The box is warm. Everything in it is on a clock.
Massachusetts law gives you four hours before product in the danger zone has to be thrown away. That is the real deadline — not the repair. We fix walk-in coolers and walk-in freezers, and only those, because a specialist gets the diagnosis right the first time.
Tell us what the box is doing
Two fields. We call you back. Or ring the line directly — it is answered live, day or night.
No email address needed. We answer the phone (617) 545-0199 around the clock — diagnostic $185, credited against the repair.
Most walk-in failures are one of five things: a defrost cycle that is not running or terminating properly, a condenser choked with kitchen grease, a refrigerant leak, a door that no longer seals, or a drain that has frozen. Four of those five are cheap. The trick is telling them apart before anyone replaces a compressor.
Five failures, and what each one really costs
Written by people who have stood in the box. If your symptom is here, you already know more than most quotes will tell you.
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01
Coil iced solid, box climbing
Defrost is not running, terminating early, or one heater element in the bank has gone open — which is why the ice always returns to the same corner. Chipping the ice off and leaving is why you are calling someone again in five days. Correct fix is to confirm heater amp draw on every element and verify the termination sensor is on the last circuit to clear.
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02
Fine at night, trips every afternoon
That is head pressure, not refrigerant. A condenser packed with grease-laden kitchen air, a failed fan capacitor, or a unit sitting too close to a wall with nowhere to reject heat. It shows up on the first properly hot day and it is a cleaning and an airflow problem, not a compressor problem.
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03
Only loses temperature from November onwards
The New England signature failure, and the one most often misdiagnosed. Below about 50°F outside, an outdoor condenser over-condenses, head pressure collapses, the expansion valve starves and the box drifts up. It gets called “low on gas” and topped off — and that overcharge kills the compressor the following July. The real fix is low-ambient head pressure control.
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04
Water on the floor, ice ridge at the door
A drain line that has frozen, usually because the heater has failed or the P-trap was installed inside the box where it cannot help but freeze. Cheap to fix, a slip hazard and a health-inspection finding if it is left.
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05
Frost on the ceiling near the door
Warm humid kitchen air is getting in and freezing on the coldest surface it finds. A torn gasket, a cam-lift hinge that no longer lifts and drops the door, or a failed frame heater on a freezer. Gaskets and closers are consumables — twelve to thirty-six months in a busy kitchen — and replacing them costs a fraction of the run time they are wasting.
Three things, done properly
A generalist fixes your walk-in between a rooftop unit and a dishwasher. We do not have a rooftop unit to get to.
| Service | What it covers | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Repair | Defrost faults, icing, leaks and charge, compressors and condensing units, fan motors, controllers, EPR valves, doors, gaskets, closers, heaters, drains, panels. | $185 diagnostic $250–$1,200 typical |
| Installation | New boxes and full replacements, remote and self-contained systems, outdoor condensers with low-ambient control, and the permits — ISD plan review, building, electrical and plumbing. | $9,000–$34,000 by size and freezer mix |
| Maintenance | Quarterly or twice-yearly: coil cleaning, drain flush, defrost verification, door and gasket service, superheat and subcool readings, and a documented leak-rate calculation. | from $350 per unit per year |
Ranges are what work like this actually costs in Boston, published so you can budget before you call. The quote you get is a real number for your box, not a range.
Since 1 January 2026, walk-in systems holding 15 pounds of refrigerant or more are subject to a leak-rate calculation every time refrigerant is added, an annual leak inspection, and a 30-day repair clock — with forced retrofit or retirement if that clock is missed. The old threshold was 50 pounds. A great many walk-in freezers sit between the two.
We leave you the paperwork, not just a fixed box
Every visit ends with a written report: box and product temperatures, superheat and subcool, what was found, what was done, and the refrigerant leak-rate record you are now expected to keep. No other walk-in contractor in this market hands that over as standard.
Where we go, and how fast
Named towns, not “and surrounding areas”. If your town is not on this list, say so on the phone and we will tell you honestly whether we can get to you.
Core ring — on site within 4 hours on an emergency
Outer ring — same day before noon
Questions we get asked
Answered the way we would answer them on the phone.
How much does walk-in cooler repair cost in Boston?
The diagnostic is $185 and it is credited against the repair. Most repairs land between $250 and $1,200 — a door gasket or drain heater at the low end, a control board or evaporator fan motor in the middle. A compressor replacement runs $2,000 to $4,500, and at that point on an older system it is worth pricing a new condensing unit instead.
Why is my walk-in freezer icing up?
Warm humid air is entering and freezing on the coldest surface, or the defrost cycle is not doing its job. In practice it is a torn door gasket, a door closer that no longer pulls the door shut, a failed defrost heater or termination sensor, or a blocked drain backing water onto the coil. Ice that always returns to the same part of the coil usually means one open heater element in the bank.
How cold should a walk-in cooler actually be?
Set the box between 35°F and 38°F. The Massachusetts Retail Food Code requires temperature-controlled food to be held at 41°F or below, so setting the box at 41°F is a mistake — normal defrost cycles and door swings will push product over the line during an inspection. Freezers run 0°F, or −10°F for ice cream.
Do you work on anything other than walk-ins?
No. Walk-in coolers and walk-in freezers only. We do not do reach-ins, ovens, ranges, dishwashers or home appliances. If you need one of those we will tell you so rather than send someone who will guess.
Can you handle a full walk-in installation, including permits?
Yes, and the permits are the part that ambushes most operators. Installing a walk-in in Boston triggers Inspectional Services health plan review, which takes two to six weeks, plus building, electrical and plumbing permits. We manage that process rather than handing you a list.
Are you available at night and at weekends?
Yes. The line is answered live by a person 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Walk-ins do not fail politely at ten in the morning.