Summary
Dishroom projects fail more often from coordination breakdowns than from equipment problems. Missed utilities, unassigned responsibilities, unverified startups, and rushed turnovers lead directly to inspection failures, emergency shutdowns, water damage, and warranty disputes.
This guide shows exactly:
- Who is responsible for what
- What must be verified before install
- What must happen during install
- What must be documented at turnover
- How to avoid the most expensive mistakes
THE CORE PROBLEM: “EVERYONE THOUGHT SOMEONE ELSE HAD IT”
Most dishroom failures are traced back to:
- Utilities assumed but not verified
- Water treatment omitted
- Booster heater undersized
- Hood not matched to steam output
- Air gaps removed during remodel
- Electrical phase mismatched
- Chemical provider not present at startup
- No commissioning checklist
- No responsibility matrix
Dishrooms fail when ownership is unclear.
PHASE 1: PRE-CONSTRUCTION PLANNING
(WHERE 80% OF FAILURES START)
This phase determines:
- Whether the project passes inspection
- Whether the machine performs to spec
- Whether warranties remain valid
REQUIRED PRE-CONSTRUCTION DELIVERABLES
Every dishroom project must formally document:
- Confirmed dishwasher type & throughput
- Heat vs chemical sanitizing decision
- Booster heater sizing calculations
- Electrical load & phase verification
- Hot water recovery verification
- Cold water pressure & GPM verification
- Drain sizing & air-gap design
- Grease interceptor capacity
- Hood & make-up air coordination
- Water treatment scope
- Fire suppression scope
- Floor slope, trench drains & coatings
- Access clearances for service
- Waste system sizing (pulper/dehydrator)
If these are not complete before permitting, the project is already at risk.
PHASE 2: VENDOR RESPONSIBILITY MATRIX
(MANDATORY FOR RISK CONTROL)
Every dishroom project must assign one owner per system:
Unassigned systems become litigation points when failures occur.
PHASE 3: PRE-INSTALL SITE READINESS
(THE #1 MISSED STEP)
No dishwasher should arrive on site until all of the following are verified:
- Electrical rough-in completed & tested
- Plumbing rough-in completed & pressure tested
- Floor drains installed & flow tested
- Grease interceptor installed & inspected
- Hood installed & operational
- Make-up air balanced
- Booster heater installed & powered
- Water treatment installed
- Chemical lines run
- Space clearances verified
- Floor coatings completed & cured
- Site protected from construction dust
Skipping readiness causes:
- Install day failures
- Return trips
- Delays
- Damaged equipment
- Voided warranties
PHASE 4: DELIVERY, SET & CONNECT
On install day, the GC must verify:
- Equipment staged correctly
- Forklift / rigging ready
- Electrical disconnects in place
- Plumbing stub-outs aligned
- Floor penetrations sealed
- Hood clearances maintained
- Service access maintained
Install crews should not be expected to modify building infrastructure on arrival.
PHASE 5: COMMISSIONING & STARTUP
(THIS IS WHERE MOST PROJECTS FAIL)
Commissioning is not powering on the machine once.
True commissioning includes:
- Water treatment verified
- Chemical calibration completed
- Booster heater validated at load
- Final rinse temp verified at dish surface
- Drain flow tested under peak discharge
- Hood & steam removal verified
- All safety interlocks verified
- Control alarms tested
- Emergency manual warewash SOP reviewed
- Operator training completed
- Logs activated
No commissioning = no defensible inspection position.
PHASE 6: TURNOVER & OWNER ACCEPTANCE
At turnover, the owner must receive:
- As-built drawings
- Electrical schedules
- Plumbing schematics
- Water treatment documentation
- Chemical provider startup report
- Booster heater test data
- Warranty certificates
- Preventive maintenance schedule
- Emergency SOP binder
- Training sign-off sheets
If these are missing, the system is not truly turned over.
COMMON INSTALL COORDINATION FAILURES & THEIR CONSEQUENCES
DISHROOM PUNCH LIST (WHEN INSTALL FAILS)
Typical correction items:
- Missing air gaps
- Booster heater undersized
- Chemical lines misconnected
- Incorrect voltage
- Hood short-circuited
- No drain strainers
- Inadequate drying space
- No service clearance
Punch list failures almost always trace back to:
- Poor coordination
- Rushed schedules
- No commissioning authority
INSTITUTIONAL & FEDERAL PROJECT REQUIREMENTS
VA, DoD, and hospital projects require:
- Facilities engineering sign-off
- Infection control review
- Fire marshal acceptance
- Environmental services approval
- Redundant documentation
- Commissioning reports on record
Dishroom systems in these environments are treated as life-safety-adjacent infrastructure.
WHO OWNS COORDINATION?
True coordination ownership usually sits with:
- The General Contractor (construction phase)
- The Equipment Dealer (system integration)
- Facilities Engineering (institutional projects)
When no one is designated as dishroom integration lead, projects fail.
WHY MOST DISHROOM PROJECTS MISS INSPECTION ON FIRST TRY
- Utilities guessed instead of measured
- Responsibilities implied instead of assigned
- Commissioning skipped due to schedule pressure
- Documentation delayed until after inspection
- Chemical provider not scheduled for startup
- Training treated as optional
COORDINATION IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PASSING AND FAILING
Is Your Dishroom Project Properly Coordinated—or One Inspection Away From Rework?
- Run the Project Readiness Assessment
- Request a Dishroom Pre-Install Coordination Review
- Download the GC Dishroom Coordination Toolkit
Built by Aldevra, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business supporting federal agencies, healthcare systems, schools, and commercial kitchens nationwide with fully coordinated, inspection-defensible dishroom installations.
