Waywest Mechanical repairs and installs commercial dishwashers, glasswashers and booster heaters for restaurants, pubs, hotels, care facilities and institutional kitchens in Nanaimo and across Vancouver Island. Common faults include machines that will not reach the 180°F final rinse temperature required for high-temperature sanitizing, will not drain, leave film or spotting, or trip on fill. Because Waywest is also a licensed plumbing contractor, the same technician can address the building hot water, supply lines and drainage feeding the machine rather than stopping at the cabinet.
Monday–Friday, 7:00 AM–4:30 PM · quotes within the hour
Faults we repair
- Not reaching final rinse temperature — booster elements, thermostats, contactors, scale and incoming hot water
- Not draining — drain pumps, solenoids, blocked drain lines and grease interceptor problems
- Not filling or overfilling — fill valves, float switches, pressure switches and strainers
- Poor wash results — wash pumps, blocked wash and rinse arms, worn seals, chemical dosing
- Film, spotting and scale — water hardness, rinse aid injection, rinse temperature
- Tripping breakers or not starting — contactors, door switches, controls and wiring
- Leaking — door gaskets, tank seals, pump seals and supply connections
The part most service companies cannot touch
A dish machine is only as good as the hot water arriving at it. A booster heater is sized to lift incoming water the last stretch to the sanitizing temperature — not to heat it from cold. When the kitchen's water heater is undersized, scaled up, or sharing demand with handwash sinks and a prep area, the booster never catches up and the machine fails its temperature check at the worst moment.
Waywest is a licensed plumbing contractor as well, so we can measure what is actually arriving at the machine, service or resize the commercial water heater, and deal with drainage and grease interceptor problems on the same visit. That is often the difference between a repair that holds and a machine that keeps failing every few months.
Installation and replacement
When a machine is past repair, Waywest handles the replacement end to end — removing the old unit, adjusting supply and drainage, setting the booster, connecting electrical and gas where applicable, and confirming the final rinse temperature before we leave. We fit equipment to the covers you actually do, not to the brochure.
Health inspection and records
Island Health inspectors check sanitizing effectiveness. Keep a thermometer or test strips at the dish pit, log final rinse temperatures, and call for service as soon as readings drift rather than after a failed inspection. If you have an inspection coming and the machine is marginal, say so when you call and we will prioritize it.
Emergency service
A dish pit down in the middle of service is an emergency for a restaurant, and we treat it that way. The 24/7 line is 250-616-1446.
Service area
Commercial dishwasher repair in Nanaimo, Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Ladysmith, Cedar, Lantzville, Nanoose Bay, Duncan, the Comox Valley and across our Vancouver Island service area.
What happens when you call
- A person answers
You talk to the Nanaimo office, or our own crew on the 24/7 line — not a call centre.
- You hear the rate first
We explain the service rate, or the emergency rate after hours, before anyone is booked or dispatched.
- A licensed technician arrives
A Waywest technician with a stocked vehicle diagnoses the problem and explains your options.
- You approve the work
Repairs go ahead once you agree. Larger jobs get a written quote you can take time to consider.
Quick facts
- Emergency service
- 24/7 at 250-616-1446 — typically on site within an hour in Nanaimo
- Office hours
- Monday–Friday, 7:00 AM–4:30 PM, 250-729-2394
- Service area
- Nanaimo and Vancouver Island, Victoria to Port Hardy
- Licensing
- TSBC licence LGA0004592; licensed, bonded and insured
- Quotes
- Reply within the hour during business hours
- Page updated
Common questions
Why is my dish machine not reaching sanitizing temperature?
High-temperature machines need a working booster heater and enough incoming hot water. A low final rinse usually comes from a failed booster element or thermostat, heavy scale on the element, a low incoming water temperature, or a building water heater that cannot keep up during the dish pit rush. Waywest services both the machine and the hot water supply feeding it.
Can a commercial dishwasher be repaired or does it need replacing?
Most faults — elements, thermostats, contactors, wash and drain pumps, solenoid valves, door switches and seals — are economical repairs. Replacement makes more sense when the tank or frame has corroded through, parts are no longer available, or the machine is badly undersized for the covers the kitchen now does. Waywest will tell you plainly which situation you are in.
Why is my dishwasher leaving film or spots on glassware?
Usually water quality, chemical dosing or rinse temperature. Hard water leaves scale and spotting, a failed rinse aid injector leaves film, and a low rinse temperature stops water sheeting off the glass. Waywest can also look at water treatment, since hard water on Vancouver Island shortens the life of every machine in the room.
Do you service low-temperature chemical sanitizing machines?
Yes. Low-temperature machines rely on chemical sanitizer concentration rather than heat, and faults usually involve the chemical pumps, pickup tubes, dosing settings or wash pump rather than a booster heater.
Do you repair glasswashers behind the bar?
Yes. Undercounter glasswashers and bar dishwashers are serviced the same way, including the supply, drainage and vent that sit behind them in a tight bar cabinet.
Need this sorted out?
Call the Nanaimo office and talk to someone who can tell you what the work involves and when we can get to it.