Walk-In Warranties: What to Expect

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.

Arctic’s Standard Warranty