Restaurant Refrigeration Services Brisbane

Most restaurant refrigeration callouts in Brisbane fall into a small set of failure modes. Knowing what they look like helps you spot them early — before they cost you stock.

1. Condensers choked with kitchen grease and lint. The single most common cause of warm walk-in coolrooms. We strip and steam-clean condenser coils as part of every scheduled service.
2. Failed door gaskets. A worn gasket on a busy undercounter fridge can add 15–25% to that unit's power bill and stop it holding 5°C during service. Replacement gaskets fit most makes and we carry stock.
3. Refrigerant leaks. Brazed joints, capillary tubes and Schrader valves all leak eventually. We pressure-test, repair, recover and recharge with the correct refrigerant — no top-ups without finding the leak first.
4. Iced-up evaporators. Usually a faulty defrost timer, failed defrost element or blocked drain. Easy to fix once you isolate which one.
5. Tripped compressors. Often caused by undersized power circuits, dirty condensers or low refrigerant — we diagnose root cause rather than just resetting the contactor.
6. Wet floors and ceiling drips. Almost always a blocked condensate drain or a missing trap. A 15-minute fix that prevents a $4,000 ceiling replacement.

Restaurant refrigeration in Australia is regulated by three overlapping frameworks. We make sure your fitout and ongoing maintenance satisfy all three so council audits and insurance claims are non-events.

• FSANZ Standard 3.2.2 — potentially hazardous food at ≤5°C (chillers) and ≤-15°C (freezers, -18°C target), with documented temperature monitoring. We supply calibrated data loggers and weekly probe-check forms.
• AS/NZS 5149 — refrigeration system safety. Drives charge limits, machinery-room ventilation and pressure-relief requirements, especially for venues using flammable A2L or A3 refrigerants.
• ARCtick licensing & the HFC Phase-Down — only ARCtick-licensed technicians can handle refrigerant in Australia. The federal HFC Phase-Down is reducing the supply of high-GWP gases like R404A; we'll tell you up-front whether your existing equipment is at end-of-life or worth retrofitting.

Indicative 2026 prices for Brisbane restaurant refrigeration. Final quote depends on access, power upgrades and brand. Use these as a planning guide, not a fixed estimate.

• Standard service & full clean (single piece of equipment): $240–$380.
• Refrigerant leak repair + recharge (small split system): $650–$1,400.
• Replacement undercounter prep fridge supplied & installed: $3,200–$6,500.
• Modular walk-in coolroom 3m × 2.4m supplied & installed: $18,000–$28,000.
• Combined cool/freezer room with split condensing unit: $32,000–$55,000.
• Preventative maintenance plan (typical 12-piece kitchen, quarterly): from $2,400/yr.

Hart Air services restaurants across the Brisbane CBD, North Brisbane, Redcliffe Peninsula, Moreton Bay, Pine Rivers and the wider Brisbane North corridor — including Brendale, Burpengary, Caboolture, North Lakes, Albany Creek and the Sunshine Coast hinterland. If you're outside our standard zone, call us — we travel for established venues.