If the buttons or water dispenser on your Sub Zero refrigerator aren’t working – it’s likely that the lock function has been activated.
It can take as little as a 3-second button press to activate, so it’s easily done in passing or when you’re cleaning. Fortunately, it’s often just as easy to deactivate.
When on, these locks can prevent:
- Changes to fridge and freezer temperature settings
- Changes to water dispenser settings
- Changes to ice-maker settings
- Selection of any options available via the control panel
Sub Zero Refrigerator Dispenser Lock
If your Sub Zero refrigerator has a water and/or ice dispenser, it’s likely it will also have a dispenser lock.
This disables the dispenser from producing water or ice but leaves the rest of the control panel working as normal.
How to Turn On Dispenser Lock
If your refrigerator has an external dispenser with a ‘Lock’ button, this will light up when the lock is active. To activate, press and hold the button for 3-5 seconds. This will cause the button to light up.
If your refrigerator has an external dispenser but does not have a ‘Lock’ button, press and hold the ‘Light’ button for 5-7 seconds to activate. The unit may beep twice to confirm the change.
If your refrigerator has an internal dispenser, firmly press the ‘Water’ key 5 times within 20 seconds. The unit may beep twice to confirm the change.
How to Turn Off Dispenser Lock
If your refrigerator has an external dispenser with a ‘Lock’ button, this will light up when the lock is active. To deactivate, press and hold the button for 3-5 seconds. The unit may beep twice to confirm the change.
If your refrigerator has an external dispenser but does not have a ‘Lock’ button, press and hold the ‘Light’ button for 5-7 seconds to deactivate. The unit may beep twice to confirm the change.
If your refrigerator has an internal dispenser, firmly press the ‘Water’ key 5 times within 20 seconds. The unit may beep twice to confirm the change.
If you’ve got the error code H2 LO showing, this means that the dispenser has been overused – with one gallon having been dispensed within the last 15 minutes.
This will temporarily lock your water dispenser. However, this should resolve itself within 45-60 minutes.
If these options don’t work, you can check your user manual.
Other Reasons Your Sub Zero Control Panel Isn’t Working
If you’ve run through the list, and none of the locks are active – but your control panel still isn’t responding, you’ll need to complete further troubleshooting to find the source of the problem.
As with mobile phones, the easiest fix for many bugs is a ‘hard reset’ which is completed by powering your refrigerator off at the mains power for 30 minutes – before turning it back on.
If this doesn’t work, it indicates there’s likely an electrical fault, either with the control panel itself or with the wiring. Unless you’re confident with electrical DIY, I’d advise contacting a professional at this point.
