Water around a restaurant cooler or freezer may come from a condensate path, drain pan, defrost event, door condition, ice buildup, a supply connection, or a separate spill. The puddle’s final location does not identify the source. The first response should prevent slips and electrical contact, protect product, and preserve the path from the first wet point to the floor.
The $99 diagnostic is credited toward an approved repair. There is no repair price by phone; diagnose first, then quote. A written estimate comes after diagnosis and before repair work. Follow the restaurant’s safety and product-handling plan while the water condition is being documented.
Make the area safe
Keep staff away from standing water, slippery thresholds, and any outlet, cord, plug, or electrical equipment that may be wet. Use the site’s spill and electrical safety procedure. Do not touch a wet connection, move a heavy cooler, or continue working in a flooded area to find a source.
If smoke, a burning smell, sparking, exposed wiring, or water near power is present, treat it as a safety condition. Do not use a flame to look for a gas issue and do not open a panel.
Find the first wet point
Ask where the water was first seen, not only where it pooled. Look from a safe position at the door edge, gasket, threshold, underside, nearby plumbing, visible drain area, and floor slope. Record whether the water is clear, mixed with food, icy, or accompanied by frost.
Take a photo before cleaning when that can be done safely. Note whether the water returns after a door opening, a defrost event, a cleaning cycle, a power return, or normal operation. Do not create an event just to see if water comes back.
Separate an accessible spill from internal work
Clean an accessible spill only as the site’s procedure allows and only when doing so does not bring hands, tools, or cleaning liquid near power. Keep a record of what was cleaned and where the water had reached.
Do not push a wire, screwdriver, chemical cleaner, or hose into an internal drain. Do not remove an evaporator cover, drain pan, pump, fan guard, or electrical enclosure. A blocked drain, damaged pan, failed pump, defrost problem, or wiring condition must be evaluated by qualified service.
Check the door and temperature clues
Look at whether the door closes and seals. Record a torn gasket, a door held open by a cart, frost at the frame, or a latch that does not engage. A door condition can add moisture and heat, but it does not prove that the drain is blocked.
Record the normal controller or monitoring reading and time. Note a temperature alarm, a new frost pattern, unusual fan sound, or a recent power event. Do not scrape frost, change the set point repeatedly, or reset power as a drain test.
Consider defrost and loading history
Ask when the water appeared relative to a documented defrost or cleaning event. Record whether the cabinet was overloaded, whether product blocked a visible airflow path, and whether the door was opened frequently. These clues help the technician compare moisture load and drain behavior without turning them into a diagnosis.
Keep product handling under the operation’s plan. If water reached packaging or a food area, record what the responsible staff did. Do not decide that food is safe from appearance or smell alone.
Watch for a continuing condition
Keep the issue in service escalation when water returns, the floor remains wet, frost grows, a temperature alarm appears, the door will not seal, a drain area overflows again, or the water is near electrical equipment. Do not promise that wiping the floor or clearing a visible obstruction restored the system.
If the water stops, preserve the first record. A stopped leak can be intermittent. Include what operation occurred before it stopped and whether the cabinet’s temperature and alarm status changed.
Record the cleanup and return
Write what was cleaned, which staff member handled the area, and whether the floor, drain opening, pan, or cabinet was left untouched because it required service. If a mat, bucket, or temporary barrier was used, record it as a safety measure rather than as a repair.
Recheck the accessible floor and visible condition according to the site’s procedure, but do not keep opening the cabinet or running cycles to reproduce the leak. A later dry floor does not erase the original wet point. A later puddle should be added with its time and location so the technician can compare events.
If another appliance, sink, or cleaning hose could have contributed, record that nearby condition as a separate observation. Do not assign the water to the refrigeration drain because it is closest to the puddle. The first wet point and the event timeline are more useful than a location-based guess.
Prepare the refrigeration handoff
Send the equipment location, model and serial if accessible without a cover, first wet point, time, photos, temperature and alarm records, door and frost observations, defrost or power history, cleaning or loading event, product action, and safe access instructions.
For refrigerator work, the warranty terms are 1 year on parts and labor, with 90 days on consumables. The service area is a 56-city service area, excluding Marin County. The commercial refrigeration services hub covers the service category. Use the FAQ and blog for process guidance, and the contact page to pass along the water record.
The repair decision follows an in-person diagnosis and written estimate: $99 diagnostic, credited toward an approved repair.