Who We Are — And Why That Matters to You

Arctic Cool Refrigeration started in 1984 with one truck and one idea: show up fast, fix it right, don't play games with the bill. Forty years later, that's still exactly what we do. We're a family-owned HVAC and commercial refrigeration company based in Calabasas, California. We've never franchised. We've never outsourced. Every single person who walks through your door works for us full-time, has passed a background check, and holds a NATE certification — the highest credential in the HVAC industry.

We grew the old-fashioned way: one happy customer telling another. A restaurant owner tells his neighbor. A property manager tells three more. That's how you get to 847 five-star Google reviews without running a single ad asking for them.

Our Story — Four Decades in LA's Commercial Cold Chain

In 1984, most people had never heard the term "commercial refrigeration contractor." The industry was dominated by general handymen who'd troubleshoot a walk-in cooler the same way they'd fix a leaky faucet. We started Arctic Cool because restaurant owners and grocery store managers deserved better than that. They deserved technicians who understood compressor oil migration, TXV superheat settings, and why a 1°F variance in a walk-in cooler can cost a restaurant its health department rating.

We got our C-38 refrigeration contractor license from the California State License Board and went to work. The first decade was restaurants in the San Fernando Valley — Calabasas steakhouses, Woodland Hills delis, Encino pizza shops. Word traveled. By the mid-90s, we were servicing grocery chains, hotel kitchens, and medical cold storage facilities across LA County. The 2008 recession put a lot of contractors out of business. We survived because commercial refrigeration isn't optional — when a walk-in goes down, you call someone that night, not next quarter. COVID made us an essential business. We kept LA's food supply chain running while most of the city shut down.

Forty years later, we've seen every brand, every failure mode, and every building code revision the state of California has thrown at this industry. We've transitioned from R-22 to R-410A to R-404A to the newer low-GWP refrigerants. We've gone from analog thermostats to cloud-based monitoring systems. The tools changed. The urgency didn't. A restaurant owner at 2am with $40,000 in product on the line doesn't care about your company's founding story — they care whether you can get there in two hours and fix it. We can. We do. We have, thousands of times.

Our Technicians — C-38 Licensed, NATE-Certified, Commercially Trained

We don't hire residential HVAC techs and hope they figure out commercial refrigeration on the job. Every technician at Arctic Cool has a minimum of five years in commercial refrigeration before they get their own truck. Most have 10 or more. They carry NATE certifications, EPA Section 608 Universal certifications for all refrigerant types, and ongoing factory training from manufacturers like Hoshizaki, True, Manitowoc, Turbo Air, and Traulsen.

Every hire goes through a background check and drug screening. They show up in a uniform, on time, in a fully stocked service vehicle. They diagnose with meters and manifold gauges, not guesswork. They explain what's wrong in plain English before they touch anything. And they clean up when they leave. This sounds basic, but ask any restaurant owner who's dealt with the other guys — it's not.

Commercial Refrigeration & HVAC Repair in Los Angeles

Commercial work is where we cut our teeth. When a restaurant's walk-in cooler dies on a Friday night in July, the owner doesn't have days — they have hours before $10,000, $20,000, even $40,000 in food goes bad. When a hotel's ice machine goes down during a packed weekend, every bartender and every guest feels it. We built our company around that kind of urgency.

Here's how that looks in practice: every one of our service trucks rolls with the most common replacement parts — compressors, fan motors, thermostats, contactors, capacitors — for the brands we see every day. When you call, a real person picks up the phone. Not a recording, not a call center in another state. A live dispatcher who can tell you exactly when a technician will be there. Usually, that's the same day.

We work on walk-in coolers, walk-in freezers, reach-in coolers, commercial ice machines (Hoshizaki, Manitowoc, Scotsman), display cases, salad bars, beer coolers, flower coolers, prep tables, blast chillers, commercial HVAC rooftop units, VRF systems, and full kitchen refrigeration lines.

