I think I want a dishwasher...

**MilkOnTap** · 20-07-2008 21:08

Gosh it would be lovely to just stack all the dishes in every day or two and let the dishwasher wash and dry them all for me.

But how environmentally friendly/sound are they? I would only use it when its full - not just for 1 small load.

Any suggestions? Recommendations? Can we try before we buy with any company?

**sockstealingpoltergeist** · 20-07-2008 21:12

I have read that they can be better at saving water then hand washing dishes, as long as you wait till it is really full before you wash.

**xkwzit** · 20-07-2008 21:14

We got one that is 4 star rated for both water and power use (not sure how that compares with washing by hand though). It does take over 2 hours to do an energy saving load, but it's so quiet you'll never hear it if you run it at night!!

Cheers

**MilkOnTap** · 20-07-2008 21:14

I'm reading a choice review online (a new one from May this year) and some of them use as little as 11-17L of water per wash!!! Thats gotta be MUCH less than me half-filling the kitchen sink 3 times a day, surely...?

**amandaw** · 20-07-2008 21:15

Couldn't live without ours!

From what I understand, they are much more environmentally friendly than in the past - ours uses 15L of water on the econo cycle - and considering you use 7-10L in the average sink load, eif you put it one every second day, then it's actually water friendly...I just like the fact that by stacking everything in it, the kitchen automatically looks cleaner. I don't like the one in our new place (probably just needs a service, but doesn't drain properly, so things streak), but we brought a Bosch for our old place - more expensive than other brands, but was sooooo good - never had to rewash anything!

**Roopee** · 20-07-2008 21:21

We have the Fisher and Paykel Dishdrawers. BUT with 4 kids and 2 adults its running once a day...though with just the 3/4 of you you would be able to get away with just using one draw at a time.....i think they use about 15litres? Not too sure- cant remember. Good Luck.

**Sheer Bliss** · 20-07-2008 21:21

We have the dishdrawer, and when you only use one of the drawers, it uses less than most other dishwashers. Most nights, we only need to use one (depends on how many pots are used).

Water usage would depend on how much water you use when washing the dishes....do you rinse with the tap running, not rinse at all, or rinse in a sink of clean water? Do you change the water if it gets overly dirty when full. Maybe do a test run and put a bucket under the sink & collect all the water for washing/rinsing when you do it by hand and compare to the water usage of dishwashers. Make sure the dishes washed are the same too, so you get a good idea. I did this with DH when he insisted on leaving the tap running while he brushed his teeth - seeing 8L of water in the bucket for him to brush his teeth got the message accross!

Electricity wise.....i don't believe they use a great deal of electricity, but again, it would depend on your interpretation of how much is too much. I'd rather go without the electric blanket and have the dishwasher, so I do. We have hot water going straight into the machine too - no heater element in the machine. The ones with a heat element to heat the water and heat dry the dishes use more electricity than those that have hot water plummed in and no heat element.

Packing it effectively is also part of the key to keeping it efficient - i prefer DH doesn't do it, he just makes a mess - lol.

**Sheer Bliss** · 20-07-2008 21:23

Originally Posted by Roopee

We have the Fisher and Paykel Dishdrawers. BUT with 4 kids and 2 adults its running once a day...though with just the 3/4 of you you would be able to get away with just using one draw at a time.....i think they use about 15litres? Not too sure- cant remember. Good Luck.

snap

It is 15L per drawer!!

**missie_mack** · 20-07-2008 21:23

I work in the energy industry and I can say IMO it uses less energy than handwashing if you don't use to drying cycle and just open the door to allow them to airdry, and if your dishwasher is full. The bigger dishwashers are the best (12 piece dinnerset ones).... however that may be a difficult task with toddlers around

**canberramomma** · 20-07-2008 21:27

I can only go on my own findings from when i stopped using my dishwasher 5 years ago.

I found my water and electricity usage to be much lower and with a family my size, you can bet that the dishwasher was always full.

I think it depends on your situation. If you have solar power and solar hot water and tank water, it might be better, but for the majority, I think it would be less energy efficient.

I know that I wouldn't use as much as 11 litres of water to wash my dishes in the sink (or sink container) by hand, so I think in my case it would be much worse to run the dishwasher.