Commercial Refrigeration Help Center
What to do, and what could be wrong, when your refrigeration acts up
When a walk-in cooler warms up at 6 p.m. on a Friday, the questions come fast: is the food still safe, what can staff check, do we have to close, and who can fix it tonight? This help center answers them for Bay Area restaurants, cafes, bars, grocers, convenience stores and anyone else who keeps product cold for a living.
Start with the emergency checklist if something is failing right now. The symptom finder below points you to the right troubleshooting guide, and the equipment section covers walk-ins, reach-ins, prep tables, display cases and ice machines. Further down you will find the food-safety rules that apply in California, the refrigerant rules that affect repairs and new equipment, a maintenance calendar and every refrigeration article on our site. Cool Aid Air Conditioning & Refrigeration holds a California C-38 refrigeration license and has served Bay Area businesses since 1966.
- Right now
- Symptom finder
- By equipment
- Maintenance calendar
- Food-safety rules
- All guides
- Refrigerant rules
- By city
- FAQ
If product is at risk right now
- Keep doors closed and check the air and product temperature with a calibrated thermometer. Write down the time and the reading.
- Know the line: potentially hazardous food must be held at 41°F or below in California (Health and Safety Code 113996). State guidance says food at 50°F or above is discarded, and food above 41°F for four hours or more is discarded (CDPH).
- Move product to working units, starting with raw proteins and dairy.
- If you smell refrigerant, feel dizzy in a walk-in, or see smoke or scorching: get everyone out of the box or room, ventilate if it is safe, and do not go back in. Call 9-1-1 for smoke or anyone unwell.
Step by step: the first hour after a cooler or freezer fails. Our 24/7 commercial refrigeration line is 1-800-266-5243.
Symptom finder: what is your equipment doing?
Find the card that matches, check the safe items first, and follow the link for the full guide.
Walk-in is warm
Try first
Close the door fully, check the strip curtain and gasket, and look at the condenser outside or on the roof for blockage or a stopped fan.
Call a technician if
The box is above 41°F and not recovering.
Ice on the evaporator coil
Try first
Check that the door closes and seals. Do not chip ice off the coil.
Call a technician if
The coil is a block of ice or keeps icing after a defrost.
Ice on the freezer floor or door frame
Try first
Look for a torn gasket, a door left ajar, or water dripping from the coil area.
Call a technician if
Ice keeps forming, or the door frame heater area is cold.
Water on the floor
Try first
Put down a wet-floor sign, find where it drips from, and check the drain line and pan.
Call a technician if
It keeps coming back or is near electrical parts.
Prep table top rail is warm
Try first
Keep the lid closed between orders and do not overfill pans above the rail.
Call a technician if
Pans read above 41°F with the lid used properly.
Reach-in sweating or warm
Try first
Check the gasket with a paper slip, clear the grille, and give it room to breathe.
Call a technician if
It stays warm after that.
Ice machine not making ice
Try first
Check water supply, the power switch and the bin-level control, and look at the display for a code.
Call a technician if
No ice after those checks, or an error code comes back.
Slime or mold in the ice machine
Try first
Stop serving ice from it.
Call a technician if
It needs a full clean and sanitize to the manufacturer's procedure.
Compressor clicking on and off
Try first
Clean or clear the condenser and make sure hot kitchen air is not being pulled into it.
Call a technician if
It keeps short cycling or the unit feels very hot.
New or loud noise
Try first
Note what it sounds like and when it happens.
Call a technician if
Grinding, banging or hissing: call before it fails.
Temperature alarm going off
Try first
Read the unit's thermometer, check the door, and log the time.
Call a technician if
The temperature keeps rising.
Display case fogging or warm
Try first
Keep the air curtain grilles clear of product and signs, and use night covers.
Call a technician if
Product temperatures stay high.
Power is out
Try first
Keep every door closed, and log temperatures.
Call a technician if
Before restarting, and if anything doesn't come back.
