Frequently asked questions.

Yes. Jimson Inc. opened in 1989 as a Hobart Corporation agency, and the trade knowledge from that period has carried forward through the team. Our service technicians are Hobart-trained and continue to service every major commercial kitchen brand, with deep specialization in Hobart equipment.

Commercial mixers, dish machines, ovens, ranges, hot wells, proofers, steamers, slicers, choppers, dough rollers, pizza ovens, espresso machines, and similar foodservice equipment. If you are unsure whether a piece of equipment is in scope, call (361) 851-1002 with the make and model.

It depends on the unit's age, the cost of the repair relative to a replacement, and how heavily the mixer is used. As a rough rule, when the repair cost approaches half the replacement cost on a unit that is over fifteen years old, replacement usually wins on total cost of ownership. We will evaluate the unit and give you an honest recommendation either way.

Most operators on city water benefit from a quarterly descale at a minimum. Operations on hard water, high-volume kitchens, and machines without softeners benefit from monthly descaling. A preventive-maintenance program rolls this into a routine visit.

We can source parts for the equipment we sell and service. Submit a parts request with the model and serial from the dataplate (or the part number if you have a parts manual) and we will respond with pricing and lead time.

Yes. Reconditioned and as-is units come through the shop regularly. Browse the inventory page to see what is on the floor right now.

Yes. Send photos of the unit and the dataplate using the Sell to Us form, and a team member will follow up.

Preventive maintenance is scheduled service that catches wear and dirt before they cause a breakdown. For commercial kitchens, PM typically pays for itself in reduced emergency-repair bills, fewer surprise downtime hours, and longer equipment life. Submit a Maintenance Inquiry to discuss what would fit your kitchen.

Yes. While Hobart is the line we know best, our shop works on most major commercial kitchen equipment brands. Submit a service request with the make and model.

Office hours and after-hours service availability are confirmed when you call (361) 851-1002.

We can route financing inquiries to commercial-equipment lender partners. Submit a Financing inquiry with the approximate purchase amount and equipment of interest.

The shop is at 5001 Ambassador Row, Corpus Christi, TX 78416. Service trucks run across the Coastal Bend of South Texas. Out-of-town service calls book through (361) 851-1002.

Look for the dataplate — a small metal or foil tag riveted or stuck to the body of the machine. On mixers it is usually on the base or pedestal; on dish machines, a side panel or the front kick panel; on ovens and ranges, the door frame, side panel, or behind the kick plate. A phone photo of the dataplate beats copying numbers by hand — it catches the full model, serial, and electrical spec in one shot.

Four things: a photo of the dataplate (make, model, serial), what the machine is doing versus what it should be doing, when the problem started, and how urgent it is — down now, today, this week, or a scheduled visit. With those in hand, the callback is about scheduling instead of twenty questions.

The usual suspects are hard-water scale on the wash and rinse systems, rinse-aid dosing that has drifted, wash water running below temperature, or clogged wash arms. Coastal Bend water is hard on machines without softeners, which is why descaling on a schedule matters. If film appears suddenly, check the rinse-aid and detergent supply first; if it built up gradually, the machine likely needs a descale and checkup.

Common causes are batches beyond the bowl's rated capacity, worn internal components adding drag, or an electrical fault in the motor or controls. Repeated tripping is the machine telling you something is wrong — continuing to reset and run it risks turning a modest repair into a major one. Stop using it and have it looked at.

Often, yes. The classic Hobart mixers were built to be rebuilt, and parts for common models remain widely available. The same rule of thumb still applies — when a repair approaches half the cost of replacement on a unit over fifteen years old, run the numbers — but a well-maintained older mixer that fails the age test on paper can still be the better keep. Our repair vs replace guide walks through it.

Reconditioned units have been gone through in the shop — inspected, serviced, and tested before sale. As-is units are sold exactly as they sit, priced accordingly, for buyers who want to do their own refurbishment or use the unit for parts. The inventory listing states which is which for every unit on the floor.

Daily cleaning to the manufacturer's procedure, descaling anything that touches water on a schedule, keeping operators trained on capacity limits and correct settings, and preventive maintenance visits that catch wear before it becomes a breakdown. The cheapest repair is the one a PM visit made unnecessary.

Power, water supply, drains, door switches, and settings are fair game to check in-house. Beyond that — anything electrical, gas, refrigeration, or inside the machine's controls — call. Opening up a commercial machine without the right training risks injury and further damage, and it rarely saves money by the time the technician has to undo the exploration.