Commercial Ice Machine Repair in Raleigh, Durham & Chapel Hill
Repair, Cleaning & Preventative Maintenance
Boer Brothers repairs, cleans, and maintains commercial ice machines across the Triangle, including Manitowoc, Hoshizaki, Scotsman, and Ice-O-Matic. There is no trip charge and no per-unit fee: billing starts when a technician is dispatched, and having us look at a second machine in the same kitchen costs nothing extra. Technicians are available 8 AM to 9 PM Monday through Friday and 9 AM to 9 PM Saturday and Sunday. We have run restaurant equipment service out of our Chapel Hill shop since 2007.
Call 919-336-0271 or request a technician.
What Does Commercial Ice Machine Repair Cost?
There is no trip fee. Boer Brothers bills an hourly rate to diagnose the machine and a separate hourly rate for the repair, both published openly on our pricing page, and billing starts when a technician is dispatched rather than when the truck reaches your lot. A second or third unit on the same visit costs nothing extra. We eliminated the $95 trip fee and the $87.50 additional-unit fee outright. After-hours and weekend rates are higher and listed alongside the standard ones.
See full rates on our Pricing & Guarantee page →
Ice Machine Brands We Repair
Boer Brothers services Manitowoc, Hoshizaki, Scotsman, Ice-O-Matic, and Kool-Aire commercial ice machines, along with most other commercial brands. Ice maker or ice machine, the equipment is the same and so are the technicians. If your unit isn’t on that list, call anyway: we work across more than 90 equipment brands, and commercial ice machines share the same core refrigeration, water, and control systems no matter whose badge is on the front panel.
Why Is My Commercial Ice Machine Not Making Ice?
Most commercial ice machines that stop producing fail for one of four reasons: a dirty air-cooled condenser, a water supply problem upstream of the machine, a control or sensor fault that leaves the machine stuck in its harvest cycle, or a refrigeration fault such as a leak or a failing compressor. The first two are maintenance problems rather than broken parts, and they are the most common reason we get called out for a machine that has quit.
| What you’re seeing | What it usually means | What it usually takes |
| Production down but not stopped | Dirty air-cooled condenser, or rising ambient kitchen temperature | Condenser cleaning; venting or relocating the machine |
| Machine runs but makes no ice | Stuck harvest cycle, water inlet valve, or sensor fault | Diagnostic, then valve or control board |
| Ice is cloudy, soft, or undersized | Filter past due, low water flow, or scale on the evaporator | Filter change and evaporator cleaning |
| Ice tastes or smells wrong | Biofilm in the water path or on the evaporator | Full sanitation clean and filter change |
| Grinding, squealing, or knocking | Failing fan motor, water pump, or compressor bearing | Diagnostic; noise usually precedes failure |
| Water pooling under the machine | Blocked or badly pitched drain, split supply line, worn seal | Drain clearing, line or seal replacement |
| Short-cycling or tripping the breaker | Electrical fault or failing compressor | Diagnostic; this is the one that decides repair vs. replace |
Does Soft Triangle Water Mean Less Ice Machine Cleaning?
No. Triangle water is genuinely soft, and most ice machine maintenance advice is written for hard-water markets that don’t resemble it. Raleigh Water reports average hardness of 1.47 grains per gallon, and OWASA describes Chapel Hill and Carrboro water as “fairly soft” at roughly 2 grains per gallon. Mineral scale still forms, just more slowly than a generic cleaning interval assumes, and we do deliming work when it does. But the failure that actually shuts Triangle kitchens down is biological rather than mineral: slime and biofilm growing in the water path and on the evaporator plate. That is what makes ice taste wrong, and because it isn’t a mineral problem, a water filter on its own will not stop it. A machine on soft water still needs its interior sanitized on schedule.
How Often Should a Commercial Ice Machine Be Cleaned?
Manitowoc’s service manuals require a full cleaning and sanitizing “a minimum of once every six months.” Hoshizaki’s requirement varies by model, from at least annually up to twice a year, and the manual for your specific unit controls. Those are minimums for normal conditions: high-volume bars, machines in hot kitchens, and machines with poor airflow around the condenser need it more often. Boer Brothers cleans and sanitizes on a set interval, changes the water filter, and inspects the condenser, water lines, and drain while the machine is open.
Scheduled maintenance also catches a condenser choking on kitchen grease and a drain backing up behind the machine where nobody looks. We also handle commercial water filtration and water analysis if your ice quality points upstream of the machine.
How Long Does a Commercial Ice Machine Last, and Is Yours Worth Repairing?
No manufacturer publishes a service-life rating for a commercial ice machine, because what actually determines it is water quality, condenser maintenance, and how many hours a day the machine runs. In practice, repair almost always wins on a machine under seven years old with a single failed component. Past year seven, a large repair on an old machine can easily cost more across twelve months than a rental would. We’ll give you the straight comparison before you spend anything, including what the repair costs, what the machine realistically has left, and what a rental would run per month.
Commercial ice machine rental →
Ice Machine Repair Across the Triangle
Boer Brothers has been based in Chapel Hill since 2007 and services commercial ice machines throughout the Triangle, including:
Raleigh · Durham · Chapel Hill · Carrboro · Cary · Apex · Holly Springs · Fuquay-Varina · Wake Forest · Garner · Hillsborough · Pittsboro · Mebane · Graham · Saxapahaw · Snow Camp · Siler City · Sanford · Smithfield · plus most of Orange, Durham, Chatham, and Wake counties.
Not sure whether we cover you? Call 919-336-0271 and we’ll tell you before you’re stuck without ice.
Ice Machine Repair Questions
When can I get a technician out?
Technicians are available 8 AM to 9 PM Monday through Friday and 9 AM to 9 PM Saturday and Sunday, including after-hours dispatch at a higher rate. Call 919-336-0271 and we’ll tell you the soonest we can be there.
Do you charge a trip fee or a diagnostic fee?
No trip fee. Billing starts when a technician is dispatched, at the hourly evaluation rate on our pricing page. There’s no additional charge to look at a second unit while we’re there.
Will you service an ice machine you didn’t install or rent to us?
Yes. We repair and maintain customer-owned commercial ice machines regardless of who supplied or installed them.
My ice machine is leaking. Does that need handling right away?
Usually yes. Most leaks trace to a blocked or poorly pitched drain line, a split supply line, or a worn seal. Left alone, the water becomes a slip hazard and a sanitation problem before it becomes an equipment problem.
Can you cover ice machines at more than one location?
Yes. We offer commercial maintenance agreements across our services, and they’re set up per location. They aren’t long-term contracts and can be cancelled at any time with 30 days’ notice.
Get Your Ice Machine Back in Service
Tell us the brand, the age, and what it’s doing. We’ll get a technician scheduled and tell you up front what the evaluation will cost.
