CommercialApplianceRepair.center (844) 571-4566Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm Book a visit
A stainless door-type dish machine in a busy restaurant warewashing station, its hood half raised with steam rising, a green plastic rack of clean white plates sliding out onto the clean-side table, the dish machine clearly the subject, a worker seen only from behind and shoulders down in an apron at the soiled side, bright even kitchen light.

Commercial Dish Machine Repair

Undercounter, door-type and conveyor dish machines with their booster heaters and chemical feeds, the warewashing station that washes and sanitizes every rack before it goes back on the line.

(844) 571-4566

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

  • 4 things that fail on it
  • 3 makes build it
  • 5 problems it shows

Book a visit

Three short steps, about a minute.

or call (844) 571-4566

Is yours
a dish machines?

A commercial dish machine does in about a minute what a household unit takes an hour to do, and it has to prove it sanitized every rack. Undercounter models sit under a bar or a small kitchen's counter. Door-type machines, also called hoods, sit between a soiled and a clean table, and the operator lifts the hood to slide a rack in. Conveyor machines pull racks through wash, rinse and final rinse zones on a chain or a pawl bar, and flight-type machines carry dishes on a belt with no racks at all. High-temperature machines sanitize with heat: the wash tank holds around 150–160°F and the final rinse has to reach the temperature on the machine's data plate, commonly 180°F at the manifold, which is why most carry a booster heater. Low-temperature machines sanitize with chemistry instead, dosing chlorine or another sanitizer from a pump at the rinse. Hobart is the name most kitchens know, Miele Professional builds undercounter and door-type machines, and Hatco builds boosters for machines of many makes. What breaks is what water and chemicals attack: tank heaters and booster elements coated in scale, a thermostat or a probe that misreads, wash arms with clogged jets, a drain valve or a pump seal that leaks, and chemical feed tubing that cracks and stops dosing.

A technician in a plain gray work shirt, seen from behind and shoulders down, holds a digital probe thermometer at the open door of a stainless reach-in cabinet in a quiet restaurant kitchen before opening time, a plain clipboard resting on the prep counter beside him, the reach-in clearly the subject, even overhead kitchen light. What fails on a commercial dish machine

How to tell

01

The machine is stainless, fed from the hot water line and a drain, with racks going in on one side and coming out clean on the other.
02

A door-type machine has a hood that lifts straight up; a conveyor machine is long, with curtains at the ends and racks moving through by themselves.
03

There are wash and rinse gauges or a display showing temperatures, and small tubes run from chemical containers on the floor into the machine.
04

A booster heater may sit under the machine or beside it, a separate stainless box with its own power supply and temperature gauge.

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What fails
on this design.

On a commercial dish machine: tank heaters, boosters and scale, wash arms, pumps and seals, fill valves, drains and float switches, chemical feed pumps and tubing.

The problems it shows

Tank heaters, boosters and scale

Hard water leaves minerals on every heated surface. A scaled booster or tank element heats slowly and burns out early, and the final rinse falls short of its sanitizing temperature, which is exactly what an inspector checks with a thermometer or a test strip.

Wash arms, pumps and seals

Food scraps and broken glass reach the pump and the arm jets when the scrap screens are not emptied. Pressure falls, dishes come out with film, and a worn pump seal leaks a steady line of water under the machine.

Fill valves, drains and float switches

A fill solenoid that sticks overflows the tank, and one that fails never refills it. Drain valves jam with debris, and float switches coated in grease tell the controller the tank is full when it is not, so the heater waits and the cycle stalls.

Chemical feed pumps and tubing

Detergent, rinse aid and sanitizer pumps run on peristaltic tubing that hardens and cracks. On a low-temperature machine that means dishes that are not sanitized, and a test strip that shows zero where it should show 50 ppm chlorine.

Getting at it,
and whether to.

Switch the machine off at its switch and, if water is on the floor near power, keep staff clear and turn off the breaker from a dry panel.