Inspection coming
Try first
Put a thermometer in every unit and check gaskets and the ice machine.
Call a technician if
A unit won't hold 41°F.
Told you need a refrigerant change
Try first
Ask which refrigerant the system uses and how much it holds.
Call a technician if
Before you approve a big repair on old equipment.
Energy bill creeping up
Try first
Clean condenser coils and check door gaskets and closers.
Call a technician if
Units run all the time or cycle constantly.
Help by equipment
Each type fails in its own ways.
Walk-in coolers and freezers
A box with an evaporator inside and a condensing unit on the roof, outside or on top of the box.
Reach-ins, undercounters and prep tables
Self-contained units that live in hot kitchens and pull in grease and flour dust.
Ice machines
Ice is food under California law, so the machine is food equipment as well as refrigeration.
Display cases and merchandisers
Open multi-deck and glass-door cases in grocery and convenience stores.
Condensing units and compressors
The part that does the work, usually outside or on the roof.
A refrigeration maintenance calendar
Manufacturers set their own intervals; these are the common ones. Your equipment manuals win if they differ.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Every shift | Check and log the temperature of every unit. Keep doors and lids closed. Keep product off evaporator fans and away from display case air grilles. |
| Weekly | Wipe gaskets and check them for tears. Check drain pans and look for ice where it shouldn't be. Clear anything stored against condensers. |
| Monthly | Look at condenser coils in kitchens and clean them if dusty or greasy. Check strip curtains and door closers. |
| Every 3 months | Manufacturers call for condenser cleaning anywhere from every 90 days (Turbo Air reach-ins) to every six months (Heatcraft condensing units). Greasy kitchens need the short end. Norlake recommends quarterly walk-in preventive maintenance by a technician. |
| Every 6 months | Clean and sanitize ice machines to the manufacturer's schedule: Manitowoc every six months, Scotsman twice a year, Hoshizaki at least yearly depending on model. California law requires cleaning at the manufacturer's interval. |
| Yearly | Full preventive maintenance visit: electrical connections, fan motors, defrost operation, refrigerant charge check and leak check where rules require it. |
California food-safety rules and who to call
Potentially hazardous food must be held at 41°F or below (Health and Safety Code 113996). The state's guidance for outages and equipment failures says food at 50°F or above is discarded and food above 41°F for four hours or more is discarded (CDPH). Ice machines must be cleaned at the manufacturer's recommended frequency (Health and Safety Code 114117).
California's code lets inspectors close a facility; the county handouts tell operators what to do themselves. Santa Clara County's guidance says that when adequate refrigeration cannot be provided, food facilities must be closed (Santa Clara County DEH). San Mateo County tells operators to close if there are unsafe food temperatures and to call before reopening (San Mateo County EHS). The counties also differ on whether thawed food may be refrozen, so follow your own county's guidance.
| County | Environmental health phone |
|---|---|
| Santa Clara | 408-918-3400 (source) |
| San Mateo | 650-372-6200 (source) |
| Alameda | 510-567-6700 (source) |
| Contra Costa | 925-608-5500 (source) |
Details and a discard table are in food safety when refrigeration fails.
Every commercial refrigeration guide, sorted by problem
New pages in this help center are marked. The rest are existing guides and service pages from our team.
Emergencies and food safety
The first hour, what to keep, what to discard, and outages.
- Emergency checklist
- Food safety when refrigeration fails
- Power outages and refrigeration
- Emergency Commercial Refrigeration Repair
Walk-in coolers and freezers
Warm boxes, ice, leaks and when a walk-in is failing.
- Walk-in cooler not cooling
- Walk-in freezer ice buildup
- Water and ice on the floor
- Signs Your Walk-In Cooler Is Failing
- Walk-In Cooler Repair Bay Area
- Walk-In Cooler Installation Services
- Walk-In Cooler Repair Cost Guide for Businesses
- Walk-In Cooler Repair Cost: Restaurant Owner’s Price Guide
Reach-ins, prep tables, display cases and ice machines
Self-contained equipment in kitchens and stores.
