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Choosing the Best Commercial Dishwasher

Last updated on May 15, 2024

Ensuring the cleanliness of your dishes and glasses is crucial for the sustainability of your business. The way you wash your dishes and glassware can mean the difference between passing or failing your health inspection and is pivotal in shaping your establishment's reputation. Selecting the best commercial dishwasher is vital to upholding compliance with federal, state, and local regulations and supporting the continued growth of your business.


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Types of Commercial Dishwashers

The different types of commercial dishwashers cater to specific establishments and their needs. As you select a dishwasher, consider the volume, power capabilities, allotted space, and size of the dishwasher you choose. Additionally, examine your kitchen to ensure it's properly equipped for your dishwasher's requirements.

Restaurant Equipment

1. Glass Washer

A glass washer machine quickly and efficiently cleans your establishment's glassware without causing chips or damage. They wash up to 2,000 glasses per hour, with one cycle taking about 90 seconds to complete. Many fit right under your countertop for use in front-of-house operations to help keep up with demand and ensure you always have clean glasses available.

Glass washers allow glassware cleaning in bulk, making them a worthwhile investment for high-volume restaurants, coffee shops, bars, and hotels. Rack, carousel, or pass-through glass washer models are available in high- and low-temperature styles. Upright or submersible bar sink glass washers can also thoroughly clean your glassware before running it through your commercial dishwasher.

Restaurant Equipment

2. Undercounter Commercial Dishwasher

An excellent equipment choice for compact kitchens and bars, undercounter dishwashers allow you to clean as you go. They can clean between 20 to 55 dish and flatware racks per hour, giving your business a steady supply of clean dinnerware throughout your business hours. Most commercial warewashing equipment of this type uses a single door on the front to resemble residential washing units, but they incorporate a variety of controls and displays to let you work more efficiently.

You can find undercounter dishwashers in high- and low-temperature styles. Since they fit under your countertop, these dishwashers are the most convenient in front-of-house operations to minimize the distance and time required to transport clean dinnerware back to your customers.

 

Restaurant Equipment

3. Conveyor Dishwasher

Adding a conveyor dishwasher to your kitchen requires sacrificing space for efficiency. They're large, cumbersome, and powerful, processing between 350 to 1000 dish and flatware racks daily. Commercial warewashing machines are made of stainless steel and designed for heavy use in cafeterias, hospitals, and other high-volume operations.

Many conveyor dishwashers come with microprocessors and easy controls to set washing conditions, and there are also Energy Star models to help cut down on electricity consumption. Both high-temperature and low-temperature models are available for purchase. Because of their power level, a trained electrician is needed to install and hardwire these units.

Restaurant Equipment

4. Door Type or Rack Dishwasher

Door type or rack dishwashers are smaller versions of conveyor washers designed to connect to clean dishtables or dirty dishtables. First, fill up a compatible rack full of dishes and push it inside the dishwasher, then close the door and run the cleaning cycle. Within moments, the run cycle will be complete and the clean dishes will be ready for use.

A commercial warewasher can typically process 30 to 350 dish and flatware racks daily, making them great for localized operations like mom-and-pop restaurants. Similar to the conveyor models, there are high- and low-temperature designs available. Because they're not as large as conveyor dishwashers, rack washers sit out of the way of your kitchen's traffic in a corner or against a wall. However, many still utilize too much electricity to run off a simple plug and should be installed by an electrician.

Restaurant Equipment

5. Pot Washer

Use a pot and pan washer to make cleaning and sanitizing pots, pans, mixing bowls, and trays easy. They feature tall doors that provide enough clearance to accommodate cookware of all shapes and sizes that cannot fit in a standard dishwasher. They are an ideal alternative to manually scrubbing pots and pans in a three-compartment sink and use less water than handwashing. By conserving water and reducing time spent manually washing dishes, pot and pan washers can help save on utility and labor costs.

Pot and pan washers allow for bulk cookware washing, making them a worthwhile investment for high-volume restaurants, hotels, cafeterias, or hospitals. Door type, lift door, or pass-through pot and pan washer models are available with front-loading or straight-loading styles to accommodate your kitchen layout.

Restaurant Equipment

6. Ventless Dishwasher

Ventless dishwashers condense steam and eliminate the need for a commercial kitchen hood. Some kitchens may require a type 2 kitchen hood to trap and reduce heat and moisture build-up so that your staff can have an optimal working environment and you can protect your ceiling and other equipment. Ventless dishwashers eliminate the need for a costly kitchen hood and allow you to be more flexible with where to place your dishwasher.

Some ventless dishwashers utilize an energy recovery system, which collects the hot water vapor inside the machine and transfers it back to the booster to preheat the incoming rinse water. This feature can help save on energy and water costs in the long run. One factor with ventless dishwashers is that they typically have lower output production than standard rack dishwashers. 

Commercial Dishwasher Temperature Requirements

The FDA requires food contact surfaces to reach a surface temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit to be considered sanitary. Not all dishwashers reach temperatures that accommodate this requirement, so pay attention to unit specifications that outline temperature potential.

How Hot Do Dishwashers Get?

Dishwasher water temperature can range from 120 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit depending on the model and cleaning cycle.

High and Low Temperature Dishwashers

Choosing between high- and low-temperature dishwasher options depends on your needs and your facility's utility availability. The differences are the sanitizing methods, energy requirements, and extra features.

High Temperature Dishwashers

Use a high-temperature machine for powerful dishwashing in a short timeframe. However, the energy cost for these machines is steep, and they often require additional elements and maintenance.

  • Wash dishware at 150 to 160 degrees and rinse it at 180 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Sanitize through intense water heat
  • Require a condensate hood
  • Faster drying
  • Great for visibly soiled dishes and fat or grease

Low Temperature Dishwashers

While low-temperature machines fit easily with most commercial kitchen utility availability, they require additional cleaning chemicals and longer cycle times to compensate for the low power requirements.

  • Wash and rinse at temperatures between 120 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Require types of chemical sanitizing agents
  • Dishes must be scrubbed before using the machine
  • May not require hoods (check with your local authority)
  • Low energy requirement

Booster Heaters

Pair your low-temperature dishwasher with a booster heater to ensure water reaches the correct temperature to clean dishes. It heats water to over 180 degrees to sanitize dishes without additional cleaning chemicals. Benefits of a booster heater include:

  • Effectively remove food residue and provide rapid self-drying and sparkling clean dishware
  • Ensure that the final rinse water temperature is hot enough - 120 or above for low-temperature dishwashers, 180 or above for high-temperature dishwashers
  • Compact models fit right next to your dishwasher
  • Insulated to minimize heat loss, saving energy and time
The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice. Please refer to our Content Policy for more details.

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