Cohousing-L Mailing List: RE: Commercial dishwasher for Common House Kitchen

[Deborah Behrens (debbeh]

Hi Joani

Highline has a Hobart (? I think) with a water temperature booster,
undercounter, 3 minute cycle.  However, the space for the booster was not
anticipated when the dishwasher space was designed, so we ended up putting
it in the basement, directly below the dishwasher, on a platform lashed to
ceiling beams.

The only times that we get steam are when we open the door right after a
cycle ends.  
I think we had a problem with the booster a while back, but I'm not sure
what the problem was or what it cost to fix it.  We've been using ours for
4+ years.

We have to rinse our dishes off well before we put them in the dishwasher
because it does a lousy job of cleaning, altho it's fine at sterilizing.
Because of the high heat, we can't put most plastics in it, our water
pitchers, etc.
We do have some folks who don't like the noise, if we're having a meeting
right after the meal, but mostly I think we've gotten used to it.

Some folks put too much detergent in the dishwasher, they're not convinced
that the 2T recommended is sufficient.
Corelle works really well in the dishwasher - light weight and very hard to
break.  Some other types of dishware can be very heavy when you're trying to
lift a whole tray full.

Even with the pre-rinsing chore, I think the commercial dishwasher is great
- fast cycling.
IMO, we have more of a problem with just the cleanup flow than with the
dishwasher itself - the kitchen's not well designed for a good cleanup flow.

Jernstoberiet in Roskilde Denmark has a really nice dishwasher.  Counter
level, actually cleans the dishes, recycles the water for reuse.  They
'prime' theirs with salt periodically, but other than that, I don't know the
details of its use or the brand.  There may be pix of it in the DK trip
section of the web site.  But european brands probably aren't worth the
while to deal with here.  I just love their CH kitchen and dining room.
What is Pioneer Valley using?  It seemed to work differently than ours,
needed preheating, etc.  I don't recall whether the dishes needed
pre-rinsing before putting them in the dishwasher.

Best wishes with Swans Mkt
Debbie Behrens
Highline Crossing, Littleton CO

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Joani Blank [SMTP:jeblank [at] ic.org]
> Sent: Wednesday, November 17, 1999 1:02 AM
> To:   Multiple recipients of list
> Subject:      Commercial dishwasher for Common House Kitchen
> 
> Howdy friends in built cohousing communities
> 
> If you have an under-the-counter Hobart or other commercial dishwasher
> (2:30 minute cycle) in your common kitchen:
> 
> 1.  Does it make a lot of steam, and if so is that a problem?
> 2.  Do your machine have an integral or supplemental water temperature
> booster, and/or do you use chemicals?
> 3.  If you use chemicals, how is the smell of the chemicals? (Does it
> smell 
> like bleach or something else, and does anyone in your community have 
> problems with the smell of the chemicals?)
> 4.  If you use chemicals, do you use, or do you know of relatively 
> non-odoriferous or non-toxic or green alternatives?
> 5.  We know these machines are relatively loud, but they run for a very
> short time.  If your kitchen is fairly open to your dining room, is the
> noise of the dishwasher problematic?
> 
> Joani Blank
> for the Old Oakland Cohousing Group, Oakland, CA