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Commercial refrigeration in a professional kitchen
Commercial Refrigeration Specialists

Commercial Refrigeration Breakdown, Repair & Maintenance

If a fridge, freezer or cold room has failed, we attend commercial refrigeration breakdowns across mainland UK with 24/7 emergency callout. Our engineers carry common parts and fix most faults on the first visit. We also cover planned maintenance and replacement equipment for cold rooms, blast chillers and ice machines.

Strong first-time fix rate

Manufacturer partners

Foster commercial refrigeration manufacturer logo
Williams commercial refrigeration manufacturer logo
Gamko commercial refrigeration manufacturer logo
Adande commercial refrigeration manufacturer logo
Hoshizaki commercial refrigeration manufacturer logo
Cold room down?
01438 878363

Simon 07814 486945Max 07955 280779You can also WhatsApp Simon and Max

Last reviewed:

Arch Catering & Refrigeration provides nationwide repair, planned maintenance, and new equipment supply for commercial refrigeration, from upright fridges, freezers and fridge freezers through to walk-in cold rooms, blast chillers, and ice machines. Choose your starting point below.

Breakdown

Fridge or cold room down right now?

Why a refrigeration failure is a food safety event, and how to reach an engineer.

A breakdown is a food safety event, not just a broken machine

This is the part most operators deal with last and get asked about first. An environmental health officer may want to know what failed, how long stock was above temperature and what you did about it. Our service report documents refrigerant pressures, leak detection results and the remedial work, which is what your paper trail needs.

Office hours are Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 17:00. Outside them a breakdown still reaches someone directly, and refrigeration sits alongside the rest of our emergency catering equipment repair cover.

01438 878363

Simon 07814 486945Max 07955 280779You can also WhatsApp Simon and Max

Repair

Commercial Refrigeration Repair, Mainland UK

Reactive repair for every class of commercial refrigeration and catering cooling, from under-counter fridges to walk-in cold rooms and ice machines.

Arch Catering & Refrigeration provides nationwide repair for commercial refrigeration. Our qualified engineers carry parts, and anything else needed is on site the next day to keep downtime to a minimum. Rapid response and a strong first-time fix rate across upright fridges and freezers, walk-in cold rooms, blast chillers, ice machines, display refrigeration, and cellar cooling systems.

Equipment we repair

  • Upright commercial fridges, freezers and fridge freezers
  • Counter and under-counter refrigeration
  • Walk-in cold rooms and freezer rooms
  • Blast chillers and shock freezers
  • Ice machines
  • Display refrigeration and bottle coolers
  • Cellar cooling systems
  • Refrigerated transport and trailer units

Common faults we fix

  • Refrigerant leaks (F-Gas mandatory leak detection)
  • Compressor failure
  • Condenser fan motor and capacitor faults
  • Expansion valve and TXV issues
  • Defrost cycle and timer faults
  • Thermostat and probe failure
  • Door seal and gasket failure
  • Evaporator drain blockages and ice build-up

Temperature-critical breakdowns affecting food safety are prioritised. Most repairs complete on the first visit; where parts are required, typically back in service within 24–48 hours.

Call 01438 878363

Simon 07814 486945Max 07955 280779You can also WhatsApp Simon and Max

PPM & Servicing

Refrigeration Maintenance Done Properly

Refrigeration runs 24/7, preventive maintenance is the difference between a planned 30-minute service and a 4am emergency callout.

  • F-Gas mandatory leak detection (legal requirement)
  • Refrigerant top-up and recovery
  • Condenser coil cleaning and airflow check
  • Evaporator inspection and defrost-cycle verification
  • Door seal and gasket replacement
  • Temperature and pressure logging with audit ready report
Get a tailored refrigeration PPM plan

PPM ROI for refrigeration

60-70%

Fewer breakdowns

40%

Longer equipment life

20%

Lower energy use

Indicative figures from PPM-managed commercial refrigeration vs reactive-only operations.

Legal Compliance

F-Gas Regulation: What Operators Must Do

UK Regulation 2014/517 makes leak-checking, refrigerant logging, and certified engineering legally mandatory for commercial refrigeration.

