How a dishwasher works (basic principles)
Dishwashers are quite rare in the CIS countries. According to statistics, only about 5% of families use dishwashers, even though the prices for such equipment are currently reasonable.
The main reason for this is people’s doubts about the quality of operation of these household appliances, saying that they will not be able to wash the dishes better than we could do it with our hands. Considering the principle of operation of a dishwasher, we will try to dispel this myth and convince you that the “dishwasher” is a very useful device.
Description of the processes occurring in the dishwasher
Despite people’s preconceptions that a dishwasher is a very complex and capricious device, let’s say that this is absolutely not the case. A “dishwasher” is a technically simple unit, and understanding the principles of its operation is not at all difficult. Once we install the dishwasher in place, connect it to the water supply, sewer and electrical network, and then load the dirty dishes, a number of interesting processes occur.
- First, we set the washing program, press the start button, and then go about our business.
- Without us, the washing cycle begins, which is carried out without human intervention. The control unit issues a command, the water intake valve opens and water flows into a special container.
- Next, water and salt are mixed. Salt softens water and makes dishwashing more efficient. At the same time, the control module activates the heating element.Further processes do not start until the water in the chamber is heated to the required temperature (the temperature is set by the user).
For your information! Some dishwasher models are connected to both hot and cold water. In this case, the system mixes the water, and the temperature sensor determines whether its temperature matches the program.
- Further actions of the dishwasher depend on the set program. Suppose
The dishes we loaded were very dirty, so we turned on the soak mode first. The control module commands the circulation pump to supply a mixture of water and detergent in very small portions to the spray arm, which begins to spray drops onto dirty dishes for a long time, to ensure the effect of liquefying dried-on dirt. - Next, the primary rinse is activated. Now the circulation pump delivers the mixture to the sprinkler, and the remaining food is washed off under pressure. The main spray arm is located at the bottom of the hopper under the lower dish basket. It not only sprays water and detergents, but also rotates, making it possible to cover all the dishes.
- Subsequently, the water that was used for rinsing is not drained, but passes through coarse filters and returned to the tank. There, the system increases the concentration of the detergent and re-sprays the dishes, which allows you to remove most of the dirt from them.
Important! Rinsing with detergents can be repeated several times, depending on the set program, this extends the washing time.
- Next, the system gives a command to drain the waste water.Dirty water is pumped out by the drain pump, in return a little water is poured in, which rinses the tank from the inside, and then it is drained into the sewer.
- Now the valve opens and clean water is poured into the tank to rinse the dishes from
residues of dirt and detergent. The algorithm is simple: clean water under significant pressure is supplied by a circulation pump to the sprinkler, and it washes off the remaining detergent from the dishes. The device can repeat the process of rinsing dishes, which increases the program execution time. - Next, the control module gives a command to drain the waste water, and the pump removes water from the tank into the sewer system.
- Now it's drying time. If the dishwasher has a forced drying function, then a special fan forces hot air, heated by a heating element, into the hopper with dishes, and they dry out very quickly. If there is no such function, then drying is carried out naturally in convection mode.
We have described, in general terms, what happens inside a dishwasher. Our description may seem complicated to you, then you can watch a video that demonstrates the operation of the dishwasher. Or you can find and watch the video and compare it with our description. Whatever you do, as long as you get an idea of how dishwashers work, you will spend little time on this.
How does a “dishwasher” work?
To better understand what happens inside the dishwasher during operation, you need to study its structure. If we disassemble a dishwasher and look at its structure from the inside, we will see a system of units and sensors interacting with each other. Although the machine’s structure is not complicated, if you are going to disassemble it for the first time in your life, record your actions on video. The video will help you then correctly put all the parts in place after the repair work has been carried out.
The main parts of the dishwasher are located in the lower part of the body; from the inside it looks quite interesting. In the bowels of the body there is:
- A tray in which to place dirty dishes.
- A closer that allows you to smoothly open and close the door.
- Sprinkler bar (there can be two or even three).
- Sensor that measures water temperature.
- Mesh filter and coarse water filter.
- Hose for draining waste water into the sewer.
- Pressure limiting valve.
- A pump that drains waste water.
- Water reservoir.
- Element of the leakage protection system.
- Control module.
- Main pump (circulation).
- Condensing element.
- Container for rinse aids.
- Blocking element.
- Container for detergents.
- Fill valve.
- Rubber seal located along the edge of the door.
- Salt compartment.
- Flow-through water heating element.
- Inlet hose.
- Guides for dish trays.
Here is a general list of elements installed in the dishwasher. You can see where and how they are installed in the picture above. If this is not enough to understand the overall picture, you can find a video on the Internet that demonstrates the details of the dishwasher.
Why does the “dishwasher” wash even very dirty dishes?
Now let's dispel the myth about the inefficiency of the dishwasher.Numerous tests, both in laboratory conditions and in the conditions of an ordinary average apartment, confirm that the “dishwasher” is quite capable of caring for a whole mountain of dishes. Why does she do this? There are at least three good reasons:
- washing dishes is done using a solution of special salt and detergents that dissolve food residues and grease;
- washing takes place in water heated to the optimal temperature;
- the dishes are sprayed with water, which is supplied under high pressure in a fan-shaped manner, which allows you to spray all the items to be washed from all sides.
Certainly, If you stuff a pan with a centimeter layer of smoke into a dish tray, it is unlikely that the dishwasher will cope with such contamination. However, it is reliably known that after a washing cycle, even such dirt is greatly softened from the inside and can then be removed manually using a small amount of an abrasive cleaner. In general, we can say without exaggeration that a dishwasher is one of the most necessary household appliances in the kitchen, and if this story does not convince you, read reviews of Bosch dishwashers, perhaps the opinion of consumers will be more significant for you.
For your information! Young mothers value dishwashers not even for washing dishes, but for caring for children's toys. In videos on the Internet you can see how mothers fill the “dishwasher” trays with toys, and at the end they get everything clean.
In conclusion, we note that without going into technical details, the principle of operation of a dishwasher is very simple.However, understanding this principle is important for the user, both during the daily operation of the “home assistant” and in the event that it later requires repair. Thanks for your attention and good luck!
Interesting:
2 reader comments
Since when is salt used to wash dishes? It is used to clean the ionic filter membrane of a water softener.
There is not an ionic filter, but a softener, which, using an ion exchange resin, replaces hardness salts (potassium and magnesium) with sodium salts.