuit, and why the serial number decides which part fits. Service manuals · twenty terms
- 08 Hard Water What hard water does to the ice maker Published hardness for Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Chandler and Gilbert, what scale does inside a built-in ice machine, and the cleaning the makers actually specify. City water quality reports · Sub-Zero
- 09 Ranges & Ovens A burner that clicks and will not light Wolf’s and Viking’s own lists for a burner that will not light, Viking’s 750°F self-clean cycle, and the oven fault that turns out to be a setting. Wolf · Viking published answers
- 10 Warm Refrigerator Refrigerator warm, freezer perfect Why a warm fresh-food side with a cold freezer means a whole stopped system on a Sub-Zero built-in, and something far smaller on a Viking or a Monogram. Service manuals · six checks first
- 11 No Ice Sub-Zero ice maker: no ice, or not enough? A freezer ice maker makes eight cubes every two to three hours and a bin takes a day or two to fill. Sub-Zero’s own checks first, then the parts that really fail. Sub-Zero published answers · seven checks
- 12 Frost and Ice Frost in the freezer, where it should not be A freezer is built to grow frost and melt it off. When ice keeps coming back the cold is usually fine, and it is the defrost cycle or the door seal that has gone. Sub-Zero · Monogram · Viking manuals
- 13 How Long It Lasts About twenty years: how long a built-in lasts Sub-Zero’s own design life, the five things it says move that number, how to date a machine from its serial, and what wears out before the sealed system does. Sub-Zero published figure · serial formats
- 14 Buying a House Buying a house, built-ins included Ten checks with a flashlight before closing, four photographs that answer most of what anyone would ask, and the two findings that change the price of the property. Maker manuals · ten checks
- 15 Wine Cabinet A wine cabinet drifting warm Sub-Zero holds each zone within one degree and stores at about 55°F, which is why two degrees matters here and would be noise in a refrigerator. Sub-Zero published figures · six numbers
- 16 The Visit What the $119 diagnostic actually buys A named fault and a fixed price against it, in writing, before any repair begins. The whole sequence in order, so nothing about the afternoon has to be taken on trust. Our own published terms · seven steps
- 17 No Heat An oven that will not heat On a Wolf, LO is not an error code and Showroom Mode disables the appliance on purpose. Wolf’s own six checks, the self-clean connection, and what is left after them. Wolf published answers · six checks
- 18 Noises The refrigerator is making a new noise Sub-Zero lists banging, buzzing, clicking, rattling, vibration and humming as normal. The test is whether the noise is new, getting louder, and came with a temperature change. Sub-Zero published answers · eight sounds
- 19 Garage and Outdoors A built-in in the garage or the outdoor kitchen Sub-Zero asks for a room between 60°F and 90°F; in GE’s 2002 service guide a Monogram ZIS runs 41–46% of the time at 70°F and 53–55% at 90°F. What a Phoenix garage does with that, at both ends of the year. Maker manuals · five published figures
- 20 Refrigerant What refrigerant is inside the circuit R-134a in all three series the manuals cover, and the rating tag says how much. Why the charge goes back by weight, the filter-drier rule, and who may legally handle it. Three service manuals · the federal refrigerant rule
- 21 The Maker’s Warranty Is the built-in still under warranty? Two years of parts and labor from all four makers. After that, refrigeration narrows to the sealed system and then to parts alone, and Wolf to a five-year list of parts. From their own documents. Four warranty documents · five columns
- 22 Water on the Floor Water on the floor, under the refrigerator Shut the supply off, then measure. A pint is the threshold, and the series decides whether the drain is yours. Six published answers · the pint test
- 23 Series and Names Which Sub-Zero series do you have? Classic was Built-In, Designer was Integrated, and the model on the tag decides whose answer applies. Sub-Zero’s own comparison · ten rows
- 24 Cartridges and Smells Sub-Zero filters, and a smell The air cartridge is due at about 365 days, the water filter on two triggers, and neither one reaches the cause of a smell. Four published answers · one telling absence
- 25 Not Cooling Not cooling at all, before anyone says compressor Warm on both sides, or silent: what the three makers check first, and why the compressor comes late, if at all. Sub-Zero · Viking · Monogram service manuals
- 26 Too Cold Food freezing in the refrigerator, by degrees Sub-Zero calls 38°F and 0°F ideal and GE 37°F normal. When food freezes anyway: the display scale, the room, a damper, a sensor or Viking’s MAX REF. Service manuals · published answers
- 27 Warm Freezer Freezer warm, refrigerator perfect A Sub-Zero freezer has its own system; a Monogram shares one. The makers’ checks, in order, from their manuals. Sub-Zero 600-2 · Monogram ZIS service manuals
