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Walk-In Coolers
Repair, replacement, gasket and door service, temperature troubleshooting, and full walk-in installs sized for your space and load.
Call for service
When your walk-in, reach-in, or ice machine goes down, every hour costs money — and inventory. Northstar HVAC/R keeps Chicago restaurants, grocers, and food businesses cold, compliant, and running.
EPA-certified refrigeration techs, fully licensed, bonded, and insured for every job.
Cold storage doesn't wait. We answer the phone day, night, weekends, and holidays.
We understand health-code temps, FDA standards, and what's at stake when systems fail.
From the corner deli to a 30,000 sq ft distribution warehouse, Chicago businesses run on refrigeration. When a compressor fails or a freezer drifts out of spec, you need a technician who shows up fast, diagnoses accurately, and gets you back to safe temps before product is lost.
If your business depends on holding a temperature, we keep that temperature stable. Restaurants, grocers, butchers, convenience stores, food distributors, florists, pharmacies, and labs all trust Northstar HVAC/R for refrigeration repair, installation, and preventive service.
Our techs are EPA-certified for refrigerant handling and trained on the makes and models you actually have on-site — Hussmann, True, Manitowoc, Hoshizaki, Heatcraft, Copeland, Russell, and most other commercial brands. We service walk-ins, reach-ins, prep tables, ice machines, refrigeration lines, and the condensers and evaporators that drive them.
Most importantly, we treat your inventory like our own. When you call, we move — because every degree above 41°F is risk on your books and on your health inspection.
Request serviceOne call, one team. Whether it's an emergency repair at 2 a.m. or a planned walk-in install, we handle it end-to-end.
Repair, replacement, gasket and door service, temperature troubleshooting, and full walk-in installs sized for your space and load.
Call for serviceFrozen storage that has to stay frozen. We diagnose defrost issues, ice buildup, low-side problems, and replace failing freezer units.
Call for serviceSingle, double, and triple-door reach-ins, prep tables, undercounters, and merchandisers — repaired or replaced fast.
Call for serviceSlow production, scaled evaporators, dirty water lines, leaks, and full replacements. We service Manitowoc, Hoshizaki, Scotsman, and more.
Call for serviceRefrigeration piping, brazed line work, leak detection, refrigerant recovery and recharge, condenser cleaning, and evaporator coil service.
Call for serviceDon't wait for product loss. Talk to a real refrigeration tech — no phone tree, no sales pitch.
If you see any of these, don't wait. Catching a refrigeration problem early is the difference between a $200 service call and a freezer full of spoiled product.
Walk-in reading 45°F when it should be 38°F. Freezer holding at 10°F. Ice cream getting soft. Once you're outside health-code temps, food safety and inventory are on the line — call us before product turns.
Frost on coils or product means defrost or airflow issues.
Unit kicking on and off rapidly — often refrigerant or controls.
Hissing, grinding, or a chemical smell — shut it down and call.
Ice machine making half its rated output? Time for service.
Drain line clog, gasket failure, or condensate pump problem.
If the inspector flagged you on cold-holding temperatures, we'll get the equipment back in spec, document the repair, and help you put a maintenance plan in place so it doesn't happen again.
Refrigeration is its own discipline. Most HVAC companies dabble in it. We specialize in it — and that's why our commercial clients keep our number on speed dial.
Refrigeration emergencies don't keep business hours. Neither do we — nights, weekends, holidays.
Every tech is certified to handle R-404A, R-134a, R-290, and the newer A2L refrigerants you'll see on modern equipment.
We document repairs, log temps, and know what Chicago Department of Public Health expects when you're in re-inspection.
You'll never get a phone tree. You'll talk to a refrigeration tech who can tell you what's likely wrong before we roll a truck.
From the first phone call to the final temperature check, here's how we handle every refrigeration job.
Tell us what's happening. We'll often diagnose the likely cause on the phone and dispatch the right tech with the right parts.
Our certified refrigeration tech arrives, measures temps, checks pressures, and gives you a clear, upfront price before any work starts.
We complete the repair, verify the system holds spec, document the work, and recommend any preventive steps to keep it running.
Common questions from Chicago restaurants, grocers, and food businesses. Don't see yours? Call us at (224) 398-9199.
From downtown restaurants to suburban grocery chains and warehouse-district food distributors, we cover the whole metro.
Tell us what's going on and we'll get back to you within the hour during business times — or call now for instant 24/7 emergency dispatch.