Walk-in warming up right now? Keep the door shut and call (571) 350-0017.

NorthSide Refrigeration
(571) 350-0017

Since 2010Serving Northern VA

Commercial refrigeration repair in Northern Virginia. Back to cold.

We repair and maintain walk-ins, reach-ins, ice machines and other cold equipment for businesses across Northern Virginia. If a restaurant, store or school kitchen keeps it cold, we work on it.

Call (571) 350-0017 Request service
Contact us

Send us a message

Food warming up right now? Call (571) 350-0017 instead.

  • You talk to our officeWe ask what the unit is and how warm it's running.
  • Arrival windowGiven on that same call.
  • Written price firstNothing gets fixed until you say yes.
  • Service reportWhat was found and what was done.
Unit down?

If a cooler or freezer is warming up right now

Four things to do before and while you call.

  1. 01Keep the door shut

    Each time it opens you lose cold air the unit can't easily get back. Put a note on the door so staff stop checking on it.

  2. 02Check power and the setting

    Make sure it has power and nobody bumped the thermostat. If the condenser fan isn't spinning or the coil is caked with dust, mention that when you call.

  3. 03Write down the temperature

    Note the reading and the time, then check again every half hour or so. You'll want that record for your own food safety decisions.

  4. 04Then give us a call

    Tell us what the unit is and what it's doing. You'll get an arrival window before you hang up.

Temperature check

What does your box read?

Slide the dial to the number on your thermometer. Cold food has to stay at 41 F or below, and freezers should sit at 0 F or colder. The dial tells you whether it can wait or whether it's time to call.

Not sure your thermometer is right? Our guide on walk-in temperatures and what the inspector checks covers how to check it.

What does your box read?
46°
Over 45 F? Call now.

Cold food has to stay at 41 F or below. If a cooler reads higher than that with product inside, keep the door shut and call.

Call (571) 350-0017
What's it doing?

Tap what you're seeing

Get the usual causes, what's safe to check yourself, and the service page that covers it. If food is already warming, skip this and call.

Something else? Describe it in your own words with the Is my cooler down? tool, or call.

Usual causes and safe checks

Ice on the evaporator coil

What usually causes it

  • Defrost not running (timer, heater or controller)
  • Humid air getting in through a bad gasket or a door left open
  • An evaporator fan motor that quit
  • Low refrigerant from a leak

What you can check

  • Are the fans inside the box spinning?
  • Does the door swing shut and seal on its own?
  • Are boxes stacked against the front of the coil?

Don't chip ice off the coil. The tubing is thin and one slip makes a leak.

Call (571) 350-0017Walk-In Cooler Repair
Usual causes and safe checks

Water on the floor

What usually causes it

  • A clogged or frozen drain line
  • A cracked drain pan under the evaporator
  • Ice melting off a coil that froze up

What you can check

  • Look under the evaporator for a drip line
  • See if the drain line is iced where it leaves the box
  • Put a pan down so nobody slips
Call (571) 350-0017Walk-In Cooler Repair
Usual causes and safe checks

Fans not spinning

What usually causes it

  • A failed evaporator fan motor
  • The unit is in a defrost cycle (normal for a while)
  • A control or wiring fault

What you can check

  • Wait half an hour in case it's defrosting
  • Check whether one fan or all of them stopped
  • Listen for the condensing unit running outside
Call (571) 350-0017Walk-In Cooler Repair
Usual causes and safe checks

Clicks but won't start

What usually causes it

  • A failed capacitor, contactor or start relay
  • The compressor overheating and tripping, often from a dirty condenser
  • A compressor at the end of its life

What you can check

  • Check the breaker for the condensing unit
  • Look at the condenser coil for a mat of dust or grease
  • Note how often it clicks

Don't open the electrical panel. Leave that to the tech.

