If your commercial cooler is running constantly, struggling to hold temperature, or you notice an oily residue near the copper fittings, there’s a real chance you have a refrigerant leak. It won’t fix itself, and recharging without finding the source just buys you time before the same problem comes back.
What a refrigerant leak actually looks like
The most common signs kitchen managers notice first:
Unit runs but can’t pull down temperature. The compressor is working harder than normal but the box never gets cold enough. Product temps creep up. Ice cream softens. Proteins hit the danger zone.
Compressor runs almost continuously. A healthy unit cycles. A unit low on refrigerant keeps trying to compensate, so the compressor rarely shuts off.
Oil staining near fittings or the evaporator coil. Refrigerant oil circulates with the refrigerant. When refrigerant escapes, oil follows and leaves a greasy residue or discoloration. Check brazed joints, flare fittings, and anywhere a line enters the cabinet.
Ice buildup in unexpected spots. Low refrigerant charge can cause the evaporator coil to freeze over in a patchy pattern rather than evenly.
Higher electric bills without explanation. A compressor running nonstop draws more power. Not always obvious on its own, but worth noting if you’re seeing the other signs.
Where leaks actually come from
In order of how often I see them:
Vibration-cracked fittings. Compressor vibration over years of service works flare fittings and brazed joints loose. The joints near the compressor and condenser are the first places to check.
Corrosion. Formicary corrosion (also called ant-nest corrosion) eats pinholes through copper tubing by attacking the tube wall from the outside in. It needs organic acids, moisture, and oxygen to get started. The acids can come from cleaning solvents, adhesives, foam insulation, or other materials common in a commercial kitchen. Walk-ins near floor drains or prep tables in wet environments are especially vulnerable. You usually can’t see the damage until there’s already a leak.
Evaporator coil damage. Direct-draw units and reach-ins get cleaned regularly, sometimes aggressively. A screwdriver used to chip ice off a coil, or even a pressure washer aimed too close, can damage the coil.
Age and material fatigue. Older units develop leaks simply from the tubing wearing out over time. If the unit is 10-plus years old and this is the second leak in two years, the economics of repair versus replace deserve a conversation.
What the repair actually involves
Recharging without leak detection is the wrong move. A proper diagnosis starts with a calibrated electronic leak detector swept along the coil, fittings, and line set. Intermittent or hard-to-locate leaks may need UV dye injection or a nitrogen pressure test, where the tech recovers remaining refrigerant, pressurizes the system, and checks for a drop. Once the source is confirmed, the repair depends on what failed — a fitting, a brazed joint, or a coil. After the fix, the system gets pressure-tested again, a vacuum pulled to remove moisture, and recharged to the manufacturer’s spec.
That process takes the right equipment, EPA 608 certification for refrigerant handling, and hands-on experience reading what the system is telling you. Done without those, you risk the leak recurring in the same spot, a code violation, or running the compressor into failure before anyone realizes the charge is still low.
What you can check yourself
A few things are worth ruling out before you call. Check that the condenser coils aren’t blocked with grease or debris — restricted airflow mimics some leak symptoms. Verify the door gaskets are sealing. Confirm the evaporator fan is spinning. If those are all fine and you’re still seeing the signs above, it’s a refrigerant issue and not a homeowner fix.
Don’t add refrigerant yourself. Purchasing it in containers over 2 lbs without EPA 608 certification is illegal. Beyond the legal issue, topping off a leaking system without repairing the source means it escapes again, and running a compressor under low charge starves it of oil return — that burns out the compressor.
Call us
If the box is still holding food, you have a short window to schedule. Don’t push it past the next day. A compressor running continuously under low charge will eventually fail, and a compressor replacement costs significantly more than a leak repair. If temperatures are climbing into the danger zone for stored food, that’s an immediate call.
We handle refrigerant leak diagnosis and repair on walk-ins, reach-ins, ice machines, and prep tables throughout the Bay Area. We’ll get you on the schedule fast, often same or next day when we can. Give us a call through bayarearefrigerationservice.com — we’ll tell you what you’re dealing with and get a tech out.