Austin512-893-TIDE Corpus Christi361-558-6946 Financing available After hours emergency available
Riptide Mechanical LLC logo, the word Riptide in blue with orange diagonal accents above Mechanical LLC in orange

Commercial refrigeration

Commercial ice machine repair.

Ice machines fail slowly and then all at once, and the water side is usually what kills them.

Residential HVAC and commercial refrigeration · TX License TACLA56268C

Cooling or refrigeration down right now?

After hours emergency service is available. Say it is an emergency when you call.

It is almost always the water

Scale from hard water builds on the evaporator plate and inside the water system. Harvest slows, cubes come out thin, cloudy or hollow, the machine cycles longer for less ice, and eventually it stops making a full batch at all. Operators normally notice the shortfall weeks after the cause set in.

That is why a real ice machine service is a deep clean and descale of the water side, not a wipe of the bin. Filtration matters here too, and it is the cheapest insurance on the machine.

The other usual suspects

Bin control and thermostat faults that stop production while the bin is half empty, a dirty condenser working the head pressure up, water inlet valves and pumps, and drain problems that back up and get blamed on the machine.

Sanitation is not optional

Ice is a food product. A machine that is scaled is also a machine that is harder to keep sanitary, and slime in a bin is the kind of thing an inspector photographs. Scheduled cleaning keeps both problems away at once.

A Riptide Mechanical technician working on a packaged rooftop unit on a commercial building roof

Ice machine repair by city

We run crews in two regions. These are the cities where we do the most commercial work. If yours is not here, we almost certainly still cover it, so call the number for your side of the state.

Who we do this for

Before you book

Questions we get on the phone.

Why is my ice cloudy or hollow?
Nearly always scale on the evaporator plate or a water flow problem. It is a symptom of the water side, not a sign the machine is worn out.
How often should an ice machine be cleaned?
Twice a year is the usual floor and some kitchens need it quarterly, depending on water quality and volume. Around Austin the hard water pushes that toward the shorter interval.
Can you replace an ice machine as well as repair one?
Yes. If the machine has been fighting the water for years and the repair is a meaningful fraction of a new head unit, we will say so and quote both.