Commercial dishwasher info needed [General]

2016 Jun 9
Aside from the obvious (which to me is looking through kijiji ads) any good leads on where I can source a commercial dishwasher?

My preference is for something about the size of a regular dishwasher (as seen in picture), but if a really good larger size washer was available I might be able to convince dear husband to re-jig the kitchen somewhat.

That being said, I can get him to move cupboards and appliances with relative ease, but the man hates plumbing, so I'm kinda hoping a place that has commercial washers has installation available too.

Are there restaurant supply places in the Ottawa or Kingston that carry these? I've tried a bit of google searching, but dishwashers are well out of my realm of everyday google experience and I'm not coming up with much locally.

I guess the other thing I'm wondering, is if any of you out there have experience with commercial washers, do you have any suggestions on what I should or shouldn't look for in a washer? Brands that are best, or brands to be avoided?

Used is fine and dandy with me if it's working, not if it needs extensive repairs to get it working. Or am I better to get new with a warranty?

For work load, we'll need to run it at least three or four times a day if it's a standard 'under the counter' size dishwasher.

Thanks for any suggestions!

2016 Jun 9
Check Russell Food Equipment on Preston at Hickory

I can't really help you on what brand to pick, but I have dealt with Russell quite a bit over the years and they are great to deal with.

2016 Jun 9
Also have a look at Costco's website - I just checked and they have a number of commercial models. Pretty hard to beat their customer support as well.

2016 Jun 9
There is a good user commercial place in Gatineau as well you should check out. I cannot recall the name but should be easy to find. Will warn you though there security system is a baseball bat!

2016 Jun 10
One thing you may not be aware of - commercial dish washers are people... the machines are sanitizers.

Ie. you have to scrape and quickly rinse the items before they are put in - the machine then finishes the rinse with crazy hot water and then two 'cycles' with a sanitizing agent (there are several). You will likely need a pre-heater for the water to be up to temp.

They also need to be run after some sort of water conditioner or descaler as hard water inhibits their effectiveness.

You have to flush the water once it becomes cloudy (some do this automatically).

Dishes are not dried in the machine they must be removed and left in the racks to dry. They won't dry in the machine unless you dump the water in the tank.

Depending on the service load you may need a separate drying area for the racks and also many racks.

These machines do not contain a macerater to handle solids, usually there is just a simple stainless steel screen that prevents 'solids' from accidentally entering the pump, it needs to be checked and cleaned periodically.

Typically the layout is a landing area for dirty dish tubs, a rack area with a sink for the scraping / rinse, the machine and finally a landing area for the racks to dry. Usually about 12' of counter space. Some models can use less room but they will have less capacity.


2016 Jun 15
This is all very helpful information! I will look into the places suggested.

MichaelGA, I did wonder about the term 'commercial dishwasher' when I posted this! ;-)

While a dishwasher that could handle my families dirty dishes without a rinse would be great, our needs are mostly for sanitizing glass wear. Hundreds of jars each week we need to wash here on the farm. Plus at least a load a day of household dishes.

We have the space to install a machine, and already have places to set racks to dry. In some cases when we are putting soup stock in jars, we could fill the jars right out of the sanitizer before they have fully dried off.

For me, it's the time savings. Our current washer needs an hour to wash/sanitize 36 jars, while one of these fancy-pants models could do the same in less than 10 minutes.

2016 Jun 15
They have a Lamber (from Costco) where I have volunteered that last 1.5 years.

2 minute cycle. plates and glasses come out finger burnin' hot .. and air dry quickly.

If you want to see it in action send me a message.

www.costco.com


2016 Jun 15
2 minute cycle, I swoon at the thought of it...

How many 1L mason jars do you figure I could fit in at one time, Captain?

And what about detergent? Am I correct to assume I need something specialized for these things?

2016 Jun 16
I think you will get 16 (4 X 4) 1L jars in the rack. Just a guess. Rack is 20"X20". Best to bring a jar to your supplier to test out capacity.

Machine takes commercial non-foaming detergent powder and a rinse-aid in a dispenser.

Here is the (poorly translated) manual for the model I have used. F92EKDPS

www.dvorsons.com

BTW. You'll need a 220V electrical circuit to run this little monster.

Eurodib is the North American distributor for Lamber (Italy).

www.eurodib.com