A silent walk-in cooler can create a loud problem for a Charleston business. When this customer called our office, the unit was no longer cooling after a power outage and surge the day before. We arrived at 10:30 a.m. ready to trace the failure, protect the equipment, and find a reliable path back to steady cooling.
Commercial refrigeration repair is a core part of our work at Arctic Air Inc. We serve Charleston and the surrounding Lowcountry with cooler, freezer, tanks, ice machine, and HVACR service for local businesses.
Starting With the Electrical Damage
The customer had already noticed a burned wire coming from the compressor.
That visible damage gave us an important starting point, but we did not assume it was the only issue. We replaced the capacitor, then tested the compressor and its plug to confirm they were not shorted to ground.
That step mattered. We needed to rule out deeper electrical damage before asking the walk-in cooler to carry a full cooling load again.
Once the capacitor was replaced, the system still would not run normally.
It was stuck in a high-pressure lockout, a safety condition that stops operation when the controls detect excessive pressure. We temporarily bypassed the pressure switch for diagnostic purposes and confirmed that the switch was the problem.
Watching the Temperature Fall
After we removed the failed switch from the circuit, the unit began dropping temperature by 10 degrees every 10 minutes. That was a strong cooling rate and showed that the compressor and refrigeration system could pull the box temperature down once the faulty control was isolated.
We then went to the supply house to obtain the specific pressure switch required for the unit. After returning to the Charleston site, we installed the correct replacement rather than leaving a temporary bypass in place.
Planning the Follow-Through
Pressure switch removal and replacement can affect the refrigerant charge, so we recommended watching the cooler through the weekend to confirm that it continued reaching its target temperature. If the system needed more refrigerant, the customer already had a factory-sealed jug of R-404A available for the next service step.
That recommendation gave the customer a practical way to track performance without claiming the system needed refrigerant before the operating data proved it. The cooler was pulling down at a good rate when we completed the repair, and the customer was satisfied with the work provided.
For local restaurants, retailers, and facility managers, a walk-in cooler failure can quickly disrupt normal operations. Our commercial refrigeration team handles repairs, inspections, and preventive service across the Charleston area, with emergency help available when cooling equipment cannot wait.
Schedule Walk-In Cooler Service in Charleston
Submit a service request to schedule a walk-in cooler diagnostic visit in Charleston, SC. Acting when temperatures first begin to rise can help limit downtime and give our team more options for a focused repair.