- 28 Away for the Summer Away for the summer: the refrigerator, on or off Sub-Zero says off, empty and doors open past a week; GE past a month. The vacation modes, the ice maker, monsoon outages and the first day back. Sub-Zero · GE · weather.gov · FoodSafety.gov
- 29 Beeping Refrigerator beeping, and the door looks shut The door alarm reads a switch, not the door. What each beep means on a Sub-Zero, Viking or Monogram, why silencing fixes nothing, and Sabbath Mode. Three service manuals · Sub-Zero and GE answers
- 30 Door Not Closing A door that will not close, and what it lets in Sub-Zero’s order: food and shelves, the gasket, the hinge, then level. Designer hinges do not adjust. Who may do what, and what an open door costs. Service manuals · Sub-Zero and GE answers
- 31 Yellow Flames Yellow flames on a gas range, and when they matter Wolf asks for a deep blue inner cone; propane may tip orange. The room, a cap seated wrong, the wrong gas or the supply, and the alarm no flame can replace. Wolf · Viking · GE · Southwest Gas · CPSC
- 32 Lights Out Refrigerator lights out, and the cold stayed Sabbath Mode series by series and how to leave it, the light terminator’s 45-minute wait, then the switch, the bulbs and a Monogram’s own light circuit. Three service manuals · Sub-Zero and GE answers
- 33 Sweating Outside Refrigerator sweating outside, in a monsoon month Some sweat is normal in humid weather, the makers say; dripping is not. Why the seams are heated, what two units side by side need, and why glass doors fog. Sub-Zero and GE manuals · the Weather Service
- 34 Water Dispenser Water dispenser not working, slow or dry Air after a new filter, a lock, Sabbath Mode, a clogged filter or low pressure: Sub-Zero’s and Monogram’s own checks, down to how long to hold the button. Sub-Zero answers · Monogram manuals · GE
- 35 Maintenance Calendar A maintenance calendar for a built-in kitchen What Sub-Zero, Wolf, Viking and Monogram ask of an owner, month by month, before a Phoenix summer and before the holidays, and what each skipped task leads to. Sub-Zero · Wolf · Viking · Monogram manuals · NWS Phoenix
- 36 Sub-Zero Upkeep Sub-Zero maintenance, and what skipping it costs The condenser every three to twelve months by Sub-Zero’s own answers, the filters about yearly, a clean gasket: the warning signs, the don’ts, and the parts a skipped task reaches. Sub-Zero answers and service manual · technician forums
- 37 Viking Upkeep Viking refrigerator maintenance, series by series What Viking’s own manuals ask of a built-in owner, series by series: the condenser, gaskets, filter and ice maker, and what a skipped task leads to. Viking manuals and service notebooks · technician forums
- 38 Monogram Upkeep Monogram refrigerator maintenance, and what skipping it costs GE’s filter intervals, gasket care, the condenser, ice and level for Monogram built-ins, what each skipped task leads to, and the twelve-year sealed-system warranty. Monogram manuals · GE answers
- 39 Door Gasket The door gasket: test it, clean it, or replace it The Department of Energy’s paper test, the symptoms Sub-Zero, Monogram and Viking name, each maker’s cleaning method, and when a gasket needs replacing. Energy Department · Sub-Zero, GE and Viking manuals · technician forums
- 40 Wolf Self-Clean Wolf self-clean: why we would not run it About four hours near 900°F, by Wolf’s own figure. What the heat stresses, what owners and technicians report failing after it, and cleaning by hand instead. Wolf manuals and service manual · Consumer Reports · technician forums
- 41 Compressor Sub-Zero compressor failed: replace it, or the refrigerator? Sub-Zero still supplies a defective compressor up to year twelve. Its warranty in its own words, new Classic prices and the cabinetry, by age. Sub-Zero warranty and manual · EPA
- 42 Viking Repair Math Repair the Viking, or replace it? The Viking inverter, boards and compressor, Viking’s warranty year by year, parts for older built-ins, new Viking prices, and a table by age and fault. Viking warranty and manuals · vikingrange.com · FTC
- 43 Wolf Boards A Wolf control board: repair, or a new oven? What Wolf’s control and relay boards do, the errors that point to each, what Wolf’s five-year warranty still covers, new prices, and a decision by age and fault. Wolf warranty and service manual
- 44 Oven Temperature An oven that runs hot, cold or slow Wolf, Viking and GE on an oven that runs hot, cold or slow: the variation Wolf and GE call normal, who may set a temperature offset, and what lengthens preheat. Wolf, Viking and Monogram use and care guides · Wolf service manuals · GE support
- 45 Ranges Compared Wolf, Viking, Monogram ranges: from their own manuals Wolf, Viking and Monogram ranges side by side from the makers’ own manuals and warranties: burner Btu, self-clean, warranty terms, Wolf and Viking prices, and CPSC recalls. Makers’ manuals, spec sheets and warranties · CPSC · Consumer Reports
