What Happens When You Call Cool Aid for Refrigeration Repair

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Updated November 11, 2026

Before you call: what to have ready

If food is at risk, call first and gather these while you wait. If it is not urgent, having them ready shortens the diagnosis.

• What is down. Walk-in cooler or freezer, reach-in, prep table, display case, beer cave or ice machine, and whether more than one unit is affected.
• What it is doing. The temperature now and when it started rising. Ice on the coil, water on the floor, a new noise, or a unit that will not start.
• Any code on the display. Write it down exactly or take a photo. Our error code guides explain the common ones by brand.
• The data plate. A phone photo of the label with the make, model and serial number helps the technician bring the right parts and check the warranty.
• What you already checked. Power, breaker, set point, door and gasket, and a clear condenser. The first-60-minutes checklist lists the checks that are safe for staff.
• Access. Where the condensing unit is (roof, side yard or mechanical room), how to reach it, and when someone can let the technician in.

Is the unit still under the manufacturer's warranty, or leased? Read who should fix your refrigeration before you book anyone. The warranty or the lease may say who does the work.

When we work and where

• Open 7 days a week, 8 AM to 5 PM.
• Emergency service until 9 PM, 7 days a week.
• Santa Clara, San Mateo and Alameda counties, plus San Francisco. See all service areas.
• Some of our staff speak Vietnamese.

How soon a technician can come depends on the day's calls and where you are, so ask when you call.

What the technician checks

Diagnosis comes before any repair, because the same symptom can have several causes. A warm box can be a dirty condenser, a failed fan motor, a defrost fault, a control problem or a refrigerant leak.

• Temperatures: the box, the product and the air coming off the coil.
• Airflow: the condenser and evaporator coils, the fans, and anything blocking them.
• Defrost: heaters, the timer or controller settings, and the drain line.
• Electrical and controls: voltage and amperage, the contactor, the thermostat or electronic controller and its probes.
• The refrigerant circuit, if needed: gauges on the system to read the pressures. Federal rules require EPA Section 608 certification for technicians who service equipment that could release refrigerant. Our technicians hold EPA 608 Universal certification.

Codes and temperatures written down before the visit help here. An intermittent fault that is not happening when the technician arrives is the hardest kind to find. See how a walk-in cooler works for what each part does.

The price, and your OK, before the repair

Once the fault is confirmed, the technician explains what failed, how it was confirmed and what the repair involves, then quotes it. You decide whether to go ahead.

A clear quote names:

• the failed part, with its model number if it is being replaced;
• the labor;
• the refrigerant type and amount, if any refrigerant work is involved;
• whether a second visit is needed for a part that is not on hand;
• the warranty on the repair.

Ask for it in writing if you need it for your records or your landlord. For a big repair on older equipment, ask for a replacement price alongside it. Our repair vs replace calculator and repair or replace guide help you compare the two.

Is a service call fee normal?

Yes. Commercial refrigeration companies normally charge for the trip and the diagnosis, and some credit that charge toward the repair. Ask about ours when you call, including whether an evening call is priced differently. We do not publish repair prices on this site, because the price depends on what failed.

To see what drives repair prices before you call, read our cost guides for walk-in coolers and freezers, commercial refrigerators and ice machines.

Refrigerant work and the records that come with it

Since 1 January 2026, appliances holding 15 pounds or more of HFC refrigerant fall under EPA leak-repair rules. When refrigerant is added to a covered commercial refrigeration system, the owner or operator must calculate the leak rate. Above 20%, the leak must be found and repaired within 30 days, with initial and follow-up verification tests, and the records kept for three years. Refrigerants with a GWP of 53 or less are exempt.

Ask the technician whether your system is in that range, and ask for the refrigerant type and amount added, and any test results, on your invoice so your records are complete. See commercial refrigeration rules in 2026.

After the repair

• The unit is run and its temperatures checked before the technician leaves.
• Keep the invoice. It is your repair history for the next repair-or-replace decision, and your record of refrigerant added.
• Repairs we complete carry our 1-year parts and labor warranty. If the same fault comes back, call us.
• If the visit found wear that will fail later, such as a dirty condenser or a tired fan motor, ask whether a maintenance agreement makes sense for your equipment.

Who you are dealing with

Cool Aid A/C and Refrigeration is a family business founded in 1966. California contractor license #776244 covers the C-20 and C-38 (refrigeration) classifications, and you can check it on the CSLB site. We have factory training on Manitowoc, Hoshizaki, Scotsman, True, Traulsen, Turbo Air and Dukers equipment.

Want to check any contractor, us included? Read how to choose a commercial refrigeration contractor, or see our case studies.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• EPA: Section 608 technician certification
• EPA fact sheet: AIM Act leak repair requirements (Jan 2026)
• 40 CFR 84.106: leak repair (Cornell LII)
• CSLB: Check a License

Published by Cool Aid A/C and Refrigeration, a family business serving the Bay Area since 1966. California contractor license #776244 (C-20, C-38); owner Jim McKinny is its qualifying individual. Repairs we complete carry our 1-year parts & labor warranty.