Summary
What Manufacturers Cover, What They Don’t, and What Actually Happens in the Field
The Reality of Commercial Dishwasher Warranties
Most operators believe equipment warranties work like consumer appliances.
They don’t.
Commercial dishwasher warranties are conditional, documentation-based, and utility-dependent.
More warranty claims are denied due to installation, maintenance, and water quality issues than actual manufacturing defects.
What This Guide Explains
This guide explains the real-world rules that determine:
- Whether your service call is free or billable
- Whether a failed part is covered or denied
- Whether your downtime lasts hours—or days
- Whether your equipment investment is protected or at risk
The Biggest Warranty Myth
“If it breaks, the manufacturer will fix it.”
Reality
Manufacturers only cover failures that meet all three conditions:
- Proper installation
- Proper utilities
- Proper maintenance—with documentation
If any one of those is missing, coverage can be denied—even during the first year.
What Is Typically Covered Under Warranty
Most manufacturer warranties cover:
- Defective motors
- Factory wiring defects
- Control board failures (non-water-damage)
- Weld defects
- Factory-installed component failures
- Manufacturer workmanship errors
Coverage usually includes parts only, not:
- Labor
- Travel
- Emergency response
- After-hours service
- Improper installation correction
What Is Not Covered (Most Denials Happen Here)
Warranty is commonly denied for:
- No water softener on heat systems
- No deliming program
- Improper electrical voltage or phase
- No booster heater on high-temp machines
- Chemical over-injection or miscalibration
- Drain backups causing water damage
- Hard water scale damage
- Freeze damage
- Improper hood or steam condensation damage
- Operator misuse or bypassed safeties
- Lack of maintenance documentation
These denials often occur after thousands of dollars in damage has already happened.
Water Quality: The #1 Warranty Killer
Hard water is responsible for:
- Heater burnout
- Scale-insulated elements
- Clogged spray arms
- Failed temperature recovery
- Pump seizure
- Flow restriction alarms
Most manufacturers explicitly require:
- Water softening for high-temp machines
- Filtration for glasswashers
- RO systems for certain specialty equipment
If scale damage is present, warranty is almost always denied.
Utilities: Second Most Common Denial
Denied claims often result from:
- Incorrect voltage
- Incorrect phase
- Insufficient breaker size
- Voltage fluctuation
- Undersized wiring
- Shared circuits
Manufacturers will verify:
- Voltage at terminal
- Phase under load
- Amperage draw
- Ground integrity
If not correct, the claim is denied.
Booster Heaters: High Failure and High Cost
Booster heater failures can reach:
- $3,000–$15,000 per incident
Most failures occur from:
- No softener
- No pressure regulation
- No deliming
- Incorrect electrical feed
Manufacturers will inspect for:
- Scale
- Element resistance
- Water pressure
- Electrical integrity
If scale or miswiring is found, coverage is denied.
Chemical Systems: “Covered” Does Not Mean Free
Chemical systems can lose coverage when:
- Injector pumps run dry
- Improper concentration damages tubing
- Non-approved chemicals are used
- Improper storage causes degradation
- Leaking chemical damages electronics
Even when under warranty:
- Parts may be covered
- Labor almost never is
- Downtime losses are not covered
Service Reality: What Actually Happens During a Call
Preventive maintenance dramatically reduces long-call events.
Documentation That Protects Your Warranty
Operators who maintain the following almost always receive faster approvals:
- Commissioning reports
- Electrical verification
- Water test reports
- Softener install documentation
- Deliming logs
- Chemical service reports
- Temperature logs
- PPM logs
Without documentation, the manufacturer often assumes operator fault.
“Warranty Does Not Mean Uptime”
Even when approved:
- Warranty does not cover lost revenue
- Warranty does not cover disposable ware
- Warranty does not cover extra labor
- Warranty does not cover emergency rental
Preventive maintenance is the only real uptime protection strategy.
Bottom Line
Most operators don’t lose warranty because of bad machines.
They lose warranty because of unknown utilities, bad water, undocumented maintenance, or rushed installations.
A protected dishroom is:
- Water-engineered
- Electrically verified
- Chemically calibrated
- Maintenance-documented
- Dealer-supported
