Many refrigeration and HVAC companies won't work on dish machines. We do. When the dishwasher goes down, plates, pans and trays stack up fast. We repair undercounter, door-type, conveyor and flight-type machines for restaurants, school kitchens, hospital food service and other commercial kitchens from Ontario to Mountain Home, as part of our commercial kitchen equipment repair work, with 24/7 emergency service.
From a single undercounter unit behind the bar to a flight-type machine in a central kitchen, we work on high-temp and low-temp machines alike.
Compact machines in bars, cafes, coffee shops and small kitchens. Often high-temp with a built-in booster, so heater and fill problems are common.
The workhorse of most restaurant dish rooms. Racks slide in, the door drops and the cycle runs. Door switches, wash pumps and booster heaters see heavy use.
Rack conveyor machines for high-volume kitchens, schools and hospitals. More tanks, more heaters and a conveyor drive that all have to work together.
Continuous-belt machines for central kitchens and large institutional food service. Drive systems, curtains and multiple wash and rinse zones.
Sanitize with heat. A booster heater raises the final rinse to around 180°F. When the booster, its elements or the fill system falls behind, rinse temperature drops and the machine stops sanitizing.
Sanitize with chemicals, usually chlorine, injected into the final rinse. Problems tend to be chemical feed pumps, squeeze tubes, fill issues and wash temperature rather than a booster heater.
Most dish machine calls fall into a handful of patterns. Tell us what the machine is doing and we can usually narrow it down before we arrive.
Low final rinse is the call we get most. Causes include a failed booster heater element or thermostat, scaled elements, low incoming water temperature and restricted fill flow.
Burned-out elements, tripped high-limits, failed contactors and leaking tanks. We test the heater circuit before replacing parts.
Weak wash action, a humming motor, a tank that won't drain or a leaking pump seal. Broken glass and debris in the pump are frequent culprits.
Tanks that won't fill, overfill or keep running water. Usually a failed solenoid, clogged strainer or a valve that won't seat.
A stuck or scaled float can stop the heaters from firing or keep the machine from starting a cycle. Cleaning or replacing the level control often clears it.
Food debris and scale block the nozzles and ware comes out dirty. We pull, clean and check the arms and the bearings they spin on.
If the machine thinks the door is open, it won't run. Worn switches and misaligned interlocks are a quick fix once they're found.
Racks that stall, jerk or jam on conveyor and flight-type machines. Drive motors, gearboxes, pawl bars and overload clutches.
Water under the machine from door gaskets, tank seals, drain fittings or pump seals. A slip hazard and an inspection finding.
Cycles that stop partway, error codes and machines that won't respond. We read the fault before swapping boards.
A dish machine that washes but doesn't sanitize is a health inspection finding waiting to happen. Inspectors check final-rinse temperature on high-temp machines and sanitizer concentration on low-temp machines, and the minimums are printed on the machine's data plate.
Every repair visit ends with us verifying the final-rinse temperature at the machine, so you know it is sanitizing before the next rush. If an inspector has already written up your dishwasher, call us with the finding and we will tell you what it takes to correct it.
Hard water makes all of this harder. Much of the Treasure Valley has enough minerals in the water to coat heating elements, wash arms and tanks with scale. Scale insulates the elements, drags down rinse temperature and clogs nozzles. Regular deliming keeps the machine hot and the ware clean.
Dish machine inspections and deliming can be folded into a restaurant maintenance plan or a commercial maintenance agreement, priced as a custom contract for your equipment.
Kitchen managers and owners need the machine running before the next service. School and hospital food service directors need it running for every meal period, with records to show it is sanitizing. We work with both, and we can look at your ice machine, mixer or refrigeration on the same visit. For school and public kitchens, see our schools and public facilities page.
Dishwasher brands we commonly service include Hobart, Jackson, CMA, Champion and others:
Have the model and serial number handy when you call so we can check parts before we arrive. See also restaurant kitchen equipment repair.
