Refrigeration failures have a clock on them. A walk-in cooler climbing past 41 degrees puts inventory into a countdown, and the loss is usually larger than the repair.
CEI services commercial refrigeration across the Kansas City metro, and our dispatch line runs 24 hours a day because that is when coolers fail.
Equipment we service
– Walk-in coolers and freezers
– Reach-in refrigerators and freezers
– Refrigerated prep tables and sandwich units
– Ice machines and bins
– Display and merchandiser cases
– Remote and self-contained condensing units
– Beer and beverage systems
– Blast chillers
What usually fails
After enough years on the same equipment, the failure modes get familiar.
Iced-over evaporator coils, usually a defrost problem rather than a refrigerant problem. Condenser coils packed with grease and dust on a rooftop unit above a kitchen exhaust. Failed condenser fan motors. Contactors and start components. Door gaskets and heaters that let humid air in and frost build. Refrigerant leaks at flare fittings and Schrader cores. TXV hunting. Compressor failure, which is usually the end of a longer story rather than a sudden event.
The diagnostic question we get asked most is whether a cooler that is “running but not cooling” needs refrigerant. Sometimes. More often it is airflow, defrost, or a control issue, and adding refrigerant to a system that is not undercharged makes it worse.
Refrigerant, EPA rules, and the A2L transition
Refrigerant handling is regulated. Recovery, leak repair thresholds, and recordkeeping all fall under EPA rules, and our technicians are EPA certified.
The industry is also mid-transition to lower-GWP refrigerants. R-22 is long gone from production. R-404A is being phased down and is expensive. New equipment is arriving with A2L refrigerants, which are mildly flammable and carry different service and leak-detection requirements. Our techs carry A2L certification.
If you are running mixed-vintage equipment, the practical question is which units are worth repairing given what they are charged with. We will tell you when a leak repair on an older R-404A system is money better spent on replacement.
Restaurants and kitchens
Most of our refrigeration work is in commercial kitchens, where refrigeration sits next to cooking equipment, exhaust hoods, and heavy electrical load — all of which we also service. A cooler failing because of a tripped breaker or a grease-loaded condenser is a different call than a cooler failing on a compressor, and having one contractor who can chase it across trades shortens the outage.
Preventive maintenance
Scheduled refrigeration maintenance covers condenser coil cleaning, evaporator and drain line clearing, defrost cycle verification, door gasket and heater inspection, refrigerant charge and leak check, and electrical connection tightening.
Coil cleaning is the one that pays for itself. A condenser coil coated in kitchen grease raises head pressure, drives up amp draw, shortens compressor life, and eventually stops holding temperature on the hottest day of the year.
Frequently asked questions
My walk-in is running but not holding temperature. What is wrong?
Most often airflow, defrost, or a control problem rather than low refrigerant. Iced evaporator coils, a dirty condenser, a failed fan motor, or a defrost timer issue all present the same way. A technician needs to check superheat and subcooling before anyone adds refrigerant.
How fast can you respond to a cooler down?
Refrigeration emergencies are dispatched around the clock. Call 816-221-0006.
Do you service ice machines?
Yes — cleaning, descaling, water filtration, and component repair on commercial ice machines and bins.
What temperature should a commercial cooler hold?
Coolers are generally held at or below 41°F and freezers at 0°F or below, though your local health jurisdiction sets the standard you are inspected against.
Is it worth repairing an older R-404A system?
Sometimes. R-404A is being phased down and has gotten expensive, so a significant leak repair or compressor replacement on aging equipment often costs more over three years than replacing it. We will price both.