Service
Preventive maintenance contracts
Most emergency calls we take were preventable, and cheaply. A fouled condenser and a failed door gasket do not announce themselves. They quietly raise head pressure and run hours up until a compressor gives out on the busiest night of the year.
Answered live, 24/7 (617) 938-5404What a real PM visit includes
A maintenance visit that is just a look and a signature is worth nothing. Here is the actual task list and why each item is on it.
| Interval | Task | Why it is on the list |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly, greasy kitchens | Condenser chemical clean, fan bearing inspection | Kitchen exhaust grease binds to coil fins and is the single most common cause of high head pressure |
| Quarterly | Head pressure trended against ambient | Catches slow degradation months before it is a failure. One reading tells you nothing; four tell you everything |
| Semiannual | Door gaskets, defrost heaters, TXV bulb security and insulation | A loose or uninsulated TXV bulb causes floodback that looks like a dozen other faults |
| Semiannual | Evaporator, compressor and condenser inspection | The three places failures actually originate |
| Annual | Drier replacement if opened, capacitor testing, full electrical audit | Capacitors fail gradually. Replace below 10% of rated microfarads, before the motor overheats |
| Every visit | Drain pan and line clear, slope verified, freezer drain heater confirmed | A refrozen drain line backs water onto the coil. It is the classic New England winter callback |
| Every visit | Thermometer calibration, temperature log check | Massachusetts requires unit thermometers accurate to ±3°F and food probes to ±2°F |
Coil cleaning is done with brush, vacuum, water or a proper coil foam, never acid-based foam. It attacks the fins and the tube, and it buys you a clean-looking coil now in exchange for a leak later.
Refrigerant compliance, handled as part of the contract
If any of your systems hold 50 lbs of refrigerant or more, you have obligations under 40 CFR 82.157 whether or not anyone has mentioned them. Commercial refrigeration carries a 20% annual leak rate trigger. Repairs are due within 30 days of discovery, with a verification test after, and a follow-up verification within 10 days of that. Records are kept three years. A system leaking 125% or more of its full charge in a calendar year has to be reported to the EPA.
Contract customers get that tracking as part of the visit rather than as a panic exercise when somebody asks for the file.
The refrigerant transition, and what it means for your planning
There has been a lot of noise about equipment deadlines. The current position, after the EPA amended the AIM Act Technology Transitions rule in May 2026, is more relaxed than most published advice still says. Supermarket refrigeration systems now sit under an interim 1,400 GWP limit and cold storage warehouses under 700, both until 1 January 2032. Refrigerated lab equipment moved to 2028, industrial process refrigeration to 2030.
In plain terms: the large installed base of older equipment across Greater Boston is serviceable for years yet, and you are not being forced into a capital replacement this year. What has changed is the replacement decision when a unit does die, 310 CMR 7.76 names R-404A among prohibited substances for new equipment in Massachusetts, so like-for-like is closed off even though your existing unit is grandfathered and can keep running.
What it costs and how it is priced
Priced per unit, on a quarterly or monthly schedule depending on the equipment and the environment it lives in. A single reach-in in a quiet dining room and a rack of walk-ins behind a wood-fired grill are not the same maintenance problem and should not be the same price. Contract customers get priority dispatch when something does fail, and a documented service history, which matters more than most operators expect the first time an inspector asks for it.
Common questions
How often should a commercial condenser be cleaned?
Will a maintenance contract actually save money?
Do you provide temperature logs for inspections?
Do I have to use you for repairs too?
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