Real reviews from our Google Business Profile.
"The technician Chris was really great to work with. Their prices are extremely competitive. Worth having them checkout any issues you may be having. Not to mention they're very honest. Thanks guys."
"We had great timing with Jason as he was just coming in to promote the business and we were having an issue with the kitchen's flat top and he stepped in and got us up and running in no time!!! And he showed us what we were missing to get everything fired up properly. Wonderful attitude and very professional work ethic"
Dish machines are one part of the kitchen. Here is the rest of the equipment we handle.
Answers for kitchen managers and food service directors
Yes. Many refrigeration and HVAC companies don't take dish machine calls, and that leaves kitchens stuck waiting. Dish machines are a regular part of our commercial kitchen work, so the same technician who services your walk-in or ice machine can diagnose and repair your dishwasher.
On a high-temp machine, a low final rinse usually comes down to the booster heater (a failed element, thermostat or high-limit), scale on the heating element, low incoming water temperature or pressure, or a fill valve that isn't delivering enough flow. We measure the rinse temperature at the machine, find the cause and confirm the machine meets the minimums on its data plate before we leave.
High-temp machines sanitize with heat, using a booster heater to bring the final rinse up to around 180°F. Low-temp machines run cooler water and sanitize with a chemical, usually chlorine, injected into the final rinse. Low-temp problems are more often chemical feed, pump or concentration issues; high-temp problems are more often heater and temperature issues. We work on both.
It depends on water hardness and how hard the machine works. With Treasure Valley hard water, busy kitchens often see visible scale within weeks. If you notice white buildup on the wash arms, tank or heating elements, spotty ware, or temperatures creeping down, it is time. We can delime the machine and set up a schedule that fits your volume.
Brands we commonly service include Hobart, Jackson, CMA, Champion and others. Undercounter, door-type, conveyor and flight-type machines are all in our wheelhouse. Call with the brand, model and serial number and we will tell you up front whether we can take care of it.
Yes. We can fold dish machine inspections and deliming into the same preventive maintenance plan that covers your refrigeration and kitchen equipment. Each plan is priced as a custom contract for your equipment.
We answer 24/7 with 2-hour emergency response. Tell us the brand, the model and what the machine is doing, and we aim to have a technician on-site within 2 hours for emergency calls. After-hours calls are billed at overtime rates.
Response times can vary with location, weather and call volume.
See what our customers are saying this week
2 months ago
“Tech that came out was quick and very knowledgeable in fixing our commercial freezer. Had another company that came out before them that thought they fixed and did not. I will use this company moving forward and you should too. They came all the way to Ontario oregon, and was quick in response.”
8 months ago
“We had great timing with Jason as he was just coming in to promote the business and we were having an issue with the kitchen's flat top and he stepped in and got us up and running in no time!!! And he showed us what we were missing to get everything fired up properly. Wonderful attitude and very professional work ethic”
6 months ago
“Jason was able to quickly identify and fix two issues with our company's HVAC system to help get us back to work! He was very knowledgeable and easy to work with. We'll be reaching out to him for any future problems and highly recommend him.”
6 months ago
“Fast, Efficient & Fair! Had our entire unit repaired and running within hours of my call.”
a month ago
“The technician Chris was really great to work with. Their prices are extremely competitive. Worth having them checkout any issues you may be having. Not to mention they're very honest. Thanks guys.”
6 months ago
“Jason from Meridian HVAC is one of the most knowledgeable guys I've met with ac and heating! Willing to explain things and how they work and helped me understand so much and had great suggestions for AC condensers for my property, highly recommend.”
2 months ago
“This company answered my call when I was in a pinch on a Sunday afternoon, a rental property needed AC service and they scheduled quickly and resolved the issue honestly and affordably. Pleasure to work with Meridian HVAC & Refrigeration.”
Tell us what's down and we'll call you back. For refrigeration or equipment emergencies, call — we answer 24/7.
