Start at the floor
The grille under the bottom drawer is how the unit gets rid of its heat. Kneel down while it is running and hold a hand near the grille: part of it should push out warm air. No air at all, or air that feels hot, is your first clue. A new rug, a kick plate fitted during a remodel or a season of dust over the slots will each do it.
Then the seal
A drawer only seals when it closes square. Pull it out and run your eye along the gasket on the drawer front for a flattened or torn stretch. Then look at it from the side: a slide bent by heavy bottles lets one corner ride low, and that corner leaks cold air all day.
An island beside the dishwasher
Drawers set into an island often share the cabinet run with a dishwasher or face the range. A drying cycle pushes warm, damp air along the cabinets, and an open oven door adds load at the end of the day. Fine in the morning and warm by evening? Read a thermometer in the drawer before and after the dishwasher runs. A rise that follows the dishwasher points at heat reaching the cabinet, not at a part inside the drawer.
What we check on the visit
- The grille, the condenser coil behind it, and the condenser fan.
- Each drawer's gasket and slides, and how square it closes.
- The fan inside the compartment and the coil it blows across.
- Sensor readings against our own probe, then the control board.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Visit and diagnosis | $89, credited |
| Fan motor | $310–$730 |
| Drawer gasket | $280–$700 |
| Control board | $450–$910 |
Ranges, not quotes: you see the price after diagnosis and agree to it before work.
Before you call
Why would a drawer run warm only in summer?
A unit with a dusty condenser or a crowded grille copes in a cool kitchen and falls behind once the room warms, on hot afternoons or with the oven on. If the drawer holds its temperature in January but not in July, airflow at the base is the first thing to suspect.
What is useful to tell you on the phone?
Which drawers are warm and by how much, ideally from a thermometer; what stands on either side of the unit; whether the grille blows warm air; and anything that changed lately, such as a new rug, new flooring or a remodel. SubZero Repair Denver takes those notes at (720) 770-4189 before booking.