Industries We Serve Across Los Angeles

• Restaurants & commercial kitchens — Walk-in coolers, freezers, prep tables, ice machines, exhaust hoods. From single-location taquerias to multi-unit restaurant groups. Commercial refrigeration repair →
• Grocery stores & supermarkets — Display cases, open merchandisers, deli cases, produce coolers, frozen food reach-ins. We service independent markets and regional chains across LA County. Commercial freezer repair →
• Hotels & hospitality — Kitchen refrigeration, banquet prep coolers, rooftop HVAC units, guest-area climate control. We work with boutique hotels in West Hollywood and full-service properties in Beverly Hills. Commercial HVAC →
• Medical labs & pharmacies — Temperature-critical storage for vaccines, biologics, and specimens. Calibrated monitoring, alarm systems, and compliance documentation. Walk-in cooler repair →
• Florists & flower shops — Floral coolers require precise humidity and temperature control that general HVAC techs rarely understand. We do. Flower cooler repair →
• Wine bars, cellars & tasting rooms — Custom cooling systems for collections from 200 bottles to 5,000+. Split systems, ducted systems, and through-wall units sized to the room. Wine cooler repair →
• Convenience stores & gas stations — Reach-in coolers, beverage merchandisers, ice cream freezers, and beer caves. Walk-in freezer repair →
• Bars & breweries — Draft beer systems, glycol chillers, kegerators, and glass-door beer coolers. Beer cooler repair →
• Coin laundries & laundromats — Commercial HVAC for high-heat, high-humidity environments. Ventilation, exhaust, and climate control that keeps equipment running and customers comfortable. Commercial heating →
• Food trucks & mobile kitchens — Compact refrigeration units, undercounter coolers, and mobile ice machines built to handle LA's heat and vibration from the road. Ice machine repair →

Luxury Appliance Repair — Sub-Zero, Viking, Wolf, Thermador & True

A lot of HVAC companies won't touch high-end residential equipment. The margins are thin, the parts are expensive, and the homeowners expect perfection. We welcome it. We've been servicing luxury appliances in Malibu, Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Calabasas, and Pacific Palisades homes for decades.

We're factory-trained on Sub-Zero built-in refrigerators and freezers, Viking ranges and ventilation, Wolf dual-fuel ranges and cooktops, Thermador column refrigerators, and True Residential undercounter units. We service Miele dishwashers, Bosch appliances, and U-Line beverage centers. If it's a premium brand and it's in a kitchen in Los Angeles, we've fixed hundreds of them.

We also design and install custom wine cellar cooling systems — from 200-bottle closet conversions to 5,000-bottle underground vaults. Your wine collection might be worth more than your car. We treat it that way.

Residential HVAC — AC Repair, Heating & Installation in Los Angeles

On the residential side, we handle AC repair and installation, furnace installation, full HVAC system replacements, ductwork, mini-splits, and whole-home VRF systems. We do heat pump conversions for homeowners switching off gas. We service all major brands — Carrier, Lennox, Trane, Daikin, Mitsubishi, Goodman, Rheem, York.

Every installation starts with a Manual J load calculation. That's not a sales pitch — it's the only way to correctly size HVAC equipment for your home. Most companies skip it because it takes time. We don't skip it because a wrong-sized system costs you money every single month: it cycles too often, wears out faster, and never keeps the house comfortable. Right-sized systems run quieter, use less energy, and last 15–20 years instead of dying at 8.

Every installation we do meets California Title 24 energy code — not because we have to, but because it's the right way to build a system that actually performs in LA's climate.

Our Work — See What We Do

Our Process — What to Expect When You Call

We've handled thousands of service calls. Here's exactly how it works:

• Step 1: Call or schedule online. Dial (800) 685-5590 and a live person answers — not a phone tree, not a voicemail box. Tell us what's going on: what equipment, what symptoms, how urgent. If it's after hours, our AI receptionist Lisa takes your details and dispatches a tech immediately for emergencies.
• Step 2: Same-day dispatch. We send the nearest available technician with a fully stocked service vehicle. For commercial emergencies (walk-in down, kitchen overheating), we prioritize — most arrive within 2–4 hours across Greater LA.
• Step 3: Diagnose and quote before any work. The technician inspects the equipment, identifies the problem, and gives you a written estimate before touching anything. No surprises. If the repair doesn't make financial sense, we'll tell you that too — and recommend replacement options with honest pricing.
• Step 4: Repair with OEM parts, test and verify. We use original equipment manufacturer parts whenever available. After the repair, we run the system through a full test cycle — checking pressures, temperatures, amp draw, and airflow — to make sure it's actually fixed, not just temporarily running.
• Step 5: Follow-up. For major repairs and installations, we check back to make sure the system is holding. If something isn't right, we come back at no additional charge. That's the guarantee.

