Investing in a walk-in cooler or freezer is a big decision, especially for small businesses. Understanding your walk-in warranty can help you feel secure in case issues arise. Warranties vary widely in the walk-in cooler industry, covering everything from basic parts to long-term coverage for essential components. Here’s a breakdown of what to expect from different types of walk-in warranties and key details to keep in mind.
Standard Parts Warranty
The standard parts warranty typically covers components like refrigeration parts, hardware, and electronics. Many manufacturers offer warranties extending up to 15 months from the purchase date or 12 months from installation, whichever comes first.
Labor Warranty
Some companies include labor in their parts warranty for the first year, covering labor costs associated with replacing defective parts. Since technical labor can be costly, it’s essential to confirm if this coverage is included in your warranty.
Compressor Warranty
The compressor, responsible for circulating refrigerant and cooling, is one of the most critical—and costly—parts of a refrigeration system. While many warranties only cover the compressor for one year, some manufacturers extend coverage to five years. Understanding your compressor warranty can save you significant costs in case of a malfunction.
Panel Warranty
Panels, essential to a walk-in’s functionality, are usually assembled on-site using a secure tongue-and-groove locking system. Given their importance, they need to remain airtight and defect-free. Some warranties cover panel manufacturing defects for up to 15 years, protecting you against costly replacements.
Tiered Walk-In Warranties: What to Look For
Some manufacturers offer tiered warranties based on model level, with higher-end models often receiving longer or more comprehensive coverage. Knowing which warranty applies to your unit can help you make an informed purchase decision.
What Walk-In Warranties Don’t Cover
Understanding what is typically excluded from warranties is just as important as knowing what’s covered:
- Product Loss: Most warranties do not cover loss of products stored in a malfunctioning unit. This means any perishable goods lost due to compressor failure, for example, are typically not reimbursed. Specific insurance policies can help cover these types of losses.
- Non-Workmanship Issues: Warranties usually exclude damage resulting from external factors like fire, negligence, misuse, alterations, improper installation, or accidents. Regular maintenance is essential to avoid avoidable issues, such as a compressor working overtime due to lack of servicing, which could lead to failure not covered by warranty.
Arctic Walk-In Warranties: Comprehensive Coverage
Arctic Walk-Ins offer one of the most extensive warranties in the cold storage industry, covering:
- Labor: All labor charges for warranty-related repairs or replacements during the first year (when Arctic provides refrigeration).
- Compressor: Coverage for up to five years from purchase.
- Panels: Panel manufacturing defects are covered for up to 15 years.
Arctic’s warranty is also non-tiered, so every model benefits from this robust coverage. For more information on Arctic’s warranties, visit our resource library or contact our support team at support@arcticwalkins.com.
Walk-In Warranties: What You Should Know
It is no question that walk-in coolers and freezers are a big investment, especially for a small business. You want to be confident that the walk-in warranty will cover your unit in case anything goes wrong. As with most industries, there is a wide array of warranties in the walk-in cooler industry. Most walk-in warranties cover units for one year, but only some companies extend that warranty to five to fifteen years for certain types of parts.
The Standard Parts Warranty
This warranty typically covers refrigeration components, walk-in hardware, and electronic devices. Many companies allow this warranty to extend up to 15 months from the date of purchase or 12 months from installation, whichever comes first.
Labor Warranty
Additionally, some companies include labor in their one-year parts warranty. If the warranty covers labor, this means that you don’t need to pay for the labor costs associated with replacing the defective part. Labor rates for technical, specialized labor isn’t cheap, so check to make sure the walk-in warranty includes this aspect.
Compressor Warranty
The compressor is the workhorse of any refrigeration system. It is the part that pumps the refrigerant through the system and makes cooling happen everything. Because it is such an important part, it is also an expensive part.
Many refrigeration companies don’t extend compressor warranty beyond their standard, 1-year parts warranty. On the other hand, some companies’ warranties cover the compressor for five years. As one of the most critical parts of a walk-in, it’s vital to know the length of your compressor warranty.
Panels
While panels usually function just fine, you don’t want to be on the hook if something goes wrong. Panels are usually assembled on site. They lock together similar to the siding on a house with a tongue and groove.As panels are integral to the functionality of a walk-in unit, it is very important they remain air-tight and free from defects.
Some Companies Have Tiered Walk-in Warranties
A handful of companies tier their walk-in warranties so that the high-end models have better warranties than the low-end models; this means that the more expensive models enjoy longer, more robust warranties than the less expensive models. Be sure to figure out which warranty the cooler you are considering falls under before pulling the trigger.
What Walk-In Warranties Don’t Cover
While it is good to know what warranties typically do cover, it is also helpful to know what walk-in warranties generally do not cover. This can help you plan how to best respond when something goes wrong.
Refrigerated Product and Walk-in Warranties
Walk-in warranties generally do not cover the loss of any refrigerated product that may result from a malfunctioning refrigeration system. Unfortunately, this means if your flowers or berries go bad because the compressor fails, the company will not reimburse you for this product. It is best to be aware of this so that you can mitigate losses if your walk-in ever does have issues. Specific insurance policies exist to cover these types of events.
Non-Workmanship Related Issues
Walk-in warranties don’t cover damage that happens as a result of circumstances beyond the workmanship of the product. Damages from fire, negligent servicing, alterations, misuse, improper installation, or accidents are generally not covered.
Improper maintenace is a common way to cause walk-in issues that are entirely avoidable. If you regularly service your walk-in, you are much less likely to have issues in the future. For example, improper maintenance can cause the compressor to work much harder than it should. When the compressor works harder for months or years at a time, it is more likely to fail. Even if you have a compressor warranty, it likely won’t cover you if the compressor failed because of improper walk-in servicing.
Arctic Walk-in Warranties
Arctic Walk-ins have one of the best warranties in the cold storage industry. In addition to the one-year standard parts warranty, Arctic’s warranty extends to labor, compressor, and panels. Arctic will cover all labor charges for any warranty-related replacements or repairs during the first year of ownership with refrigeration provided by Arctic
Arctic’s warranty also covers the cost of the compressor for up to five years from the date of purchase and covers manufacturing defects on panels for up to 15 years. With an Arctic Walk-in, you can rest assured that your panels and compressor are covered for longer than many other walk-ins.
Arctic’s warranty is not tiered, so every product has this robust warranty.
For more information on Arctic warranties, visit our resource library or reach out to our support team at support@arcticwalkins.com.
View Arctic’s Standard Warranty