Field Notes from the Service Truck

Troubleshooting guides, maintenance frameworks, and hard-won lessons from 60 years servicing commercial refrigeration and HVAC across Texas. Written for facility managers, restaurant owners, and grocery operators who need to make decisions before the tech arrives.

Grocery · Decision Guide

Grocery Refrigerated Case Repair vs. Replace: A 2026 Decision Guide

Open-air, glass-door reach-in, or low-temp meat case down? Here is the math on when to repair, when to replace, and what to expect for each common failure in Texas grocery refrigeration.

May 21, 2026 · 8 minRead →
Ice Machines · Hoshizaki

Hoshizaki KM-Series Repair: A DFW Service Guide

KM-260, KM-515, KM-901, KM-1340 down? Learn the most common failures (harvest thermistor, hot gas valve, water inlet solenoid, scale) and when to call for same-day Hoshizaki-certified service.

May 20, 2026 · 7 minRead →
Rack Refrigeration · Texas Water

Texas Hard Water Is Destroying Your Rack Refrigeration (And How to Stop It)

Texas water averages 15-25 grains per gallon of hardness. Scale silently kills condensers, ice-machine evaporators, and compressors. Here is the damage pattern and the prevention playbook.

May 19, 2026 · 9 minRead →
Troubleshooting

Walk-In Cooler Temperature Rising? 7 Things to Check Before You Lose Inventory

Your walk-in is climbing past 41°F and you have $8,000 of product inside. Here's the diagnostic order our techs follow — what you can check yourself, and what needs a service call.

April 2026 · 7 min read Read →
HVAC Troubleshooting

Why Your Rooftop AC Won't Stop Cycling: Commercial RTU Short-Cycling Causes

A rooftop unit that turns on and off every few minutes is shortening its compressor life and burning through your power bill. We walk through the four most common causes and which ones you can rule out before calling a tech.

April 2026 · 8 min read Read →
Operator Education

Commercial vs Residential Refrigeration: Why Your AC Guy Can't Fix Your Walk-In

The differences between residential and commercial refrigeration are larger than most operators realize — and hiring the wrong tech can cost you a compressor, a refrigerant charge, or worse, a Health Department citation.

April 2026 · 6 min read Read →

Equipment Down Right Now?

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