- 46 Range Parts Range and oven parts, in plain words Twenty-five range and oven parts in plain words: what each does and how its failure shows, for Wolf, Viking and Monogram. Makers’ manuals and service literature
- 47 Runs Constantly Refrigerator runs constantly, and never seems to shut off Running all day is often by design: GE publishes 80% to 90%. What Sub-Zero, Viking and Monogram call normal, each maker’s room rating, and what to check before a call. Sub-Zero, Viking and GE manuals and support answers · U.S. DOE · NWS Phoenix
- 48 Home Warranty Home warranty on a Sub-Zero, Wolf or Viking: what the contract pays Four Arizona home warranty contracts, read for a Sub-Zero, Wolf or Viking: limits of $2,000 to $7,000 per appliance, who picks the technician, cash offers, and what homeowners insurance covers. Arizona Revised Statutes · FTC · four providers’ sample contracts · NAIC · state insurance regulators
- 49 Recalls Is your Sub-Zero, Wolf, Viking or Monogram under a recall? The CPSC recalls of Sub-Zero, Wolf, Viking and GE Monogram appliances, as listed on October 5, 2026: models, serial ranges, remedies, phone numbers, and how to check your own. CPSC recall notices · 15 U.S.C. § 2068 · the makers’ recall pages
- 50 Oven Door An oven door that will not close, or will not open Wolf, Viking and GE on a door that stops short, stays locked after a self-clean or squeaks at the hinge: the makers’ checks in order, and which of them are an owner’s. Wolf owner answers · Viking and Monogram use and care manuals · GE support
- 51 Burner Goes Out A gas burner that goes out on low Why a Wolf, Viking or Monogram burner will not hold a simmer: the cap, the ports, a draft, the gas type, and where the appliance ends and the gas supply begins. Wolf owner answers · Viking and Monogram manuals · GE support · Southwest Gas
- 52 Oven Noises Oven noises, sound by sound A fan that runs on after Off, clicks, pops and a gas oven lighting: which sounds Wolf, Viking and GE call normal, Wolf’s fan speeds by temperature, and the ones worth a call. Wolf owner answers · Wolf service manual · Viking and Monogram manuals · GE support
- 53 Wolf Porcelain Chipped blue porcelain in a Wolf oven What Wolf publishes about porcelain that chips, crazes or turns cloudy: the cause it gives, what it calls cosmetic, what the warranty names, and what can be replaced. Wolf owner answers · Wolf use and care guides · Wolf residential warranty
- 54 Range: Repair or Replace An older Wolf or Viking range: repair it, or replace it? Both makers’ warranties year by year, parts for older models, what a new range costs, and a table by age and fault. Wolf and Viking warranties · Sub-Zero Group parts answers · U.S. DOE
- 55 Ice Machine Problems An undercounter ice machine that leaks, rattles or stops Sub-Zero’s UC-15I, Monogram and Viking clear-ice machines: the water that is normal inside, thin or clumped ice, noise, the lights by model, and a full bin that will not restart. Sub-Zero owner answers and UC-15I guide · Monogram manual and service guide · Viking manuals · GE support
- 56 Wine Storage Settings How to set a built-in wine cabinet The makers’ storage temperature, each zone’s settable range on Sub-Zero, Viking and Monogram, humidity, light, and frost on the back wall. Sub-Zero owner answers and wine guides · Viking wine cellar manuals · Monogram manuals · GE support
- 57 OEM or Aftermarket Parts A genuine OEM part, or an aftermarket one? What the words mean, what the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and the FTC say about a maker’s own parts, what each maker’s warranty states, and what we fit. 15 U.S.C. § 2302 · 16 CFR 700.10 · FTC · Sub-Zero, Viking and GE published terms
- 58 Phoenix Homes by ZIP How old are the Valley’s most valuable homes? Census figures for 128 Phoenix-area ZIP codes: where the new houses are, how the top ten differ, and what a home’s year built can and cannot say about its kitchen. U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 five-year estimates
Where the numbers come from.
Every figure in these guides is traceable. Temperatures, dwell times, refrigerant types and fault codes are read out of the manufacturers’ service manuals; the food safety rules come from the USDA and FoodSafety.gov; the monsoon dates come from the National Weather Service. Each guide ends with the list of what it was written from and the date it was last checked.
That also sets the limits. Error codes differ between series, so we publish only the series we can verify and say plainly when we cannot answer. Where a manual is silent, the table carries a dash rather than a guess. Nothing in these pages replaces the maker’s own instructions, and work inside a sealed system is a Section 608-certified technician’s job.
Prices and terms live on the pricing page, and as plain text in pricing.md. What we repair and where is on the home page and in the service area.
Read enough? Tell us what stopped.
The model number and what the display says are the two things that help most. We answer every day, 7am–6pm.