About Kings Refrigeration
San Francisco appliance and refrigeration repair and sales business operating in the Mission District since 2001.
The directory record lists 3 services across 2 appliance types and names 8 brands. It is listed as both licensed and insured, established in 2001, and states a service area covering San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, and Daly City.
The record carries no email address, no website, and no certifications. A blank field means the source it was compiled from did not publish that detail — not that the company lacks it. Ask on the phone about anything that matters to your job.
Everything stated about Kings Refrigeration on this page comes from that record. The repair costs, part prices, and fault descriptions below are national reference figures for the appliances the company lists — useful for sanity-checking a quote, but not prices Kings Refrigeration has published.
Hours
- Mon–Fri
- 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
- Saturday
- 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- Sunday
- Closed
Service area
- San Francisco
- Oakland
- Berkeley
- Daly City
Services offered
Listed in Kings Refrigeration's own words.
- Refrigerator Repair
- Freezer Repair
- Used Appliance Sales
Appliances serviced, and what those repairs cost
Kings Refrigeration lists 2 of the twelve appliance types in this directory. Each row links to the full repair reference for that appliance and carries four national figures: the diagnostic visit, the typical all-in repair, what a comparable new unit costs, and how long the appliance is expected to last.
| Appliance | Diagnostic | Typical repair | New unit | Avg. life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator repair | $50–$120 | $200–$400 | $1,200 | 14 yrs |
| Freezer repair | $50–$120 | $150–$400 | $600 | 15 yrs |
These are national bands, not quotes for San Francisco, CA. Labor rates track local wages, insurance, and drive time, so the same job costs measurably more in a dense, high-cost metro than in a smaller market, while the part itself costs roughly the same anywhere. Sealed-system refrigerant work, built-in installations, and luxury brands sit at the top of every range because fewer technicians are certified for them and parts are ordered rather than stocked. Get two or three quotes before you commit.
A quote is worth checking against the appliance's remaining value. The rule of thumb built into our value estimator: replace rather than repair once the quote passes about half the price of a comparable new unit and the appliance is past roughly two-thirds of its expected service life. Under both thresholds, repair is almost always the cheaper decision.
Brands serviced, and what each tier means
Kings Refrigeration names 8 brands. Price tier decides more about a repair than the badge does: it sets what a part costs, where it comes from, and whether a general technician can buy it at all.
The best-stocked parts situation in the trade. OEM components are easy to source, aftermarket equivalents exist for most of them, and a technician will often have the common failure on the van rather than ordering it.
Any qualified technician can take the job. Factory-authorised service mainly matters while the machine is still in its warranty period — outside it, an experienced independent is usually faster and cheaper.
OEM parts cost noticeably more and the aftermarket is thinner, so expect an order-and-return visit on anything past the common failures. Because the machine is worth more, a part that would total a budget unit is often still the right call here.
Most independent technicians work on this tier, but ask whether they have had factory training on the line. Control boards, inverter drives and door mechanisms diverge enough between premium platforms that experience is not interchangeable.
Common faults on the appliances they service
Symptom, the cause it most often turns out to be, and whether it is homeowner work or a job that has to go to a technician. Knowing which one you probably have before you call shortens the visit — and sometimes removes the need for one.
- Technician
- Needs a technician — meter diagnosis, a model-matched part, or teardown that is easy to get wrong.
- Homeowner fix
- Safe for a homeowner with basic tools once the appliance is unplugged or the breaker is off.
- Refrigerator
Fridge side is warm but the freezer is still cold
TechnicianThe evaporator fan has stopped, or the damper between the two compartments is stuck shut. One evaporator cools both sides on most modern units, so the freezer holds temperature longest.
Step-by-step: Refrigerator Not Cooling - Freezer
Not holding temperature but still running
Homeowner fixCondenser coils packed with dust, a failed door gasket, or a thermostat that has drifted out of calibration.
Step-by-step: Freezer Not Freezing - Refrigerator
Nothing is cold and the compressor clicks every few minutes
TechnicianA failed start relay or overload protector. The relay plugs into the side of the compressor and rattles when it has failed — the classic five-second test.
Step-by-step: Refrigerator Not Cooling - Freezer
Heavy frost build-up on the walls
TechnicianOn a frost-free model, a failed defrost heater or thermostat. On a manual-defrost chest freezer, a door seal letting humid air in.
Step-by-step: Freezer Frost Buildup - Refrigerator
Runs constantly and the back or bottom grille is hot
Homeowner fixCondenser coils choked with dust and pet hair. The compressor can never reach its cut-out temperature, so it simply never stops.
