Household appliances that help to cope with household chores are firmly established in the everyday life of modern man. However, many housewives still prefer to wash the dishes with their hands, citing the high consumption of water in the dishwasher and the unjustified costs of electricity and detergents. Experts argue that this is far from the case. The indicators vary depending on the model of the machine, build quality, loading mode and other factors.
What does water consumption depend on?
Buying a dishwasher cannot be called an ordinary purchase, because such a technique is chosen for 5-10 years, and I want it to work without failures and unnecessary costs. The rate of water consumption is especially relevant for those who pay on the meter. When choosing a model, one should pay attention not only to the appearance and name of the brand, but also to the main technical characteristics of the model indicated by the manufacturer in the passport.
Machine volume
The flow rate of a dishwasher primarily depends on its volume. Basically, for home use, the following models are chosen:
- compact - can hold from 4 to 8 standard sets of utensils, consume 7 liters of water;
- narrow - 45 cm wide, accommodate 10-12 sets, average consumption - 9-10 l;
- full-sized - 60 cm wide, accommodate 12-17 sets of dishes, spend from 10 to 14 liters.
For a family of two people, a compact device is quite suitable. If you take a full-size model, you will have to save dirty dishes for a few days until fully loaded, or drive a half-empty machine.
Profitability level
The level of water saving in the dishwasher depends on the manufacturer - how advanced technologies he uses in the manufacture of his goods.
Cars are divided into three classes:
- highly economical;
- with average profitability;
- uneconomical.
All models from world famous manufacturers, such as Bosch, Siemens, Kandy, Electrolux, have a high economy class and consume on average 10-12 liters of water per cycle.
Boot mode
Most modern models have a half load function, which allows you to not only wash half as much dishes, but also spend half as much liquid and electricity. Of course, in a car without such a function, you can wash an incomplete volume of dishes. That's just water and energy will be spent as much as with a full tank.
The partial load function is present in all advanced models from Bosch, Ariston, Whirlpool and other manufacturers. In addition, some expensive dishwashers have built-in special water flow sensors that monitor the amount of incoming liquid, depending on the amount of dishes and the degree of contamination.
How does a dishwasher save water?
When more water is wasted - when washing dishes by hand or in a car? In search of an answer to this question, a lot of experiments were carried out and it was found that with a manual wash, 10 times more fluid is spent than when using a dishwasher.
The evidence is very simple. In one minute, an average of 10 liters of water flows from the tap. To wash 12 standard sets of dishes (12 spoons, forks, knives, flat and deep plates, tea cups), even the most efficient housewife will need at least 10 minutes. Washing dishes by hand, during this time it will spend 100 liters of water. A typewriter to perform similar work will be enough 10 liters.
This economy is explained by the fact that the dishes are washed to a state of absolute purity in a certain volume of water. And only after a thorough washing, the spent liquid is discharged into the sewer, and a new portion of clean water is collected for rinsing. The washing liquid is ejected under high pressure from the smallest holes in the beam and hits the dishes with force. In combination with an effective detergent and a high temperature of water, this allows you to wash the appliances as cleanly as not even one of the most diligent housewives will succeed.
Electricity costs
When choosing a dishwasher, you need to pay attention to the amount of electricity consumed by the device.
According to the power consumption, all electrical engineering is divided into several classes:
- A + - up to 0.65 kW / h;
- A - from 0.65 to 1.05 kW / h;
- B - from 1.05 to 1.1 kW / h;
- C - from 1.11 to 1.5 kW / h.
The more expensive the model, the more economical it is. And also the amount of energy expended depends on whether the unit is connected to cold or hot water. Typically, the machine is connected to a pipe with cold water, which the machine itself heats to the desired temperature using an electric heater. It is undesirable to use hot water directly from the water supply system, as it contains a lot of impurities and quickly clogs the filters.
The best dishwashers 40 and 65 cm
Modern manufacturers of dishwashing equipment strive to make their products more economical and functional. Here are a few models with a minimum consumption of water and electricity, which are worth paying attention to when choosing.
- Bosch SMV69T70 is a full-size built-in machine, designed to wash 14 standard sets of dishes. For a full working cycle, which lasts 140 minutes, it spends 9.5 liters of water and 0.74 kW / h of electricity.
- Bosch SMS40L02 - a freestanding machine 60 cm wide, consumes 12 liters of water. According to energy consumption, it belongs to class A.
- Hotpoint-Ariston LTF 11S111 - a capacious dishwasher designed to clean 15 sets of dishes. For a full cycle it spends 11 liters of water and 1.07 kWh of energy.
- Zanussi ZDV 91500 FA is a narrow built-in dishwasher, it will wash 9 sets in one cycle, spending 9 liters of water and 0.9 kWh of electricity on it.
- Whirlpool ADG 422 - a stylish model with a width of 45 cm, built-in under the countertop, can easily cope with 10 sets of utensils, having spent 9 liters of water on cleaning. Energy saving class A +.
A dishwasher is a great achievement in every way. In addition to the fact that this modern appliance significantly reduces the cost of washing dishes, spending a minimum amount of water and very little energy, it has many other advantages. The main thing is to save the hostess's time and energy. Having such an assistant in the kitchen, you do not have to stand at the sink three times a day, doing monotonous work. High quality dishwashing is also an advantage of this wonderful machine. Few hands can withstand exposure to water heated to + 70 ° C in combination with a detergent. But it is precisely such an environment that is created inside the loading tank during machine operation.