Any commercial pass through dishwasher is a significant investment and decisions can’t be taken lightly. It can also alter the way you operate but lead to improved efficiency. To help you choose, here are some points to consider.

1. Will it Fit?

Pass through dishwashers are quite large machines and you’ll need to be sure one will fit the selected space. All machines will publish external dimensions, but you’ll also need to allow for loading tables, draining racks and possibly pre-wash sinks.

2. Practical Space

Besides ensuring the dishwasher and components will fit into a space, you need to be sure there’s enough room around it. If the dishwasher obstructs the workflow of your kitchen, productivity will be hit.

3. Will it do the Job?

Pass through dishwashers speed up the cleaning process and are capable of handling over 2,000 plates each hour. This is dependent on the size of the machine (the number of plates washed each cycle) and the cycle speed (typically 1-3 minutes), giving up to 20-40 cycles per hour allowing for loading and unloading. Check the capacity you need before ordering.

4. Power Requirements and Use

Commercial dishwashers use a lot of power so, since this is increasingly expensive, you must fully exploit their potential and know how energy efficient they are. It’s also likely that the dishwasher can’t be plugged into a socket but needs to be hard-wired.

5. Extra Features

Some dishwashers have a built-in pre-wash feature that avoids the need for separate sinks. You can also get variable cycle times for different washing needs and energy-efficient features such as insulated boilers. Ensure the features are useful before paying for them.

6. Installation

A pass through dishwasher should be installed professionally and may need a site survey. It must be close to water and power supplies and may need an extractor fan to remove steam so it’s vital you get it right to ensure proper functionality.

7. Water Pressure

Cleaning is accomplished by powerful water jets that require sufficient water pressure, generally at least two bar. For lower pressures, buy a dishwasher with an internal rinse booster pump or fit an external one.

8. Water Quality

If you’re in a hard water area, limescale can impact your machine’s efficiency and eventually cause it to fail. Hard water also reduces the effectiveness of detergents.

9. Water Disposal

If the machine’s waste outlet is than the standpipe, a gravity drain will suffice. Otherwise, you need a drain pump, either fitted externally or standard to the dishwasher.

10. Operating Temperature

Wash temperature should be between 62 & 65 degrees Celsius, Rinse temperature must be 82 – 85+ to achieve correct sanitising to meet Australian health regulations.

11. Noise

Kitchens tend to be noisy, and any addition will add to stress levels so choose a dishwasher with low decibel output.

12. Cost

You may be on a budget, but cost shouldn’t be the main consideration. You will regret buying a commercial kitchen cleaning equipment, especially a dishwasher that doesn’t do the job. So put other factors first.

13. Reliability

Busy kitchens can’t afford hold-ups, so you need a dishwasher that’s reliable. Buy one that’s good quality, has a long warranty backed by exceptional service. You can rely on all that when you buy from Warewashing Solutions, and we’ll provide all the advice you need to get the best machine and components.