Step-by-step: Refrigerator Running Constantly - Freezer
Runs constantly and never cycles off
TechnicianA low refrigerant charge, a dirty condenser, or a compressor losing efficiency. Long run times are the first warning of all three.
- Refrigerator
Water pooling under the crisper drawers or ice on the freezer floor
Homeowner fixA blocked defrost drain — usually a plug of ice in the drain tube behind the rear freezer panel. Melt water backs up and finds the lowest point.
Step-by-step: Refrigerator Leaking Water - Freezer
Warm spots in an upright freezer while other shelves are fine
TechnicianThe evaporator fan has stopped circulating air, or the vents are blocked by packed contents.
Step-by-step: Freezer Not Freezing - Refrigerator
Thick frost building on the back wall of the freezer
TechnicianThe defrost heater, bimetal thermostat, or adaptive defrost control has quit, so the automatic defrost cycle never runs and the evaporator ices over.
- Freezer
Lid or door will not seal and frost forms around the opening
Homeowner fixA compressed or hardened gasket, or a lid that has warped. Gaskets are inexpensive and homeowner-replaceable on most chest freezers.
Try it yourself first
Free step-by-step guides for the same appliances Kings Refrigeration services, each one stating the DIY cost against the pro cost — because the honest answer to "should I fix this myself" is usually visible in that gap.
Refrigerator
Refrigerator Not Cooling — Narrow It Down Before You Buy Parts
A refrigerator that has stopped cooling is not one fault but a family of them, and the fastest way to narrow it is to look at the freezer before the fridge. If both compartments are warm, the problem is in the machinery that makes cold — power, the condenser, the compressor circuit. If the freezer is still making ice but the fresh food section has gone warm, the cold is being made and not delivered, which points at airflow rather than refrigeration. Everything below is ordered so the free checks come first and the expensive conclusions last.
- DIY
- $0–$150
- Pro
- $150–$900
- Time
- 45–90 minutes
Freezer
Freezer Frost Buildup — Diagnose the Defrost System
Where the frost is tells you what is wrong. A thin, even dusting on the evaporator coil is normal — every frost-free freezer builds a little and melts it off several times a day. A thick slab of ice packed into the coil fins means the defrost system has stopped working. Frost concentrated around the door or on the food itself means humid room air is getting in. And a manual-defrost chest freezer with even frost on the walls is simply due for its annual defrost and has nothing wrong with it at all.
- DIY
- $15–$150
- Pro
- $150–$450
- Time
- 45–90 minutes plus a 24-hour defrost
Refrigerator
Refrigerator Leaking Water — Find the Source and Fix It
A leaking refrigerator almost never leaks from where you find the water. The puddle is the end of the trail, not the start of it. Four sources account for the overwhelming majority of leaks: a frozen defrost drain, a cracked or loose water supply line, a damaged drain pan, and a door seal that lets humid room air condense inside. Work through them in this order and you will find it.
- DIY
- $0–$80
- Pro
- $150–$400
- Time
- 30–90 minutes
Freezer
Freezer Not Freezing — Systematic Diagnosis
A freezer that runs constantly but cannot get cold is failing to move heat, and there are only four places that happens: heat is leaking in past a bad seal, heat cannot get out through dirty coils, air is not circulating because a fan has died, or the compressor is not running properly. Work through them in that order — the first two are free, and between them they account for most of these calls.
- DIY
- $0–$150
- Pro
- $150–$900
- Time
- 45–90 minutes
Refrigerator
Refrigerator Freezing Food — Why It Runs Too Cold
A fridge that freezes lettuce, splits eggs and turns milk slushy is nearly always an air-routing problem rather than a broken compressor. Most refrigerators have one evaporator in the freezer and meter cold air into the fresh food section through a damper. When that damper sticks open, when a sensor misreads, or when food is parked directly in the airstream, the fresh food compartment drops below freezing while the numbers on the display look perfectly normal.
- DIY
- $0–$90
- Pro
- $150–$400
- Time
- 30–60 minutes
Freezer
Freezer Door or Lid Not Sealing — Stop the Frost at Its Source
A freezer seal is the cheapest thing on the appliance and the thing most likely to be quietly costing you money and food quality. A gasket that has hardened, taken a set, or torn lets warm humid room air in continuously, and the results are always the same: heavy frost building where it should not, a compressor that never rests, condensation on the outside of the cabinet, and food developing freezer burn far faster than it should.
