Beyond Thermador
Thermador kitchens tend to be complete: a Pro range with Star burners, a pair of Freedom refrigeration columns behind panels, a Sapphire dishwasher and often a steam oven.
Weekdays 7:30–5:30 · Saturday 9–1 · closed Sunday · Woodland Square Loop, at the Olympia–Lacey line
Thermador sells its appliances as a set, and that is how we meet them: a whole kitchen installed at once in a new Cooper Point build around 2012, a Steamboat Island house finished in 2016, or a West Bay Drive remodel where the owners wanted the columns to disappear into walnut panels. A decade later, the pieces age together. The Star burner igniters start to click without lighting, the Sapphire dishwasher throws E15 after a spray-arm splash, the Freedom column chimes an alarm on a warm afternoon, and the steam oven complains about descaling on well water. Because the appliances are related, one visit can often address two or three of them.
Our shop is independent, based on Woodland Square Loop where Olympia hands off to Lacey, and we have no dealer or service agreement with Thermador. Every job opens with the $99 diagnostic: a technician metering the appliance, the component that failed identified for you, and a repair total written out before any decision. Proceeding means the $99 is counted toward that total; declining means $99 is your total, full stop. Refrigeration columns that have warmed up get same-day attention if the call arrives before noon, and the rest of the kitchen is scheduled within the week.
| Thermador piece | What goes wrong | Customary reason | Course of action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pro Grand or Pro Harmony range, Star burners | Burner clicks and will not light, or the ExtraLow simmer flame goes out | Igniter electrode fouled or cracked, spark module weak, or the simmer valve clogged after a boilover | Clean or replace electrodes, test module output, clear or replace the simmer valve, set flame on propane |
| Pro range oven | Oven slow, uneven, or an error such as E115 or E118 on the display | Oven thermistor out of range, a bake or convection element open, or the door lock circuit failing | Meter thermistor and elements, test the lock, replace by serial-specific part number |
| Freedom refrigeration column | Alarm chime, temperature climbing, frost inside the freezer column | Evaporator fan or defrost circuit failure; condenser above the unit packed with dust; door not sealing behind a heavy panel | Clear the condenser, meter fan and defrost parts, adjust the hinge so the panel door seals |
| Freedom refrigerator with ice maker | No ice or slushy cubes; water pooling under the cubes | Fill valve constricted by iron on well supplies, or a fill tube heater failed | Replace the valve, thaw and re-heat the fill tube, verify the ice maker module cycles |
| Sapphire, Emerald or Topaz dishwasher | E15 stops the cycle; E24 with water over the filter; dishes wet | Water in the base pan from a seal or splash; drain blocked or pump weak; heater or its relay failed | Trace and repair the leak, clear the drain path, meter heater and pump, replace as tests indicate |
| Steam and convection oven | Descale prompt will not clear, steam weak, error shown | Scale in the boiler from hard water, a water-level sensor fouled, or the pump failing | Run a proper descale, clean the sensor, replace the pump or boiler parts if flow does not return |
| Error shown | What it stands for | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| E15 (dishwasher) | The base pan has filled enough to lift the flood switch; in most cases a leak at a seal or hose, occasionally a splash past the door from a mispositioned rack | Find the leak with the outer door off, repair it, dry the pan, reset and run a test |
| E24 (dishwasher) | The dishwasher could not drain; usually a filter or hose blockage, a stuck check valve or a disposer connection never opened | Clear the filter and hose, check the valve and disposer inlet, test drain pump flow |
| E22 (dishwasher) | Standing water remains in the sump after draining; the filter is dirty or the pump is weakening | Scrub filter and sump, put a meter on the pump, renew it if flow is poor |
| E011 (oven) | A key on the control panel is registering as held down; moisture behind the glass or a failing touch panel is the usual cause | Dry and reseat the panel, replace the touch control if the fault stays |
| E118 (oven) | In most cases the door lock did not reach its expected position, commonly after self-clean; a lock motor or switch is the likely part | Cycle and test the lock motor and switches, replace the lock assembly |
Water and fuel shape Thermador failures around here. Steam ovens and Sapphire dishwashers on private wells north of the city line, out on Cooper Point, Steamboat Island and Mud Bay, see the iron and hardness of glacial-till groundwater, and scale builds in the boiler and on the dishwasher heater until an error stops the cycle. Inside Olympia the water is gentler but still leaves a film. Propane on the peninsula means a Pro range's Star burners must be set for LP, and a yellow, lifting flame or a simmer that will not hold tells us the setup needs a manometer. Salt air on the waterfront corrodes the condenser fins above a Freedom column years before an inland unit would need attention.
Thermador parts are tied to serial ranges, and the same model number can hide two or three versions of a board, a lock or a valve, so we ask for the serial plate when booking and order against it. Igniters, thermistors, dishwasher seals and pumps often travel with us; a board or a column part gets ordered and goes in on a return trip costing nothing beyond the written total. The invoice is printed with a warranty period for the part and for the work. For waterfront second homes and Port condos, approval can arrive by text with the invoice going out by email, and any gate or dock code is deleted the day the job closes. Where Thermador's own coverage still applies, we tell you before spending your money.
No. We are an independent Olympia repair shop with no agreement with Thermador, its dealers or its parent company. That independence means we check whether your appliance is still inside the maker's coverage before any work and tell you honestly if that route would serve you better than paying us.
Usually the igniter electrode is dirty, wet or cracked, so the spark cannot reach the gas, or the burner ports are clogged from a boilover. Occasionally the spark module has weakened. Each electrode gets cleaned and tested, the ports checked, and the module replaced only if it fails its output test.
Yes, and most of the Freedom columns we see in Cooper Point and West Bay kitchens are paneled. We remove the panel where needed, protect the flooring, and re-hang and adjust the door afterward so it seals. Many alarm calls on paneled columns come down to a hinge that has dropped under the panel's weight.
It means the base pan has taken on water, and the machine stops itself to prevent a flood, which is the safety system working. The cause is a leak somewhere, often a sump seal or a splash past the door. We locate it, repair it and dry the pan. Ignoring it leads to a wet floor and sometimes a damaged cabinet.
By working from the serial number. Thermador revised boards, locks, valves and igniters across serial ranges within a single model, so the serial decides the part. Send a photo of the plate when you book. Common items ride with us; anything ordered to your serial goes in on a follow-up visit without adding to your cost.
The price goes on paper before a screw comes out.
Ring or use the form; a phone photo of the display or the model sticker saves a step. We ring back with an arrival window and text again as the van pulls off Woodland Square Loop.
The technician tests the suspect part with instruments, tells you in plain words what gave out, and writes the repair down as a single price. Your $99 is already inside that number.
Fill valves, defrost heaters, igniters, drum rollers, drain pumps, relays — the things well water, salt air and PSE outages wear out on this shore of the inlet. If we have to order something, the second trip is ours to make, not yours to pay for.
You watch the machine finish a whole cycle, the kick panels and the floor go back the way they were, and the warranty term is typed onto the invoice.
Tell us over the phone. For $99 a technician tests the machine and writes the repair down as one price with that $99 folded in, and the invoice carries the warranty term in print.
