DCS Appliance Repair

Which DCS products do we work on?

We work on DCS Series 7 and Series 9 grills, built-in or freestanding, along with side burners and DCS outdoor refrigerators and beverage units. We also repair older DCS indoor ranges and rangetops, such as the RGV series. DCS indoor cooking now carries the Fisher and Paykel Professional name, but the older units are still in plenty of homes.

DCS stands for Dynamic Cooking Systems. The brand started in 1989 making commercial restaurant equipment. Fisher and Paykel bought it in 2004. Today DCS focuses on outdoor cooking. That history shows in the gear. It is heavy stainless steel, with high heat burners.

Common DCS grill problems

A DCS grill has a layer of ceramic rods between the burners and the grates. The rods soak up flame and give off even heat. A patented grease system channels drippings into a front tray. Both features work well, and both need some care. Here is what our grill repair techs find.

• Uneven heat or cold spots. Cracked or missing ceramic rods let flame hit the food directly. Grease buildup on the rods does the same.
• Flare-ups. The grease tray is full or the channels are clogged.
• Burner won't light. The igniter electrode is wet, cracked or out of position. On older grills, the ignition module may have failed.
• Low flame on all burners. Spiders and insects love gas tubes. A blocked venturi (the tube that mixes air and gas) or a stuck regulator is common after winter.
• Rotisserie motor won't turn. We check the motor, the cord and the outlet.

A quick owner check helps. Pull the grease tray and look. If it is full, empty it before the next cook. If the rods look black and crusted, run the grill on high for 15 minutes to burn off light buildup. Heavy buildup is a job for us.

In Chicago and Virginia, grills sit all winter. The first cookout of spring is when we get the most DCS calls. A spring check before Memorial Day saves you from a failed party.

DCS ranges and outdoor refrigeration

On an older DCS range, the usual faults are igniters that won't spark, a spark module that clicks nonstop, and an oven that heats slowly. On gas ovens, the hot surface igniter weakens with age. It still glows, but it can't open the gas valve. On a DCS rangetop or cooktop, we clean or replace spark electrodes and check the burner valves.

Outdoor fridges work harder than indoor ones. On a hot Houston patio, a DCS outdoor refrigerator with a dusty condenser coil will struggle. We clean the coil, check the fan and test the thermostat before we look at the sealed system.

What to expect from the visit

We aim to reach most calls the same day, and early calls help. Your tech checks gas pressure, ignition and burners, not only the part you pointed to. The home visit is $79 and it is dropped when you approve the repair. Before any work, you hear a fixed price.

Parts are genuine OEM. When a part isn't on the truck, the return trip goes on the calendar before your tech leaves. Every DCS job is backed by our repair warranty. The tech on your patio is licensed and insured, and was background checked before hiring.

Repair or replace an older DCS grill?

A DCS grill body is thick stainless steel. If the firebox is sound, repair almost always makes sense. Burners, rods, igniters and valves can all be replaced. New burners and rods can make a tired grill cook like new.

Once rust has eaten through the firebox, or the grill has sat near the ocean for years with no cover, replacement may be smarter. We will give you an honest take.

DCS grills keep us busy from the Chicago suburbs to Houston backyards. We also cover Pasadena, the wider L.A. area, Northern Virginia and the District. See our Northern Virginia service page for details.