What F-Gas requires

In plain English: if your refrigeration contains F-Gas refrigerant, it must be serviced by a certified engineer, checked for leaks at the right interval, and documented properly. Arch handles the engineering work and provides the visit records your business needs for audit evidence.

Uncertified work voids manufacturer warranties, breaches environmental law, and exposes the operator to fines of up to £200,000. See gov.uk F-Gas guidance.

What we manage for you

  • Qualified engineer attendance for service, repairs, installation, and decommissioning.
  • Leak checks scheduled around the refrigerant charge in each system.
  • Refrigerant additions and recoveries recorded for your system register.
  • Clear service reports suitable for environmental and food-safety audits.
Technical detail: mandatory F-Gas leak-check intervals
Refrigerant chargeInspection interval
5+ tonnes CO₂eEvery 12 months
50+ tonnes CO₂eEvery 6 months
500+ tonnes CO₂eEvery 3 months

Intervals halve where automatic leak-detection is fitted. Our PPM contracts schedule visits to match your refrigerant charge automatically.

Documentation we provide

Every visit ends with a service report logging refrigerant pressures, leak-detection results, any additions or recoveries, and remedial work carried out. Records align with UK F-Gas Regulation record keeping requirements, inspection ready for environmental audits and food-safety inspections.

New Equipment

Specifying the Right Refrigeration

Service volume, refrigerant choice, ambient temperature, parts availability, vendor neutral specification, certified install, manufacturer warranty registered.

Vendor Neutral Specification

Equipment specified for your operation, not for our margin. Service volume, refrigerant choice, ambient temperature, and parts availability all factor in.

Lifecycle Costing

Cheapest is rarely cheapest to own. We weigh energy consumption, refrigerant cost, parts availability, and expected lifespan over a 7-10 year horizon.

Professional Installation

Every install is properly commissioned by a qualified engineer. Manufacturer warranty validated on your behalf at handover.

Integrated PPM

Engineers familiar with your kit from installation respond faster and predict faults more accurately than first-visit calls.

We supply and install commercial refrigeration nationwide, from a single replacement counter fridge through to full walk-in cold room build and commissioning.

Request an equipment quote

Trusted Partners

Refrigeration Manufacturers We Work With

Established relationships with the leading commercial refrigeration brands in the UK.

Areas Served

Commercial Refrigeration Service Across Mainland UK

Headquartered in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, covering nationwide. Local engineers across the East of England and Greater London, with planned routing for the wider mainland UK.

From our Stevenage base we install and service ice machines across Hertfordshire and the wider county, alongside cold rooms, blast chillers, and commercial fridges and freezers, for hotels, bars, restaurants, care homes and schools. See our commercial kitchen coverage across Hertfordshire.

Finance & Leasing

New commercial refrigeration is a significant capital outlay. Through our finance partner Complete Leasing, we offer tailored solutions that spread the cost across manageable monthly payments, often offset by the energy savings of the new system.

Common Questions

Commercial Refrigeration FAQs

Direct answers to the questions we are most commonly asked, including the F-Gas legal essentials.

Usually repairable. A leak is located, repaired and the system recharged, and under F-Gas rules the leak check and the work are documented. Replacement becomes the better option when the leak is in a part of the system that cannot be reached economically, or when the unit is old enough that the repair cost approaches replacement. We will tell you which case you are in rather than defaulting to a new unit.

Published and reviewed by

Arch Catering & Refrigeration Ltd

Commercial refrigeration content on this page is published by Arch Catering & Refrigeration Ltd and reviewed against our hands on experience servicing commercial catering and refrigeration equipment across mainland UK.

Client Testimonial

“We’ve been using Arch Catering for four years and wouldn’t go anywhere else. Their team of engineers is highly knowledgeable and always responds rapidly to any issues. Whether it’s routine maintenance or a last-minute emergency, they are consistently professional and efficient.”
I

Igor

Maintenance Manager, Hotel Paddington

One Specialist for Your Refrigeration

Repair, F-Gas-compliant PPM, supply, and installation, from a team that knows your equipment.

Refrigeration breakdown? Call us first. We’ll prioritise your callout and tell you honestly what we can do and how quickly.

Simon 07814 486945Max 07955 280779You can also WhatsApp Simon and Max