About
An independent
refrigeration shop
We work on one half of the kitchen. Everything we carry, everything we measure and everything we have learned the hard way is about keeping a built-in cold.
The plain version
Four things worth saying out loud
- Independent Sub-Zero refrigeration service. We are not the manufacturer and we do not act for them.
- Built-in and integrated cooling: columns, side-by-sides, freezer drawers, ice makers and wine storage.
- Diagnosis is carried out in the kitchen. Sealed-system and control work is done on site wherever the unit allows it.
- Factory-approved parts where the design calls for them, and the model number checked against the part before it is ordered.
How we work
Measure first, order second
A built-in that has drifted warm has a small number of possible reasons and a large number of possible parts. Working the other way round — ordering the part that usually fails and hoping — is how a two-hour job becomes three visits and a bill nobody expected. So the visit starts with readings, and the parts list comes out of them.
Some of what we find is not worth repairing, and we will say so. A twenty-year-old sealed system with a slow leak and a discontinued evaporator is a hard conversation, but it is a cheaper one than the alternative.
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Tell us what it is doing
The model and serial off the plate — inside the fresh-food compartment on most columns, behind the base grille on under-counter units — plus what changed and when. Half the diagnosis happens on that call.
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A visit that measures things
Compartment temperatures against the setpoint, evaporator and condenser behaviour, defrost termination, door seal pull. We work out what the unit is actually doing before deciding what to change.
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The number before the work
Parts and labour as one figure, with the alternative if there is one. If a unit is not worth the repair we will say so and you will only have paid the service call.
Coverage
Cambridge, MA
8:00 am – 8:00 pm, seven days. The phone is answered 24/7. The service call is a flat $95 and comes off the bill on an approved repair.
Book it
Get the cold back
Independent service, one brand of refrigeration, one city.
(781) 790-4760
What it costs
Ranges, not a single number
Flat $95 service call covering the visit and full diagnosis, credited against the repair once you approve it. Repairs are quoted in full before anything is opened, and these are the bands most jobs land in.
| Repair | Usual range |
|---|---|
| Door gasket or seal replacement | $270 – $810 |
| Evaporator or condenser fan motor | $300 – $630 |
| Defrost heater, thermostat or sensor | $300 – $660 |
| Ice maker, water valve or supply line | $290 – $640 |
| Electronic control board | $470 – $860 |
| Compressor or sealed-system repair | $980 – $2,220 |
Repair or replace? A comparable new unit is $7,770 to $19,780
A comparable built-in refrigerator, appliance only — before delivery, installation, custom panels or cabinetry work. Undercounter and wine units sit below this band; a column replacement is usually two purchases rather than one.
What moves a job within its band
Which system failed
A door gasket and a compressor are the two ends of the same appliance. Control, airflow and seal faults sit at one end of the range; sealed-system work sits at the other.
Whether the part is current
Parts for a current platform arrive quickly. A discontinued board or a superseded evaporator can mean a supersession lookup and a longer wait, and that shows up in the quote.
How the unit is installed
A unit that rolls forward is a different job from one trapped behind a stone counter and a fixed panel. Access is quoted honestly rather than discovered halfway through.
One visit or two
If the fault is diagnosed and the part is on the van it finishes that day. If the part has to come in, the return visit is included in the quoted figure rather than added afterwards.