- DIY
- $0–$140
- Pro
- $150–$350
- Time
- 45–120 minutes
What the parts cost
The components that most often fail on these appliances, with typical retail prices for the part alone. Labor is not included, and these are not this company's prices — they are what a homeowner pays a parts retailer, so you can see how much of a quote is part and how much is labor.
| Part | Appliance | Typical price | Fitting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Filter | Refrigerator | $25–$60 | Easy |
| Start Relay and Overload | Freezer | $12–$45 | Easy |
| Door Gasket | Refrigerator | $30–$80 | Easy |
| Door Gasket | Freezer | $40–$140 | Easy |
| Condenser Fan Motor | Refrigerator | $50–$150 | Moderate |
| Temperature Control Thermostat | Freezer | $25–$90 | Moderate |
| Evaporator Fan Motor | Refrigerator | $40–$120 | Moderate |
| Defrost Thermostat | Freezer | $15–$50 | Moderate |
| Start Relay and Overload | Refrigerator | $12–$45 | Easy |
| Defrost Timer | Freezer | $25–$80 | Moderate |
| Water Inlet Valve | Refrigerator | $30–$95 | Moderate |
| Evaporator Fan Motor | Freezer | $40–$130 | Moderate |
A part that costs $30 inside a $250 quote is normal — the rest is the trip, the diagnosis, and the labor. A part that costs $300 is the point at which the repair-or-replace question is worth asking properly. Ask for the part figure and the labor figure separately on any written estimate.
What the company highlights
Claims from the company's own listing, reproduced as published. We have not verified them — treat anything that matters to your job as a question to ask on the phone.
- Serving San Francisco's Mission District since 2001
- BBB Accredited business
Questions to ask Kings Refrigeration before you book
The record lists Kings Refrigeration as licensed and insured, and names no certifications. That is what the source published, not something we verified — so the checks below still apply.
Ask for the license number, then verify it yourself
There is no single national appliance repair license. Requirements are set state by state, and in some places by the city or county, so the only reliable check is the paperwork. Ask which license or registration the company works under, get the number, and confirm it is active with the authority that issued it before you book.
Get proof of liability insurance, not a verbal assurance
A technician works on your water lines, your gas line, and your electrical circuits. Ask for a current certificate of general liability insurance in the company's name and check that the policy is in force on the day of the visit. A company that carries it will send the certificate without hesitating.
Require EPA certification for any sealed-system work
Section 608 of the federal Clean Air Act requires EPA certification for anyone who opens a sealed refrigerant system. That covers refrigerators, freezers, ice makers, and wine coolers. If a quote involves recovering, recharging, or brazing refrigerant lines, ask to see the certification before the work starts.
Separate the diagnostic fee from the estimate
Most shops charge a service-call or diagnostic fee to send a technician out, and many credit it toward the repair if you go ahead. Ask what the fee is and whether it is credited, then ask for a written estimate that itemizes parts, labor, and any trip charge before you authorize the job.
Put the warranty term on the estimate
Parts and labor are usually guaranteed for different lengths of time and the terms vary by company, so ask for both in writing rather than assuming. Ask specifically who pays for the return visit if the same fault comes back within the term.
Pay on completion, and keep the itemized invoice
A deposit against a special-order part is normal; a large up-front payment for the whole job is not. Pay the balance once the appliance has been tested in front of you, and keep the itemized invoice — you will need the part number and the labor term for any warranty claim later.
Have this ready when you call
For refrigerator work specifically, these are the answers that decide which parts get loaded on the van — and whether the first visit is the only visit.
- Model and serial number — the tag is inside the fresh-food compartment, usually on the left wall or behind a crisper.
- Whether the freezer still freezes. This one answer separates an airflow fault from a sealed-system fault.
- Any error code shown on the dispenser or control panel.
- How long it has been happening, and whether it started after a power cut.
- Whether you can hear the compressor hum with the door closed.
How Kings Refrigeration compares in San Francisco
Measured against the 6 appliance repair companies listed in San Francisco. Every figure below is read from the same records — a dash means the company did not state that detail, not that the answer is zero.
| Measure | This company | San Francisco average |
|---|---|---|
| Customer rating | 3.5 | 4.5 |
| Reviews | 27 | 143 |
| Year established | 2001 | 1995 |
| Brands serviced | 8 | 6.0 |
| Appliance types | 2 | 5.2 |
By customer rating, Kings Refrigeration ranks 5 of 5 among the San Franciscocompanies that carry a rating. A high average on a handful of reviews is not the same signal as a slightly lower one on hundreds, so read the rating and the review count together — both are in the table above.
5 of the 6 San Francisco companies state a license, and none list a 24/7 emergency line. Across the whole directory, 676 of 873 listed companies state a license and the average rating is 4.6 out of 5 — the national numbers to hold this city’s average against.
Location
Kings Refrigeration lists this address. Many appliance repair companies work out of a van and a yard rather than a shop counter, so call before visiting.
Helpful resources
Appliance reference
Appliance blue book