How quickly can you reach Portola Valley for a refrigeration call?

Portola Valley shares our Peninsula route day with Hillsborough, and the drive from San Ramon runs about 50 to 60 minutes on I-680 south and CA-92 or I-280. The arrival time comes in writing once a window's booked.

We lost power for two days in a PG&E shutoff. Is our Sub-Zero okay now that the power is back?

Usually, but not always. A long outage or the surge when the grid restores can damage the compressor start relay even if the unit sounds like it is running fine. We meter the relay and the compressor draw before we call it good, and we can talk through what to check with the food inside before we arrive.

What's involved in fixing a sealed-system leak on a 20-year-old built-in out here?

I track down the leak location first, then put parts and labor in writing before touching anything. It's usually two visits, one to find and order the part, one to install and bench-test it. I'm EPA 608 certified and always weigh the refrigerant charge in on a scale.

REFRIGERATION REPAIR · PORTOLA VALLEY

Refrigeration Repair · Portola Valley, CA

Sub-Zero and built-in refrigeration repair in Portola Valley 94028, including outage recovery.

$99 diagnostic (credited toward the repair)
Same or next-day best effort
CSLB #1136642

Call (925) 999-4095

Refrigeration Repair in Portola Valley

Refrigeration Repair in Portola Valley.

Portola Valley is 94028, oak-and-redwood hills off Alpine Road and Portola Road, with ranch properties toward Skyline and older custom homes in the Ladera-adjacent pockets. Sub-Zero columns and U-Line wine reserves are the regular call list, and this is a wildfire-aware community where PG&E public-safety power shutoffs happen more here than most towns I service. A multi-day outage on a full column is a real food-spoilage risk, and it changes what I look at when the power comes back.

After a long outage the compressor and start relay take the hit, either from the outage itself or from a surge when the grid restores, and I meter both before I assume the unit is fine again on its own. The outer roads toward Skyline still run on well water, and a Sub-Zero or Bosch icemaker line on a well property is a common place to find sediment fouling the inlet filter, a different failure than the sealed-system work. On the older units in the Ladera-adjacent homes, 12 to 25 years old, I still see the standard sealed-system leak, and that one gets diagnosed to the leak location before I quote it.

What the work looks like

A built-in sealed-system leak repair.

Nitrogen pressure and a soap-bubble test on a built-in fridge line set. We map every leak source before we braze.

The corroded copper up close. After fifteen-plus years this is why a real fix rebuilds the sealed run, so you do not pay the labor twice.

ADRIUM technician brazing a copper refrigerant line onto a compressor with a torch during a sealed-system repair — Brazing a new line onto the compressor during the same kind of sealed-system repair. Recover, braze, evacuate, and recharge: the real fix, done as one complete job.

Water and ice systems

The water inlet valve, a common fridge leak.

Every fridge with a dispenser or ice maker has a water inlet valve. The fittings can leak under the cabinet, or the solenoid fails and the dispenser and ice maker stop getting water.

Common repairs we do

What we close on the truck.

Sub-Zero column, compressor or start relay fault after a PG&E outage. A multi-day power shutoff or the surge on restoration can damage the compressor start relay. We meter it before we assume the unit recovered on its own.
Icemaker inlet filter fouled by well-water sediment. Fine sediment from a well line clogs the inlet filter on the icemaker water line. We clear and flush the line before we look at the icemaker module itself.
Sealed-system service on aging built-ins. Compressor or evap-side leak on 12 to 25 year-old units in the older Ladera-adjacent homes. I recover the charge, weigh it in on a scale, and pull a 24-hour vacuum. It's typically two visits, one to find and order the part, one to install and test it.
U-Line wine reserve in a ranch-property garage, temp drift. Ambient swings in an uncooled garage push the zone off spec, usually pointing to a damper or fan rather than the sealed system. I verify it with a 24-hour hold before I put together a quote.

Pricing and warranty

What it costs. What we stand behind.

$99

Diagnostic visit. Credited toward the repair.
3 mo to 2 yr

Parts and labor warranty on completed repairs, from 3 months to 2 years depending on the type of repair. In writing before we start.
CSLB

#1136642. Bonded and insured. We file warranty paperwork when applicable.

Nearby cities

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FAQ

Refrigeration Repair in Portola Valley questions, answered.

How quickly can you reach Portola Valley for a refrigeration call?

Portola Valley shares our Peninsula route day with Hillsborough, and the drive from San Ramon runs about 50 to 60 minutes on I-680 south and CA-92 or I-280. The arrival time comes in writing once a window's booked.
We lost power for two days in a PG&E shutoff. Is our Sub-Zero okay now that the power is back?

Usually, but not always. A long outage or the surge when the grid restores can damage the compressor start relay even if the unit sounds like it is running fine. We meter the relay and the compressor draw before we call it good, and we can talk through what to check with the food inside before we arrive.
What's involved in fixing a sealed-system leak on a 20-year-old built-in out here?

I track down the leak location first, then put parts and labor in writing before touching anything. It's usually two visits, one to find and order the part, one to install and bench-test it. I'm EPA 608 certified and always weigh the refrigerant charge in on a scale.

Need refrigeration repair in Portola Valley?

Tell us what is broken. We will quote it.