Hoshizaki · Manitowoc · Scotsman · Ice-O-Matic
Ice Machine Repair in Northern Virginia
A bar without ice closes early. Standalone commercial ice machines in restaurants, bars, hotels, and offices, plus undercounter and nugget makers at home — water, harvest, and refrigeration faults diagnosed separately, at a flat rate you approve first.
Start here
Ice machine or ice maker? Not the same repair.
An ice machine is a standalone appliance with its own compressor, water system, and harvest cycle, making ice in batches measured in pounds per day. An ice maker is the small assembly inside a refrigerator freezer — for that, see ice maker repair or the Samsung ice maker page. This page is for the standalone machine.
- Commercial cubers. Hoshizaki KM, Manitowoc Indigo and NEO, Scotsman Prodigy, Ice-O-Matic ICE series — modular heads on bins and self-contained undercounter units.
- Flake and nugget machines. Hoshizaki F-series, Scotsman Nugget, and Sonic-style countertop nugget makers.
- Residential undercounter and clear-ice makers. Scotsman, U-Line, Marvel, KitchenAid, GE Opal.
Book your repair
Repair scheduled around your day, not ours.
Tell us what is going on with your refrigerator and when works for you. We confirm the appointment and arrive inside a two-hour window.
- 01 Choose morning, afternoon, or evening
- 02 All major brands and refrigerator types
- 03 Flat-rate pricing approved before we start
- 04 Licensed, insured, background-checked techs
Service request
Your details are used only to schedule your repair. Prefer to talk? Call (703) 608-3262.
Three systems, three kinds of failure
Ice machine repair, by symptom.
No ice, machine runs and stops
Water. Inlet valve, float switch, or a scaled water pump. Often just a clogged filter.
Thin, cloudy, or small cubes
Water. Low flow from scale on the evaporator plate or a restricted filter. Northern Virginia water is moderately hard — machines here scale faster than the manual assumes.
Ice forms but will not drop
Harvest. Hot-gas valve, harvest assist, or thermistor. The machine freezes up and locks out.
Slow production, long freeze cycle
Refrigeration. Dirty condenser, weak fan, or low charge. Very common in warm kitchens and in summer.
Slime, odor, or pink residue in the bin
Sanitation. Overdue cleaning and sanitizing. Not a mechanical fault, but it blocks sensors — and inspectors look inside the bin.
Error code on the display
Control. Brand-specific. Hoshizaki and Manitowoc codes point straight to the failed system.
The decision
Is the machine worth repairing?
Almost always, for commercial machines. A Hoshizaki or Manitowoc head is built to be serviced for fifteen years or more, and most repairs are water valves, pumps, thermistors, and cleaning — none of which approach the price of a new machine. The exceptions: a failed compressor on a machine over twelve years old, or an evaporator plate that has lost its plating.
Residential undercounter and nugget makers are a closer call. Parts are proportionally expensive, and a machine run without a filter for years may have more than one problem. We tell you the total before we start.
Prevention
The best repair is the one you never need.
- Clean and sanitize every six months — every three in a busy kitchen or with hard water. Manufacturers void warranties on machines with visible scale.
- Change the filter on schedule. Unfiltered water is the leading cause of scale, cloudy ice, and premature valve failure. We install filter systems on machines that have none.
- Keep the condenser clear. Air-cooled machines lose capacity as the room warms; a dirty coil makes it worse.
Cleaning every six months and a filter change on schedule prevents most of the calls on this page.
Get the ice flowing again.
Book an ice machine diagnostic. We test water, harvest, and refrigeration and quote a flat rate before we start. Commercial no-ice calls get same-day priority — call for emergencies.
Save on your repair
Offers that apply to ice machine service.
Any repair
Save $30 on any completed refrigerator repair.
One per household. Not combinable.
Service call
Free service call and diagnostic with any completed repair.
Applies with repair. Restrictions apply.
Holiday special
Extra savings on repairs during holiday periods.
Limited-time seasonal offer.
Mention the coupon when you call or book online.
Good to know
Ice machine repair questions.
We repair Hoshizaki, Manitowoc, Scotsman, Ice-O-Matic, Follett, Kold-Draft, U-Line, Marvel, and GE Opal. If your business also has walk-ins or reach-ins, our commercial refrigeration team handles them on the same visit. Ice machine service is available in Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Woodbridge, Tysons, Reston, and across Loudoun and Prince William counties.
How often should a commercial ice machine be cleaned?
Every six months at minimum, and every three months in a busy kitchen or a location with hard water. Manufacturers void warranties on machines with visible scale, and health inspectors look inside the bin.
Why is my ice machine making less ice in summer?
Air-cooled machines lose capacity as the room warms. A machine rated for 500 pounds a day at 70°F may make 350 at 90°F. A dirty condenser makes it worse. Cleaning the coil and improving airflow usually restores most of the loss.
Do you replace water filters?
Yes. We carry common inline cartridges and can install a filter system if the machine has none. Unfiltered water is the leading cause of scale, cloudy ice, and premature valve failure.
Can you fix a countertop nugget ice maker?
Sometimes. The GE Opal and similar units are repairable for pump, sensor, and auger issues. If the sealed system has failed, replacement is usually the better value, and we will say so.
Do you offer emergency ice machine service?
Yes, for commercial accounts. A bar or restaurant with no ice gets the same priority as a walk-in that is warming. Call rather than book online for same-day service.
Book your ice machine repair.
Before open or between rushes. Two-hour arrival. Flat rate approved before we start.