If your walk-in is warming up right now, call 508-521-9477. We answer 24/7 and we can have a tech onsite in 90 minutes across our core service area. Don’t wait — every hour above 40°F is product loss + insurance paperwork.
Armus Refrigeration is the commercial repair division of Armus Mechanical. 15+ years of emergency response across Southeastern MA and RI. EPA Section 608 certified, fully licensed and insured. We pick up the phone; you talk to a real technician, not an answering service.
What “emergency” means to us
Emergency = your refrigeration is failing or has failed and you’ve got product, customers, or a health-code clock on the line. Specifically: walk-in or reach-in temp drifting above 40°F; freezer above 10°F; visible ice melt; equipment cycling abnormally or making unusual noise; complete failure (no power, won’t start, breaker trip).
Not an emergency: door gasket needs replacement, scheduled preventative maintenance, evaluation for a new install. Those go on the next-business-day calendar.
Our response process
1. Call comes in. Edward or whoever’s on-call picks up. Triage on the phone: what’s the symptom, what’s the unit doing, brand and approximate age, what’s at risk.
2. Dispatch with stocked truck. We pre-load the truck for the most likely failure based on triage. Saves a parts run.
3. On-site diagnosis. 30–60 minutes typically. We give you the failure cause + repair scope + total cost before doing any work.
4. Fix-or-temp-solution decision. If we have the part, we fix it. If we don’t, we either source it from a 24/7 supply house (some parts available same-night within 50 miles) OR put a temporary solution in place so you don’t lose product overnight.
5. Document. Photos of the failed component, photos of the replacement, written summary. Goes on your invoice.
What to do while you wait
Stop opening the door. Every opening dumps cold air and accelerates the temp climb. Tell staff to plan trips: get everything you need in one open, then close.
Move high-value or temp-sensitive product to a working unit if you have one. Seafood, dairy, anything cooked-and-cooled, anything ready-to-eat — those go first. Raw protein has a longer safe window.
Check the basics: Is the breaker tripped? (If yes, reset once. If it trips again, leave it off — that’s an electrical fault, don’t keep cycling it.) Is the condenser fan running? Is the condenser coil visibly clogged? Is anything blocking airflow around the unit?
Don’t: open the unit to try to fix it yourself. Don’t add ice to the box (water everywhere, plus it raises humidity and accelerates evaporator icing). Don’t unplug-and-replug — that can damage the compressor.
Take a temperature log. Tape a thermometer inside, write down the time + temp every 30 minutes. Insurance loves this.
Equipment we respond to
Walk-in coolers and freezers (every brand, every size).
Reach-in coolers and freezers (True, Beverage-Air, Traulsen, Continental, etc.).
Ice machines (Hoshizaki, Manitowoc, Scotsman, Ice-O-Matic).
Prep tables and undercounter units.
Glass-door merchandisers and display cases.
Blast chillers and blast freezers.
Beverage coolers and kegerators.
Specialty refrigeration (hospital, lab, blood-bank, pharmacy) — yes, but call first to confirm we can respond within your facility’s required timeframe.
Service areas + response time bands
Core area (90-min ETA target, day or night): Greater Boston, Greater Worcester, Quincy / South Shore (Hingham, Plymouth, Brockton), New Bedford / South Coast (Fall River, Taunton, Lakeville, Dartmouth, Acushnet, Mattapoisett), Cape Cod core (Hyannis, Falmouth), Greater Providence (Pawtucket, Cranston, Warwick).
Extended area (call for ETA): Outer Cape (Provincetown, Wellfleet), Newport County RI, Pioneer Valley (Springfield), MetroWest (Framingham, Natick), North Shore (Salem, Lynn).
Outer area: We’ll come if we can — but it’s not a 90-min ETA. Be honest about the distance and we’ll be honest about when we can be there.
After-hours pricing
Service call minimum (after-hours, weekends, holidays): $325. OT labor rate: $185/hour. Refrigerant + parts at standard rates. All quoted upfront before any work.
This is more expensive than business-hours service (where the call minimum is $185). It’s also less expensive than losing a $3,000 walk-in of inventory.
Brands we work on (emergency response)
All major commercial brands. Most common units we see: Walk-ins: Norlake, Kolpak, Master-Bilt, Bally, American Panel, Crown Tonka. Reach-ins: True, Beverage-Air, Traulsen, Continental, Migali. Ice machines: Hoshizaki, Manitowoc, Scotsman, Ice-O-Matic, Follett. Display: Federal Industries, Structural Concepts, Hussmann.
Service areas (city pages)
Massachusetts: Boston, MA, Worcester, MA, Cambridge, MA, Quincy, MA, Fall River, MA, New Bedford, MA, Hyannis, MA, Falmouth, MA, Plymouth, MA, Hingham, MA, Brockton, MA, Taunton, MA
Rhode Island: Providence, RI, Newport, RI, Warwick, RI, Pawtucket, RI
Related services
Walk-In Cooler Repair · Walk-In Freezer Repair · Ice Machine Repair · Commercial Refrigerator Repair · Reach-In Cooler Repair
Frequently asked questions
How fast can you actually get here?
Core service area (Greater Boston, South Coast, Cape Cod core, Greater Providence) — 90 minutes day or night is our target ETA. Extended area (outer Cape, Pioneer Valley, far RI) — call 508-521-9477 for a real ETA, we won’t pad it. We pick up the phone 24/7; you talk to a tech, not an answering service.
My walk-in is warming up RIGHT NOW. What should I do while I wait?
First: call us. Then: don’t keep opening the door (every opening dumps cold air). Move the highest-value or temperature-sensitive product to a working unit if you have one. Check that the condenser fan is running (if not, the unit isn’t pulling heat out — turn the breaker off and back on once, but only once). Tape a thermometer inside so you have a temperature log when we arrive.
Will my product be safe?
Depends on time + temperature. FDA rule of thumb: refrigerated product is safe up to 4 hours above 40°F. Frozen product has more buffer — 24–48 hours in a closed freezer holds product if the door stays shut. We’ll diagnose and quote on-site; if the repair will take longer than safe-window, we can usually source temporary refrigeration.
What does after-hours service cost?
$325 service call + $185/hour OT rate, plus parts. Quoted upfront before any work. No surprise invoicing — what we tell you on the phone is what you pay (barring something major surfacing during diagnostics, in which case we re-quote before continuing).
What if you can’t fix it tonight?
We’ll do everything we can to get you operational — that might be a temporary solution (cycling the unit manually, bringing in portable refrigeration, moving product to another unit) — and then come back the next day with the part. We won’t leave you to lose product.
Can you handle insurance documentation?
Yes. We send you photos of the failure, the replaced parts, and a written summary of the work. That’s exactly what your insurance carrier needs for a product-loss claim. Some carriers will reimburse for product loss above your deductible if you have documentation — we make sure you have it.
Are you open on weekends and holidays?
Yes — 24/7/365. Christmas morning, Thanksgiving night, 4th of July weekend, Labor Day. Commercial refrigeration doesn’t care about the calendar and neither do we.
Do you take credit cards on-site?
Yes — major credit cards, ACH/check, and we can invoice if your business has Net-15 or Net-30 terms set up. Just ask when you call.
Need service today? Call 508-521-9477 — answered 24/7 for emergencies.