Call (571) 350-0017Compressor and Condenser Repair
Usual causes and safe checks

Sweating doors or foggy glass

What usually causes it

  • A door frame heater that quit
  • A torn or flattened gasket
  • Humid air in the room

What you can check

  • Close the door on a sheet of paper. If it slides out freely, the gasket isn't sealing
  • Check the hinges for sagging
Call (571) 350-0017Refrigerated Display Case and Merchandiser Repair
Usual causes and safe checks

Running all the time

What usually causes it

  • A dirty condenser coil
  • Low refrigerant charge
  • A door that leaks cold air
  • Loading a lot of warm food at once

What you can check

  • Look at the condenser coil
  • Make sure nothing blocks the air around the condensing unit
  • Check the door seal
Call (571) 350-0017Compressor and Condenser Repair
Usual causes and safe checks

Ice machine slow or making no ice

What usually causes it

  • Scale buildup on the evaporator
  • A dirty condenser
  • Low water flow or a clogged filter
  • The machine just needs a full cleaning

What you can check

  • Make sure the water valve behind it is open
  • Check that the switch is set to ice, not clean
  • Look at the room temperature, since hot rooms slow ice
Call (571) 350-0017Commercial Ice Machine Repair and Cleaning
What we repair

Pick the box that's giving you trouble.

Walk-In Cooler RepairCommercial only
01

Walk-In Cooler Repair

Box running warm, iced coil, door won't seal

02

Walk-In Freezer Repair

Frost on the walls, ice on the floor, box above zero

03

Reach-In Cooler and Freezer Repair

Warm reach-in, noisy compressor, sweating doors

04

Commercial Ice Machine Repair and Cleaning

No ice, slow ice, or ice that tastes off

05

Refrigerated Display Case and Merchandiser Repair

Warm shelves, foggy glass, dead lights

06

Prep Table and Sandwich Unit Repair

Warm rail, warm base, iced pans

07

Refrigeration Installation and Replacement

New walk-in systems and worn-out units swapped

08

Preventive Maintenance Agreements

Coil cleaning, ice machine sanitizing, scheduled checkups

09

Compressor and Condenser Repair

Won't start, short cycling, loud condensing unit

10

Refrigerant Leak Detection and Repair

Low charge, oily fittings, slowly losing cooling

11

Temperature Monitoring and Health Code Compliance

Inspector flagged a temp or logs run high

12

Emergency Refrigeration Service

Box is down and product is warming

Inside a walk-in

Where things go wrong

Tap a numbered point to see what fails there, how you'd notice, and what the tech does about it.

36° 1 2 3 4 5
Point 1 of 5

Evaporator coil and fans

What fails
The coil ices over, or a fan motor quits, so cold air stops moving through the box.
How you'd notice
The box creeps up a few degrees, the fans are quiet, or the coil behind them is a solid block of white.
What the tech does
Check the fans, the defrost heaters and timer, and the refrigerant charge, then clear the coil the safe way.
Walk-In Cooler Repair
Point 2 of 5

Door, gasket and closer

What fails
Hinges sag, the gasket tears, or the closer stops pulling the door shut.
How you'd notice
Frost near the door, a door that doesn't swing shut on its own, or a gasket you can slide paper past.
What the tech does
Replace the gasket, adjust or replace hinges and the closer, and check the frame heater on freezers.
Walk-In Freezer Repair
Point 3 of 5

Drain line

What fails
The line from the evaporator pan clogs or freezes, so the water from defrost has nowhere to go.
How you'd notice
Water dripping from the unit on the ceiling, a puddle under it, or ice in the pan.
What the tech does
Clear and flush the line, and check the drain line heater if the box is a freezer.
Walk-In Cooler Repair
Point 4 of 5

Thermostat and controller

What fails
The setting gets bumped, a sensor fails, or the controller stops calling for cooling or defrost.
How you'd notice
The display says one thing and your thermometer says another, or the box swings warm and cold.
What the tech does
Check the setting and the sensor against a calibrated thermometer, then repair or replace the control.
Temperature Monitoring and Health Code Compliance
Point 5 of 5

Condensing unit

What fails
The condenser coil clogs with dust or grease, a fan motor dies, or the compressor won't start.
How you'd notice
The box struggles on hot afternoons, or the unit outside runs nonstop or clicks without starting.
What the tech does
Clean the coil, test the fan motor, capacitor and contactor, and check the compressor and pressures.
Compressor and Condenser Repair
Equipment

What we work on and what tends to go wrong

Every kind of commercial cold box, from a single reach-in to the condensing unit on the roof.