Our Warranty & Satisfaction Guarantee

Some companies bury a 30-day labor warranty in the fine print and call it a day. We think that's insulting. Here's what we actually stand behind:

• 100% satisfaction guarantee on every job. If the repair doesn't hold or the installation isn't right, we come back and fix it at no charge. No arguing, no runaround.
• Manufacturer warranty on all parts. We use OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts whenever possible. When we install a compressor, it carries the full manufacturer warranty — not some third-party aftermarket window.
• Labor warranty on installations. Our installation labor is warranted well beyond the industry standard. Ask us for specifics on your project — it depends on the system and scope, and we'll put it in writing before we start.
• No hidden fees. Written estimates before we touch anything. You'll know the price before we turn a wrench. If the repair costs more than expected, we call you first. Always.

Compare that to companies offering 30-day labor warranties and 90-day installation coverage. We've been in business 40 years. You don't survive four decades by cutting corners on warranty work.

Certifications, Licenses & Insurance

When we say "licensed and insured," we mean it. We hold a C-38 HVAC contractor license with the California State License Board. Every technician on our team is NATE-certified and EPA Section 608 certified for refrigerant handling. We carry full commercial general liability insurance and workers' compensation coverage. If someone gets hurt on your property during a job, you're protected. Not every contractor can say that honestly.

Environmental Responsibility — EPA-Certified Refrigerant Handling

Commercial refrigeration systems contain refrigerants that are regulated by the EPA under Section 608 of the Clean Air Act. Improper handling — venting refrigerant into the atmosphere, skipping leak checks, topping off a system without finding the leak — is illegal and damages the ozone layer. We take this seriously. Every Arctic Cool technician holds EPA Section 608 Universal certification, covering all refrigerant types: high-pressure (R-410A, R-407C), medium-pressure (R-134a), and low-pressure (R-123) systems.

We recover and recycle refrigerants on every job. When systems are decommissioned, we handle proper disposal through EPA-approved facilities. We've transitioned hundreds of commercial systems from legacy R-22 (phased out in 2020) to modern alternatives like R-404A, R-448A, and the newer low-GWP options California is pushing toward. When we recommend a system replacement, energy efficiency is always part of the conversation — not because it sounds good in a brochure, but because a properly sized, high-efficiency system saves a restaurant owner $200–$400 a month on their electric bill. Every installation we perform meets or exceeds California Title 24 energy standards.

Part of the Los Angeles Community Since 1984

We're not a national chain with a call center in another time zone. We live here. Our office is in Calabasas. Our technicians drive these freeways every day. We've watched restaurants open, grow, and become institutions — and we've kept their kitchens running the entire time. Supporting local businesses isn't a marketing line for us. It's literally what we do, every day, and have done for four decades. When you hire Arctic Cool, the money stays in LA, the jobs stay in LA, and the person fixing your equipment knows your neighborhood.

Why Los Angeles Businesses & Homeowners Choose Arctic Cool Over Other HVAC Companies

• Same-day service, 7 days a week. We dispatch the day you call. Weekends and holidays included for emergencies.
• Live dispatchers — real people, not robots. When you call (800) 685-5590, a human answers. They know our schedule, our trucks, and your area.
• Parts stocked on every truck. Common components for the brands we see most — compressors, motors, capacitors, thermostats. Less waiting, fewer return visits.
• Transparent pricing with written estimates. No surprises. No "oh by the way" charges after the job is done.
• 40+ years of LA-specific experience. We know the equipment, the building codes, the climate challenges, and the urgency of running a restaurant, hotel, or grocery store in this city.
• Luxury appliance expertise. Sub-Zero, Viking, Wolf, Thermador, True, Miele, Bosch — factory-trained, not guessing.
• 100% satisfaction guarantee. If we don't get it right, we come back. Free.
• One company, no subcontractors. The person who shows up works for us. Period.

Areas We Serve in Greater Los Angeles

Arctic Cool Refrigeration is headquartered in Calabasas and covers the entire Greater Los Angeles area. Our trucks are on the road daily across the western San Fernando Valley — Calabasas, Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, Woodland Hills, West Hills, Chatsworth, and Northridge. We serve the Malibu coast and Santa Monica Mountains. We cover the Westside: Santa Monica, Brentwood, Bel Air, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, and Century City. We're across the central Valley — Sherman Oaks, Encino, Tarzana, Van Nuys, Burbank, and Glendale — and east to Pasadena and the 626 corridor.

For commercial emergencies, we respond across all of LA County. For a complete list of neighborhoods, visit our Service Areas page.