When a walk-in starts warming up at a City Center restaurant or an ice machine quits before a Saturday rush in Phoebus, you need one call that fixes it. Ace Mechanical repairs commercial refrigeration across the Peninsula: walk-in coolers and freezers, reach-ins, prep tables, ice machines and display cases. The same team also handles your cooking equipment, plumbing, gas and rooftop units. We diagnose the problem, give you one flat-rate price, and start only when you approve it.
Ace is family-owned and has served Hampton Roads since 1986. We're licensed and insured in Virginia (contractor license #2705120886). Open 7 days, 7 AM–8 PM.
Cooler, freezer or ice machine down? Call (757) 495-7782. Calling is the fastest way to reach us. You can also request service online.
Restaurant refrigeration repair on the Peninsula
Who repairs walk-in coolers on the Peninsula? Ace Mechanical does. We repair walk-in coolers and freezers, reach-ins, prep tables and ice machines for restaurants in Newport News, Hampton, Yorktown, Poquoson and Williamsburg.
We're based in Virginia Beach and serve the whole Peninsula. We plan routes around bridge-tunnel traffic so the arrival time we give you on the phone is a realistic one.
Peninsula kitchens run hard. Restaurants around City Center at Oyster Point and Port Warwick run long hours. Kitchens in Phoebus, downtown Hampton and Coliseum Central depend on walk-ins, ice machines and cooking equipment all shift. Williamsburg and Yorktown restaurants cook for seasonal crowds, so peak weekends are exactly when equipment can't fail.
Here's how a service call works:
- Protect your product. If a box is above safe temperature, we tell you right away so you can move product while we work. Virginia's food regulations require cold-held food at 41°F or below.
- Diagnose the whole system. We check temperatures, coils, airflow, refrigerant pressures, defrost and doors, not just the thermostat.
- One flat-rate price. We explain what failed and what the repair costs. The price doesn't change if the job runs long, and nothing starts until you say yes.
- Verify it's holding. On walk-ins, we watch the box pull down before we leave and show you the reading.
Commercial diagnostic rates are quoted when you call. See how our pricing works.
The cold side: walk-ins, reach-ins, prep tables and ice machines
Walk-in coolers and freezers
Watch for a thermometer above 41°F in the cooler or above 0°F in the freezer, ice on the evaporator, water under the box, or a condensing unit that won't stop running. We repair condensing units, evaporators, defrost controls, door gaskets and frame heaters, drain lines, and refrigerant leaks. Most walk-in repairs are done on the first visit because our trucks carry the common motors, controls and electrical parts. More on walk-in cooler and freezer repair.
Reach-ins, prep tables and display cases
Line refrigeration sits in the hardest spot in the building: hot, greasy and opened hundreds of times a shift. Grease-coated condenser coils and worn gaskets cause most of the failures we see. We service one-, two- and three-door reach-ins, sandwich and pizza prep tables, under-counter units, back-bar and keg coolers, and deli and bakery cases. If your prep rail pans run warm while the cabinet is cold, we check the lid, pan depth, coil and rail fan to find which one it is. See reach-in and prep table refrigeration.
Ice machines
Do you service ice machines in Newport News? Yes. We repair, descale and sanitize ice machines in Newport News, Hampton and across the Peninsula, including modular heads on bins and under-counter units.
Ice is food under Virginia's food code, so the machine needs to be clean, not just running. Call us if it's making little or no ice, or thin, cloudy or hollow cubes. The same goes for leaks, pink or black slime, or a machine stuck in harvest. A cleaning visit covers descaling, sanitizing, the condenser and water filter, and a freeze-and-harvest test. Most manufacturers call for cleaning and sanitizing at least every six months. See ice machine repair and cleaning.
We work on all major commercial brands, including True, Traulsen, Beverage-Air, Turbo Air, Hoshizaki, Manitowoc and Scotsman.
The hot side, water and air in the same visit
Can one company handle refrigeration, the cook line and plumbing? Yes. Ace repairs refrigeration, cooking equipment, plumbing, gas lines and HVAC, so one call covers the hot side, cold side, pipes and air.
That matters because kitchen systems depend on each other. A walk-in that won't hold temperature might be a refrigeration fault. It might also be a failed door heater, a clogged drain line icing the evaporator, or a rooftop unit that lets the kitchen hit 95°F and overworks the condensing unit. Separate contractors each see one piece of that. One team that services all of it finds the actual cause the first time.
