This paper deals with the problem of fast recognition of harmonic distortions by means of a wavelet transform. A method of fast detection of a frequency band affected by the high-frequency content and time of its occurrence is described. It is based on the auxiliary waveform distortion band factors (DBFs) calculated on the basis of wavelet coefficients. The merits of the presented method, as well as its limitations, are described on the basis of real voltages registered in ships' electrical power systems. This method is a part of the method based on the complementary application of Fourier and wavelet transforms, which was described in the previous papers of the author. However, this paper describes new research results and an expanded analysis exclusively focused on the aforementioned DBFs.