What repairs cost

On the visit

  1. Drain the tank if the machine will, and empty the scrap screens so the technician can see the pump inlet and the tank floor.
  2. Keep the chemical containers where they are and tell us who supplies them; the dosing pumps are often the chemical company's equipment.
  3. Have the wash and rinse temperatures from your log ready, along with the make, model and any code the display shows.

Repair or replace

Most dish machine repairs are worth doing: elements, fill valves, drain valves, pump seals and wash arms are stocked parts, and the stainless tank lasts a long time. A machine whose tank is pitted through, or whose booster and pump motor are both failing, is where replacement enters the conversation, and a lease or a chemical supplier's rental program may change the math. The technician gives you both sides, including the hours the station is down.

Book a visit for a commercial dish machine

The problems
it shows.

On a commercial dish machine, most often dish machine not reaching temperature on the wash or final rinse.

All problems
A stainless door-type dish machine with its hood raised, a rack of clean white plates inside with steam faintly rising, two round analog gauges on its front with their needles resting low, a stack of empty racks on the landing table beside it.

Dish Machine Not Reaching Temperature on the Wash or Final Rinse

6 causes, cheapest first

 The open tank of a stainless dish machine with its hood raised, gray cloudy water standing in the bottom with bits of food and a napkin floating on it, a full scrap basket resting on the landing table beside it.

Dish Machine Not Draining: Dirty Water Left in the Tank

6 causes, cheapest first

 A wide puddle of clear water spreading across red quarry tile in a commercial kitchen, running from under a stainless door-type dish machine toward a floor drain and a power cord along the wall, a yellow wet floor sign standing at the edge. Gas, fire, food at risk or water near power

Water on the Commercial Kitchen Floor Near Equipment and Outlets

6 causes, cheapest first

 A thin wisp of gray smoke rising from the lower grille of a stainless reach-in cabinet standing beside a commercial fryer line, the reach-in doors closed, the kitchen lights on and the line empty. Gas, fire, food at risk or water near power

Restaurant Equipment Burning Smell: Scorched Oil, Hot Wiring or Lint

6 causes, cheapest first

 Close view of the dark touch control panel on the front of a stainless combi oven in a commercial kitchen, one abstract amber warning indicator glowing among unlit icons, the steam-fogged glass door blurred beside it.

Commercial Appliance Error Code on a Combi, Fryer, Dish Machine or Laundry Display

8 causes, cheapest first

Who builds
a dish machines.

3 of the makes on this site build a commercial dish machine. Each mark opens that make's own page.

All 35 brands

Commercial dish machines repair,
where we come out.

9 metros, each with its own page.

All service areas

Tampa BayFL · 31 areas

OrlandoFL · 30 areas

Miami / South FloridaFL · 47 areas

New York MetroNY · 75 areas

HoustonTX · 36 areas

ChicagoIL · 50 areas

Los AngelesCA · 95 areas

San DiegoCA · 31 areas

San Francisco Bay AreaCA · 74 areas

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Questions about
commercial dish machines.

What rinse temperature does a high-temp dish machine need to pass inspection?
The machine's data plate gives the figure, and under the FDA Food Code the final rinse on most high-temperature machines has to reach 180°F at the manifold, with a lower figure for some single-tank stationary machines. Inspectors also check that the surface of the dishes reaches 160°F, often with a heat strip.
Why does our dish machine leave spots and film on glasses?
Film comes from hard water, low wash temperature, weak detergent dosing or clogged wash arms, and often from two of those at once. Check the wash temperature on the log and the detergent line first; if both are right, the arms, the pump or scale inside the booster are next.
Who fixes the chemical pumps on a dish machine?
It depends on the contract. Many chemical suppliers own and service their dispensers, so call them for dosing trouble. We handle the machine itself: heaters, boosters, pumps, valves, arms and controls, and we tell you when a problem sits on the chemical side.

Back to your everyday

Is it a commercial dish machine?

Say so when you book — it changes what the technician brings and how the visit is planned.

Schedule a repair Call (844) 571-4566
(844) 571-4566 Schedule a repair