Understanding the Repair Process: A Technician’s Perspective

You load a washer and start the first cycle of the day. Minutes later alarms are sounding and warning lights are flashing. The washer stops in an error state.

You place a service call and when the technician arrives, you explain exactly what happened and together start the washer again.

This time, it runs perfectly. No alarms. No errors. The cycle runs without any issues.

In the moment this can be confusing and frustrating. The problem was real, and it stopped production. When a problem can’t be immediately recreated, the focus shifts from fixing a visible failure, to understanding the condition that caused the issue. What was different earlier? Was the load the same? Has the equipment just been powered on? Was there a utility problem? These questions help turn a single event into something that can be evaluated and diagnosed.

In this blog we explore some of the common steps technicians take to diagnose and repair problems even when the issue may not be immediately clear.

1. Recreating the Reported Problem

Before any repair begins, the technician’s first goal is to see the issue occur.

If the problem cannot be recreated, there is no reliable way to confirm what caused it.
Without a baseline, it is impossible to verify that a fix resolved the issue.
Intermittent issues are especially difficult because normal operation can mask underlying conditions.

When equipment runs normally during a service visit, it doesn’t mean the reported issue wasn’t real. It means the conditions that triggered it may not be present at that moment.

The information provided when a service call is placed also plays a major role in identifying the problem:
Vague or incomplete descriptions can send troubleshooting down the wrong path.
Missing details about when or how often the issue occurs can lengthen diagnosis time.

Accurate problem reporting helps technicians focus their efforts on the most likely causes sooner.

2. When the Problem Doesn’t Immediately Appear

Rather than fixing a visible failure, the technician shifts to gathering context and narrowing the conditions under which the problem occurred.

Common steps include:

Reviewing when the issue typically appears, such as during the first cycle of the day, after extended idle time, or under heavier loads.
Comparing current operating conditions to those present when the fault occurred.
Asking questions about recent changes in workflow, loading practices, or operating patterns.
Observing where in the program the issue occurred. Did the problem only appear in thermal disinfect, or during transitions between program phases?

At this stage, technicians are not looking for a single broken component. They are looking for patterns.

Intermittent issues often depend on specific combinations of conditions. Operational state, utility status, temperature/pressure, load configuration, or timing can all influence behavior. If the conditions that cause the problem are not present during testing the equipment may appear to operate normally.

In these cases, technicians may also rely on historical information.
Reviewing error histories or event logs when available.
Using previous service records to identify recurring themes.
Comparing the reported issue to known patterns seen at other sites.

This approach helps narrow the scope of the problem even when it cannot be reproduced on demand.

3. Determining the Cause

Once the issue is observed or enough information is gathered, the focus shifts from symptoms to causes.

Identifying which part of the system is responsible for the behavior.
Eliminating components and functions that are operating correctly.

This step is critical and helps to minimize unnecessary part replacement and repeat calls.

4. Developing the Solution

After the cause is understood, the technician determines the appropriate corrective action.

Deciding whether an adjustment, repair, or component replacement is required
Identifying any parts, tools, or materials needed.
Determining whether the repair can be completed during the current visit.

This step often explains why a follow-up visit is sometimes necessary.

5. Addressing the Problem

With a clear plan and the proper resources, the repair can be performed.

Actions are intentional and tied directly to the identified cause.
The repair itself is usually the shortest phase of the service call.
The focus is on correcting the root cause rather than the symptoms.

At this stage the work is focused and purposeful, with each action directly connected to a cause identified earlier.

6. Testing and Verification

Repair is not completed until the machine has been properly tested.

Running the equipment under the same conditions that produced the issue.
Verifying normal operation and performance.
Confirming the problem no longer occurs.

Without this step, it is impossible to know whether the repair was effective.

Why This Process Matters

From the outside, troubleshooting can look straightforward, especially when equipment seems to be operating normally during a service visit. What is less visible is the reasoning behind each step technicians take before, during, and after a repair.

Each step in the troubleshooting process exists for a specific purpose:

To avoid replacing parts that are not contributing to the issue.
To prevent temporary fixes that mask underlying conditions.
To reduce the likelihood of the same problem returning.

Effective troubleshooting is not about getting the equipment to run once. It’s about understanding why it did not run correctly in the first place and ensuring it performs reliably under real operating conditions.