- Reach-in and prep table problems
- Display case problems
- Ice machine problems
- Commercial Ice Machine Repair & Service | Bay Area
Compressors, noises, alarms and leaks
The mechanical side, and how technicians find refrigerant leaks.
- Compressor problems
- Noises and temperature alarms
- Refrigerant Leaks: Causes, Symptoms & Repair Costs
- Refrigerant Leak Detection: How Techs Find Leaks
- What Causes HVAC Compressor Failure?
- Commercial Condensing Unit Replacement | Bay Area
Refrigerant rules and inspections
EPA, CARB and county health rules that affect your equipment.
Maintenance, energy and replacement
Keeping equipment running and deciding when to replace it.
- Maintenance schedule
- Lower refrigeration energy costs
- Repair or replace?
- Commercial Refrigeration Maintenance Services
- Preventive Maintenance Saves on Refrigeration Repairs
- Grocery Store Preventive Refrigeration Maintenance
- Cooling System Inspections for Restaurants & Grocers
Guides and services by business
Background reading and service pages.
- Bay Area Commercial Refrigeration Systems Guide
- Commercial Refrigeration Education
- Reliable Refrigeration for Food & Beverage Businesses
- Common HVAC Problems in Restaurants
- Commercial Refrigeration Services Bay Area - | COOL AID
- Commercial Refrigeration San Jose
- Restaurant HVAC & Refrigeration San Jose
- Winter HVAC for Bay Area Businesses
Commercial refrigeration by city
Our city pages cover the businesses and utilities in each area.
- San Jose
- San Jose walk-in repair
- San Jose ice machines
- Santa Clara
- Sunnyvale
- Cupertino
- Campbell
- Los Gatos
- Milpitas
- Mountain View
- Los Altos
- Palo Alto
- Redwood City
- Fremont
- Newark
- Hayward
- Dublin
- Pleasanton
- Livermore
- Walnut Creek
- Morgan Hill
- Gilroy
- All service areas
When you need a technician
Cool Aid's technicians are EPA Universal certified, and the company holds California C-20 and C-38 licenses. We are factory-authorized service for True, Traulsen, Turbo Air, Dukers, Manitowoc Ice, Hoshizaki and Scotsman, and every job carries our 1-year parts and labor warranty.
Refrigeration down now? Call our 24/7 line at 1-800-266-5243. Planning maintenance? See commercial refrigeration maintenance.
Schedule refrigeration service →
Frequently asked questions
What temperature must a commercial refrigerator hold in California?
Potentially hazardous food must be held at 41°F or below, with a few listed exceptions such as raw shell eggs (Health and Safety Code 113996).
How long is food safe after a walk-in cooler fails?
State guidance says food at 50°F or above is discarded, and food above 41°F for four hours or more is discarded (CDPH). See food safety when refrigeration fails.
Do I have to close if my refrigeration fails?
County guidance says yes when you cannot keep food cold. Santa Clara County's handout says facilities must close when adequate refrigeration cannot be provided (Santa Clara County DEH). Call your county's environmental health office.
How often should an ice machine be cleaned?
At the manufacturer's recommended frequency, which California law requires (Health and Safety Code 114117). Manitowoc says every six months; see ice machine problems for others.
Can we still get R-404A for our old walk-in?
In California, newly produced high-GWP refrigerants like R-404A can no longer be sold; existing systems are serviced with reclaimed refrigerant. Refrigerant rules for businesses explains what that means for repairs.
How often should condenser coils be cleaned?
Manufacturers range from every 90 days (Turbo Air reach-ins) to every six months (Heatcraft condensing units). Greasy or floury kitchens need the short end.
Last reviewed 24 September 2026. Food-safety guidance and refrigerant rules change; each guide links the official source.
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