Demo mode settings
Commercial Refrigeration Services
A walk-in that won't hold temperature puts your food at risk, and an ice machine that stops can hold up service. Carrier Test Dealer - DS repairs, maintains and installs commercial refrigeration for restaurants, bars, convenience stores, grocers, schools and other food businesses in Libertyville and the surrounding area.
Call as soon as a unit can't hold temperature, and we'll get a technician scheduled to find the cause.
Commercial Refrigeration Repair, Maintenance and Installation
Most food businesses need all three over the life of their equipment:
Commercial Refrigeration Equipment We Service
- Walk-in coolers and freezers, both the box and the refrigeration system: doors, gaskets, closers, strip curtains, evaporators and condensing units
- Reach-in and undercounter refrigerators and freezers
- Prep tables and worktop units for sandwich, salad and pizza lines
- Ice machines, including cleaning and sanitizing
- Display cases and merchandisers, including glass-door, open-air, deli and bakery cases
- Beer coolers and the refrigeration side of draft systems: keg coolers, direct-draw boxes and glycol chillers
- Ice cream freezers and dipping cabinets
- Milk coolers for school and institutional kitchens
- Condensing units and evaporator coils, indoors or on the roof
Have equipment that isn't on the list? Tell us what you have and we'll tell you how we can help.
If a unit is under warranty, leased or owned by your drink supplier, tell us when you call so we can sort out who covers the repair.
Need help with heating and cooling as well? We also offer commercial HVAC services.
Signs Your Commercial Refrigerator or Freezer Needs Repair
Most calls start with one of these:
- The temperature keeps creeping up, or the unit is slow to cool back down after the door has been open.
- Frost or ice is building up on the evaporator coil, the walls or the product.
- Water is pooling on the walk-in floor or under a unit.
- The compressor runs nonstop or switches on and off every few minutes.
- There are new or louder noises from the fans or the condensing unit.
- Doors don't close on their own, or the gaskets are torn or flattened.
- The ice machine is making less ice, making soft or cloudy ice, or leaking.
Walk-In Cooler Not Cooling? What Your Staff Can Check First
A few safe checks can rule out the simple causes:
Check the Door
Make sure it closes and seals. A door left ajar or a torn gasket lets warm air in.
Wait Out a Defrost
If the reading is only slightly high, the unit may be in a defrost cycle. Check again a little later.
Check the Power
Look at the breaker, the plug and any switch. If a breaker trips again after a reset, leave it off and call us.
Check the Condenser
Make sure boxes, dust or grease aren't blocking the airflow it needs.
If the unit still isn't holding temperature, stop there and call us. Anything that involves refrigerant, wiring or the compressor is a job for a technician.
What Commercial Refrigeration Maintenance Includes
A dusty condenser, a torn gasket or a clogged drain makes the system work harder to hold temperature, and left alone, any one of them can lead to a breakdown. Here is what a maintenance visit typically covers, and why each part matters:
| What We Check | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Condenser and evaporator coils | Dust, grease and ice block the airflow the coils need to move heat. |
| Door gaskets, hinges and closers | Warm air gets in and the unit runs longer. ENERGY STAR calls leaky gaskets and doors that do not shut energy leaks that add up to money wasted each month. |
| Drain lines and drain pans | A clogged drain leads to water on the floor and ice building up inside the unit. |
| Temperatures, thermostats and defrost controls | A control that drifts can let a box run warm without anyone noticing. |
| Fan motors and signs of refrigerant loss | Can catch a worn motor or a slow refrigerant leak before the unit stops cooling. |
| Ice machines | Cleaning, descaling and sanitizing on the schedule the manufacturer sets. |
Much of this is also what a health inspector looks at. The FDA Food Code, a model code offered for adoption by state and local governments, says equipment doors, seals and hinges "shall be kept intact, tight, and adjusted in accordance with manufacturer's specifications." How often your equipment needs maintenance depends on the equipment and how hard it works, and we'll tell you what yours needs.
Should You Repair or Replace Commercial Refrigeration Equipment?
Age alone doesn't decide it. Condition, repair history, refrigerant and energy use do.
When a Repair Makes Sense
- The unit is otherwise in good shape. A failed fan motor, gasket, thermostat or defrost timer is a routine repair.
- Repairs have been rare. One breakdown on a dependable unit is usually worth fixing.
- An older refrigerant isn't a reason to replace on its own. Equipment that uses R-404A or R-22 can still be serviced and repaired.
When to Consider Replacing
- Repairs keep coming back and the bills keep adding up.
- A major part such as the compressor has failed on an older unit.
- The box itself is worn out, with damaged panels, doors or insulation.
- It can't keep up with your menu or your volume.
- It uses R-22 and needs refrigerant often. R-22 can no longer be produced or imported in the US, and the EPA expects its price to rise as supplies are used up.
When it's time to replace, ask about ENERGY STAR certified models. ENERGY STAR certifies self-contained commercial refrigerators and freezers with solid or glass doors, and air-cooled ice machines. We can help you choose equipment sized for what you store and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions About Commercial Refrigeration
The FDA Food Code calls for food that needs refrigeration to be held at 41°F or below. Your state or local health department sets the rules where you operate, so check its requirements. A thermometer that reads the warmest part of the unit shows you whether it's keeping up.
Check that the door is sealing, the unit has power and the condenser isn't blocked. If it still isn't holding temperature, call us right away, keep the doors closed as much as you can, and ask about after-hours service when you call. Your health department's rules decide what happens to food that has warmed. Our job is to find the cause and get the unit holding temperature again.
The FDA Food Code calls for ice makers to be cleaned at the frequency the manufacturer specifies, so the schedule depends on your model. We repair ice machines and clean, descale and sanitize them following the manufacturer's instructions.
Not because of its refrigerant. The EPA does not require replacing an existing R-22 system, and its limits on high global warming potential refrigerants such as R-404A apply to new equipment. Larger systems that keep leaking refrigerant carry federal repair duties, so ask us what applies to yours. If a system needs refrigerant often, compare the cost of ongoing repairs with the cost of replacement.
Yes. Under Section 608 of the Clean Air Act, the EPA requires technicians to be certified before they open the refrigerant circuit, except on equipment using a few exempt refrigerants such as propane in self-contained units. Our technicians who do that work hold the certification, and we're glad to show it, along with proof of insurance.
We service the refrigeration side of beverage equipment, such as keg coolers, direct-draw boxes and glycol chillers. Soda fountains are often owned or serviced by the drink supplier, and beer line cleaning is often done by the distributor or a line-cleaning service, so check your supply agreement first. Ask us if you're not sure who services a unit.
The cost of a commercial refrigeration repair depends on the equipment, the part that failed and the refrigerant it uses, so we can give you a fair number only after a technician has looked at the unit. Ask how service calls are billed when you book.