- Cooking equipment. Gas and electric ranges, fryers, griddles, charbroilers and ovens. Our Virginia license includes gas fitting, so we can repair the gas connections behind the line too. See cooktops, fryers and ovens.
- Plumbing and hot water. Hand sinks, 3-compartment sinks, floor drains, grease trap lines, and commercial water heaters and booster heaters. See commercial plumbing and drains.
- Air. Rooftop units, split systems, exhaust fans and make-up air. See commercial HVAC and rooftop units.
Kitchen Care Plan for Peninsula restaurants
What does the Kitchen Care Plan include? One Ace team for refrigeration, cooking equipment, plumbing, gas and HVAC, with scheduled preventive maintenance, priority dispatch, one invoice and a flat monthly rate. It starts with a free kitchen walkthrough.
- Free walkthrough. We tour your kitchen with you, list every piece of equipment, note its age and condition, and flag anything already close to failing.
- A written plan and a flat monthly rate. A maintenance schedule built around your equipment and hours, and one price for it.
- Scheduled visits. We clean condenser coils, check refrigerant temperatures, inspect door gaskets and drain lines, test gas connections and safeties, and check water temperatures at sinks and dish machines.
- Priority when something breaks. Plan members go to the front of our dispatch list, and repairs are billed at plan rates on the same invoice. You get a written service log after every visit.
Plan visits also include a quick check of the equipment items health inspectors look at, so you aren't finding out during the inspection. The plan fits independent restaurants, bars, cafés, bakeries, school and church kitchens, and small groups with two to ten locations. Learn more about the Kitchen Care Plan.
How often should commercial condenser coils be cleaned? In a working kitchen, reach-in condenser coils need cleaning every one to three months. Units near fryers and griddles collect grease faster and need it more often. A clogged coil is the most common cause of a warm reach-in, and dirty condenser coils are one of the most common reasons refrigeration fails in summer.
Areas we serve on the Peninsula
- Newport News: City Center at Oyster Point, Port Warwick, the Jefferson and Warwick corridors, Hilton Village, Hidenwood, Denbigh, Kiln Creek, Lee Hall, Riverside and Newmarket. Newport News service area
- Hampton: Downtown Hampton, Phoebus, Coliseum Central, Buckroe Beach, Fox Hill, Wythe, Willow Oaks, Northampton, Aberdeen Gardens and the Langley area. Hampton service area
- Yorktown and York County: Yorktown and Riverwalk Landing, the Route 17 corridor, Tabb, Grafton, Seaford, Dare and the Bethel Manor area. Yorktown and York County
- Poquoson: local restaurants and seafood businesses that depend on refrigeration and ice. Poquoson service area
- Williamsburg and James City County: Merchants Square, the Richmond Road corridor, New Town, Toano, Norge and Lightfoot. Williamsburg service area
Frequently asked questions
Who repairs walk-in coolers on the Peninsula?
Ace Mechanical repairs walk-in coolers and freezers for restaurants and commercial kitchens in Newport News, Hampton, Yorktown, Poquoson and Williamsburg. Call (757) 495-7782 and you'll get a flat-rate price before any work starts.
Do you service ice machines in Newport News?
Yes. We repair, descale and sanitize ice machines in Newport News and across the Peninsula, including Hoshizaki, Manitowoc, Scotsman, Ice-O-Matic and Follett units.
Can one company handle refrigeration, the cook line and plumbing?
Yes. Ace repairs refrigeration, cooking equipment, plumbing, gas lines and HVAC, so one call covers the hot side, cold side, pipes and air.
How often should commercial condenser coils be cleaned?
In a working kitchen, every one to three months. Units near fryers and griddles collect grease faster and need cleaning more often.
What does the Kitchen Care Plan include?
One team for refrigeration, cooking equipment, plumbing, gas and HVAC, with scheduled preventive maintenance, priority dispatch, repairs at plan rates on one invoice, a written service log, and a flat monthly rate. It starts with a free kitchen walkthrough.
Do you come across the bridge-tunnel to the Peninsula?
Yes. We serve Newport News, Hampton and the rest of the Peninsula, and we plan routes around bridge-tunnel traffic so we can give you a realistic arrival time.
One call for hot side, cold side, pipes and air
Call (757) 495-7782 and tell us what's down and where. You'll get a straight answer, a flat-rate price and a time, and you approve the price before we start. Prefer to write it out? Request service online.
Open 7 days, 7 AM–8 PM · Family-owned since 1986 · Licensed & insured in Virginia