Anybody ever installed a commercial dishwasher in a residence? Specs I’ve read say the complete cycle is approx. 2-3 minutes and water consumption 3/4 gal.
Thinking about installing one in my house.
butch
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I'd check the power requirements- it may be a 480V 3 phase unit. Also, the supply and drain piping will definitely not be the same as a residential unit.
Bob
The specs call for 220v and the drain 1-1/2", both of which will be no problem.
butch
480V Commercial Washer
I have a 480V 3 Phase Commercial Dishwasher and I'm looking to use it in my garage.
Is there anyway I could make this work? By using a 220V outlet?...etc?
Any information would be appreciated.
Thanks!
The only ones I have ever seen are conveyor belt systems. Dirty dishes in one side, clean dishes come out the other. Not really useful in the home.
Growing up, I worked in a small restaurant. This restaurant had a commercial dishwasher that sounds like the one you described (90 seconds or so for a cycle). Its design was like that that of a regular machine, with a door on the front that opened and closed and a rack that you could take out. It was used more as a sterilizer than a washer however, since everything that went into it had to be largely free of built-up detiritus before going in.
These units are being advertised as dishwashers so I assume they are capable to taking dirty dishes rather dishes that have already been pre-washed.
butch
The unit I'm considering looks just like an regular undercounter residential unit. Even the overall dimensions are similar.
buthc
Butch- be careful and look at the standoff requirements of the units. While they do wash in just a few minutes, they also put out a lot of heat and steam (thus the 208/240v requirement for most of them) and can not be placed next to wood cabinets without destroying them in a short time. Most are built for commercial all stainless steel kitchens. I did look at a Hobart model a while ago that was intended to be under-counter for a semi-residential (institutional) kitchen. I don't know the model number, but you could call Hobart and find out. If it wasn't a zero clearance (to wood) dishwasher it was close (4" or so). I would still be leery of putting it under a wood or plastic laminate counter though. If you aren't looking to run restaurant or need the commercial grade NSF standard sanitation, it seems a little much for what you get- loud, hot, steamy, but fast. Of course, that point could be made for Viking ranges, etc. too... Good luck, Roy
Thanks for the comments regarding adjacent cabinets, I'll look into that. The countertops will be SS so that won't be a problem.
butch
I looked at an Hobart a few months back. It was my dream to have a commercial dishwasher in the kitchen: keep a few "blue trays" around and if you are having a party, you can fill a tray, pop it in the washer (plug your ears for 90-120 seconds), and voila, clean dishes/glasses
I gave up for the following reasons:
there are 2 types of professional washers: really hot water and chemicals-based. To meet NSF code, you need to basically sterilize the dishes. Didn't want to have to deal with really harsh chemicals (the ones with scary warnings), and the hot water one required a hot-water booster (that's how they get to wash in 90 seconds: the incoming water is near boiling. Plan for a water booster (and additional space/plumbing/electrical requirements) if you want one of those beasts. Standard residential hot water has to prevent scalding, so you can't meet both requirements off just one water heater
Insurance: most insurances refuse to insure homes where professional kitchen equipment is used (that's why I had to give up on the professional range, too). Professional-style ranges are residential units beefed up, but they still are residential, hence meet the required safety guidelines. Ask your insurance before it's too late
China: given they wash at near boil temperatures, your china and glassware must be restaurant-duty material. Standard china or glassware will get sanded/ruined so quickly that you can't really use it
Clearance: couldn't meet the necessary clearance in the kitchen. Especially countertop depth
Looking clean: the purpose of those units is to sterilize, not wash or clean. Ever noticed how in some restaurants silverware or glasses have specks "cooked" onto them? That's what happens when food sticks to the silverware and gets hit by boiling water: it cooks in place. Since it's sterilized, doesn't matter if you see a small speck. But, well, in your house, you probably want clean-looking china. I could try to explain my guests that it's actually safer than the clean glass they have at home, but I don't think it would fly with some guests :-)
Noise was not much of a problem. Sure, they make more noise than a small jet plane on takeoff, but it's 90 seconds only
All in all, I filed under the "too cool for my own good" folder, together with a few other stupid ideas. To let you know what my tolerance level for stupid ideas is, I'm building a real Italian wood-fired pizza oven in my kitchen. Well, that's easier than the professional dishwasher was...
Looks like you think like me! Scary! I also considered building a wood fired brick oven in the entertaining area (indoors) but that was several revisions ago! Now it's going outside.
The dishwasher model I'm looking at washes @ 150F and rinses @ 185F. Incoming water needs to be 140F, the unit has a booster heater and controls to modulate the wash and rinse temperatures.
The noise level is 58db which in my opinion is real quiet.
Thanks for the comment regarding a commercial range v. insurance coverage. The only caveat the range manufacturer says is 8" from combustible material.
Your comments are really appreciated.
Thanks,
butch
Up here they cost about 10x more.
Check to see how gentle it is on the dishes, some of the commercial ones can be a little ruff, also maybe a little noisy so check the specs. They cost a lot more.
They are considerably more expensive. Willing to pay more for the convenience of having the dishes done in severale minutes instead of 70-80 minutes. Will be really handy when large parties are held (more than one load).
butch
Yep! I roger that.
butch
Also check to see if that cycle time is from a cold start. The ones I'm familiar with have a reservoir of hot wash water, probably around 15 gallons, and you're not going to get a quality wash until all of that is hot. But that was 20 some years ago; maybe the newer units can do a 3 minute cycle from a cold start.
Check the archives at Cooks Talk, third button in the second row of buttons above. I've seen commercial dishwasher discussions there a couple of times.
Good comment regarding cold start. I'll check that out.
Will try to access Cooks Talk. Not familiar with that site.
butch