by DONALEE MOULTON

The days of a lone dishwasher toiling over a sink full of dirty plates are long gone. Today’s modern warewashing equipment is fast, efficient and environmentally friendly.

For restaurant owners and managers considering upgrading or replacing their warewashing equipment, you need to weigh a number of factors to ensure you get the right dishwasher for your establishment. That means, first and foremost, deciding what type of dishwasher you will use, says Claude Millette, national sales manager with Champion Moyer Diebel Ltd. in Montréal.

There are two basic types of warewashing equipment, he notes. One uses water that has been heated to roughly 140 degrees for washing and then rinse water that is “boosted” to 180 degrees for the final rinse and sanitizing. The second maintains a relatively constant temperature of 140-150 degrees and uses a sanitizer (usually a bleach-based product) for the final rinse.

“The industry favours high-temperature machines,” says Millette. “You get dry dishes, a better result and use one less chemical.”

“More and more restaurants,” he adds, “are expecting machines to be green.”

Green warewashing
Indeed, the latest trends in product development for warewashing companies are developing around energy efficiency and water savings, says Mike Brown, marketing manager, Ecolab Inc. in Toronto. “Solutions that are saving restaurants money on their energy and water bills are important.”

The Apex Warewashing System from Ecolab, he notes, lowers energy consumption by an average of 2,100 kWh a year.

“The key manufacturers,” notes Larry Orton, product manager, distributed products with Garland Canada in Toronto, “are working on getting all the appropriate warewashers Energy Star certified and reducing the amount of water per rack that is consumed in the wash cycle.”

Energy Star, a joint program of the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy that is now available in Canada, has developed guidelines for commercial high and low temperature under-counter dishwashers, stationary single-tank dishwashers, singletank conveyor dishwashers, and multiple-tank dishwashers. According to the program, each Energy Star commercial dishwasher can save businesses about 93 million BTUs or an average of $850 a year on utility bills.

That’s just on the energy side. Commercial dishwashers, of course, also consume water during operation – lots of water. In the case of Jackson equipment, which Orton sells, the company has received certification for 17 models that meet the standards set by the US Green Building Council for using less than 1.0 gallons of water per rack of ware that is washed.

There is economic incentive to replace older dishwashing equipment, notes Millette. “In an older 44" rack machine, water use was 1.5 gallons per rack. In newer machines, that can be down to as little as .54 gallons per rack.

“That is a significant decrease in usage, and it also enables the owner to use a smaller booster unit,” he adds.

How to choose
In selecting a new or a replacement warewashing unit, restaurant owners need to consider how the machine will be used in their facility. “What works for one operation will not work in another,” says Jeff Chalmers, assistant director of foodservices with the University of Waterloo.

“For us,” he notes, “it was really the reliability of the machine – how long will it last. We also needed to know that parts and service would both be available quickly.”

Chalmers oversees a $17 million a year foodservice operation with eight dishwashers, including two single-tank washers, two double-tank conveyors and two under-counter machines. “I’ve replaced every piece of dishwashing equipment on campus in my 17 years here – out of necessity,” he says.

Chalmers adds that he wasn’t looking for bells and whistles, but equipment that would work day in, day out in his foodservice operations. Saving money was a bonus – which Chalmers did in two key ways.

First, he purchased a 22 ft. conveyor belt flite machine from Champion that included a throughput gas dryer at the end. This means dishes came out not only clean but dry. “This helped me to save on labour costs,” says Chalmers. “I required only one person in the dishroom during the day.”

Second, he inserted bars through every second row of the pegs and asked for a wider belt to reduce the breakage of the pegs from staff forcing dishes onto the belt. The wider track allowed for the trays to fit two at a time through the wash cycle. “Customization may be required. You need to work closely with your equipment representative,” he notes.

That representative is critical, says Brown. “You need someone you can count on to help you get the most efficiency out of your equipment and to help ensure the equipment is being used effectively.”

Owners will also need to look closely at the many features available on warewashing machines today. These include multiple wash times built into the controller packages, which allow operators to choose from shorter wash times for lightly soiled ware to longer wash times for more heavily soiled ware, and options to ensure that ware is not released to the rinse cycle until the rinse water has achieved the correct temperature for high-temperature sanitizing.

There are also systems that shut down pumps on machines that are not operating on a continuous basis and conveyor features that allow operators to control belt speed and the rate at which ware is washed: heavier soil, slower speed; lighter soil, faster speed.

There are key questions that every warewashing purchaser will need to answer as they begin to investigate a new equipment purchase, notes Orton. Capacity is one. For example, restaurant owners need to ensure “right-sizing” the machine to handle the load they anticipate. There is no value in having a machine that is too big for the job. Or too small.

“For example,” notes Orton, “you may need a machine that accepts sheet pans and hotel pans as well as regular ware.” “Before you purchase any equipment, you should do a sizing survey,” says Millette. “This will give you a good idea of how many dishes you’re washing. You then apply a 70% efficiency factor to a specification sheet rating, to determine real-time warewashing machine capacity.”

Warewasher costs
Price, of course, will be a primary consideration – but it should not be the top one, cautions Chalmers. “It is not a good strategy to go with the cheapest piece of equipment. You need to look at the long-term cycle costs along with the potential savings (energy, labour, maintenance), and that’s complicated.”

“It’s better to spend money up front,” he adds, “and save money down the line.”

New pieces of warewashing equipment cost several thousand dollars. Restaurant owners must also decide how they will spend that money, Orton notes. “You must look carefully at whether you will lease a machine or purchase outright.” It’s all part of ensuring you get the best warewashing equipment for your restaurant at the best price.