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Garbage Disposer dilemma Sasha 08-09-2005
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Posted by Edwin Pawlowski on August 10, 2005, 11:46 pm



> So... an independent consumer advocacy organization tests dishwashers,
> and determines that dishes come out equally clean whether you pre-rinse
> or not, and you would rather continue to waste the water (and your own
> time) by pre-rinsing? You sound like my mother-in-law, heheh :)
>
> --
> Jennifer

What waste? Every manufacturer tells you to run the water until it is hot
so the DW has hot water. In a load of dishes, I may run a couple of quarts
at best to get the cooler water purged from the line. Save energy on the
pre-heat If you like extra food and grease sloshing around your dishes, OK
by me. I like to get the big stuff off. Time? Maybe 30 seconds. Not
every item gets the splash of water, only a few plates and bowls.




Posted by 3D Peruna on August 11, 2005, 10:20 am


Jennifer wrote:
> CL (dnoyeB) Gilbert wrote:
>
>
>>Same. My wife does not rinse the dishes properly before she puts them
>>in the washer. AND she does nto run the disposal before and after each
>>wash... Gotta do one or the other at least.
>
>
> She should definitely run the disposal first, but depending on the
> model of your dishwasher, she may not need to rinse the dishes at all.
>
> Consumer Reports tests dishwashers regularly, using a mess of oatmeal
> and spinach that's been allowed to harden on dishes overnight. They
> reported last year that most current-model dishwashers had no problem
> cleaning those dishes completely, with no soaking or rinsing.
>
> As I recall, the biggest difference they found in the cleanliness of
> dishes had nothing to do with rinsing; instead it was related to the
> kind of cleaner used. The best dishwasher powders, liquids, and tabs
> were the ones that contained enzymes. Cascade Complete and Electrasol
> tabs are two of the products I remember performing well.
>
> This was all a big revelation to me, since I'd been raised to believe
> that you had to wash the dishes before washing the dishes, but I tried
> it, and lo-and-behold, my dishes came out clean without rinsing.
> Loading dishes without rinsing completely freaks my mother-in-law out
> when she visits. Bonus! ;)

We had some problems with a relatively new dishwasher not properly
draining. Had the service guys come out. They cleaned it all up. Then
the advised us to get rid of as much as possible before washing...no
need to pre-wash, but clean off as much as possible. It wasn't a
problem with the ability to wash they said, but that almost every
dishwasher they've serviced ended up getting a build up of gunk in the
drain system and will eventually have a problem. Sure the dishwasher
could get them clean, but it had a problem getting rid of all the stuff.



Posted by on August 11, 2005, 9:31 am


I don't know what kind of dishwashers you guys have. But I had a 15
year old basic Hotpoint and for 8 years I put dishes in it without
pre-rinsing them. They often would sit for a few days before being
washed too. And I almost never had a problem with them not getting
clean. The few times I did, it was an obvious problem due to the
object being blocked in some fashion from the spray. Two spoons
resting againt each other, as an example. And of course there is an
occasional baking pan or something that was heavily soiled that still
has some material left, but that isn't a problem solved by pre-rinsing
either.

Now, I have a new GE Profile. It's much quieter, easier to load, and
holds a lot more stuff. Have had no problems with it either without
pre-washing. And nothing in the manual says anything about having to
run the hot water to make sure it;s hot before running the dishwasher.
I have a fairly long run from the hot water heater to the dishwasher.
And I fail to see how you;re saving any energy by running hot water
down the sink to save "pre-heat." Even if it worked that way, you'd
just be having the hot water heat it, instead of the dishwasher.

But the fact is, I don't think the dishwasher is heating the water
during the first cycle or two anyway. When started, my GE Profile
fills, washes a bit, and empties in just a couple of minutes for the
first cycle. I think the design idea is that luke warm water is ok to
start the first pass, before any detergent in even released. Houses
are pretty much designed this way, so it seem logical to expect it to
take a gallon or two of water before it gets really hot. In fact, the
only cycle I'm sure that it does heat the water, is the last cycle. At
that point, it sometimes just sits there, no washing for a min or two,
while I'm assuming the water is heated to the final wash temp. Then it
resumes and finishes the last cycle.



Posted by Bob Morrison on August 11, 2005, 6:01 pm


In a previous post says...
> I don't know what kind of dishwashers you guys have. But I had a 15
> year old basic Hotpoint and for 8 years I put dishes in it without
> pre-rinsing them. They often would sit for a few days before being
> washed too
>

The problem isn't getting the dishes clean, it's getting the stuff that
comes off the dishes through the discharge pump and into the disposer.

I've yet to see a dishwasher that has an adequate screening system so
that fish bones (even small ones) don't plug up the discharge pipe. The
only solution is to rinse or scrape them off.

The other problem happens when a glass breaks inside the DW. Again,
most DW's don't have adequate screens to keep the pieces of glass out of
the discharge system. They will either plug up the discharge pipe, or
if they do make it to the disposer, you think you are grinding bones
when the disposer hits the piece of glass.

--
Bob Morrison, PE, SE
R L Morrison Engineering Co
Structural & Civil Engineering
Poulsbo WA


Posted by on August 11, 2005, 11:17 am


"I've yet to see a dishwasher that has an adequate screening system so
that fish bones (even small ones) don't plug up the discharge pipe.
The
only solution is to rinse or scrape them off. "

I believe what we were talking about was the need to always pre-rinse
dishes. Sure, if there are any obvious fish or other bones, or large
amounts of food, I scrape those off. That to me is different than
pre-rinsing the dishes. I know people who routinely rinse all the
items almost to the point that they're clean before going in the
dishwasher. I only scrape any obvious large items that won't disolve
and have never had a clog problem yet.

"The other problem happens when a glass breaks inside the DW. Again,
most DW's don't have adequate screens to keep the pieces of glass out
of
the discharge system. They will either plug up the discharge pipe, or
if they do make it to the disposer, you think you are grinding bones
when the disposer hits the piece of glass.

I've had a few glasses break over the years, but all the glass as far
as I could tell was contained in the bottom of the dishwasher and never
caused a problem.



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