EquipmentWhat usually goes wrongNotes
Walk-in coolersRunning warm, iced evaporator coil, doors that won't sealUsually set around 35 to 38 F
Walk-in freezersFrost on the ceiling and coil, frozen drain line, box drifting above zero0 F or colder
Reach-insDirty condenser coil, fan motors, torn gaskets, a bad controllerOne, two and three door, solid or glass
Ice machinesSlow or no ice, scale, slime, leaksCubers, nugget and flake
Display casesWarm product, fogged glass, iced coils, drain troubleDeli, bakery, meat and grab and go
Prep tablesWarm top rail, frozen food in the drawers, worn gasketsSandwich, pizza and chef bases
Bar and beverage coolersWarm bottles, keg boxes that won't hold temp, foggy doorsBack bar, keg and glass door
Condensing unitsCompressor won't start, short cycling, a noisy fan, a clogged coilOn the roof, on a pad or in a back room
How a service call goes

What happens when you call

  1. 01You talk to our office

    We'll ask what the equipment is, how warm it's running and anything you've noticed.

  2. 02You get an arrival window

    We give you a time range on that same call so you can plan around it.

  3. 03Price in writing first

    The tech finds what's wrong and writes up the price. Nothing gets repaired until you say yes.

  4. 04What failed, and why

    The tech walks you through what broke and what caused it. If you want the old part, just ask for it.

  5. 05A service report after

    Once the box is back down to temperature you get a report of what was found and what was done. It's worth keeping with your temp logs.

Industries

Who we work for

Restaurants, bars and breweries, coffee shops, convenience stores and gas stations, small grocers and markets, bakeries, caterers and food trucks, schools and daycares, churches, nursing homes and florists. If your business has a box that's supposed to stay cold, we can probably help.

Good to know

Commercial equipment only

We don't work on home fridges or residential AC, so for those you'll want a regular appliance or HVAC company.

Display cases, prep tables and the condensing units out back or up on the roof are part of the job too. Home fridges aren't. If the one in your kitchen at home quit, you'll want a residential appliance repair company.

We cover all of Northern Virginia, plus a few towns out at the edges. The service areas page breaks it down by county. Not sure about your address? Call and ask.

The list of services is split up by equipment. If you're wondering whether your walk-in is running too warm for the inspector, there's a guide to walk-in temperatures that covers the 41 F rule and how inspectors check food with a probe thermometer. And if you'd like someone looking at things before they break, ask about maintenance visits.

Service area

Do we come to you?

Type your ZIP code, or tap a county on the map to see the cities in it.

Loudoun CountyPrince William CountyFairfax CountyFalls Church cityFairfax cityArlington CountyAlexandria cityManassas cityManassas Park cityLoudounPrince WilliamFairfaxArlington
Where we workSelected
ZIP check

Enter your ZIP code

We cover all of Northern Virginia.Not sure about your address? Type the ZIP above or call (571) 350-0017.

Prince William County

Manassas, Manassas Park, Woodbridge, Gainesville

We also cover Bristow, Haymarket and Dumfries.

Fairfax County

Centreville, Chantilly, Fairfax, Springfield, Herndon, Reston, Tysons

We also cover Falls Church, Annandale, Vienna, McLean, Burke and Lorton.

Loudoun County

Sterling, Ashburn

We also cover Leesburg and Purcellville.

Arlington County and Alexandria

Arlington, Alexandria

Tips and guides

Worth a read before something breaks

Plain answers on temperatures, cleaning and what to do in the first hour. See all of them.

Service call

Cooler running warm?

Call and tell us what it's doing and what the thermometer says, or send a message with the form at the top of this page.

Call (571) 350-0017Request service
Rooftop condensing units on a commercial building
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