# Drying time of a low temp vs high temp dishwasher



## adlainewcook (Mar 18, 2016)

What are the drying times on average of a low temp dishwasher vs high temp dishwasher? Ecolab is telling me that a low temp machine is a good fit for me. However, I told them that drying time is a concern for me since we have very small kitchen and don't have a drying station. Also, we need to put away the plates and glasses right away since our clean table is only 5 feet. Should I listen to Ecolab? My hunch is that they are telling me to get low temp so that I buy more of their chemicals.


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## grande (May 14, 2014)

Pro tip: edit the name of the company out of your post, there's another thread on this forum where a company's rep came on the thread and started commenting.

My experience with low temp dishwashers has been entirly negative. Last job I had, we had a low temp machine for a busy bar and grill and my plates wrre always sopping wet. That could be a combination ofthe people who worked there plus the volume, but it was a frustrating device to work with anyway.

There's at least one thread of hi-temp vs low temp in the archives that I recommend reading.

Out of curiosity, what's your setup like?


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## adlainewcook (Mar 18, 2016)

Dishmachine is in the corner with 5 feet of soiled and 5 feet of clean dishtable from right to left. Storage of plates and glasses few feet away from the dishwash area. Kitchen area is pretty much rectangular where one corner is the cooking / prep station and the other corner is the dishwash area. Kitchen setup cannot be easily change since we are leasing the space and owner does not what any change in the space.

Do you have the link for the thread by any chance? 

Thanks


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Like the others, I hate, loathe, detest, etc. the low temps.

Why?

Well, for one thing, you need another chemical, sanitizer, in addition to your soap and your rinse aid.  Sanitizer is also quite caustic, so the lines and dispensing units need to be changed more frequently.

For another, plates, glassware come out lukewarm from the machine, and don't dry as quickly as with high temps.  This leads to wet, messy counters and wet messy stacks of plates.

And another, low temps don't work as well on greasy plates/glassware, lipstick etc.  Hot water dissolves grease more readily than p*ss warm water.  People have been taking advantage of this little nugget of information for centuries.

Where the low temps have their advantage is in the bar, glassware doesn't need time to cool down like high temps, and glassware is very rarely coated with grease--other than lipstick.  Keep in mind that the high heat cycles  from the high temp machines wreak havoc on good quality stemware.

But for heavily soiled dishes and general kitchen duties, high temps far, far, outclass the low temps.


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## grande (May 14, 2014)

http://www.cheftalk.com/t/54784/auto-clor-vs-ecolab

I *think this is the thread i remember


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## fish4life (Sep 15, 2014)

Dependeing on the type of items being washed yes High temp will dry faster Glasses/plates however if you are using melimine or any kind of plastic plates or bowls or trays they will not dry as fast ( most likly will need to dry by hand)

Here in the Chicago land area Health Dept. is started to make you vent BOTH High temp and low temp so there is no saving on the condensate hood.

Pick your piosin Low temp nice at a bar

- don't need to pay for a booster heater or the energy to heat the water to 180 degrees

-But have a monthly chemical Bill. Could get pricey

-does not clean as well (lip stick , eggs)

Maybe some Wall mtd slant racks over the clean table will give you some more drying time up out of the way.

just my 2 cents


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## stilldishwasher (Jan 9, 2017)

I build dishwashers in New Jersey - Low temp machines are much more chemical demanding than high temp - just like taking a shower with cold water vs. hot water . you need to break the fat and we use alot of chemicals when the water is cold . our solution for the electricity bill was to implement a smart card that controls boiler and turn the to lower temp when idle after XX minutes . this saves the electricity and you only use it when the machine works . reharding the hood - the optional we recommend  is using a steam recovery system that will turn the steam in the machine into energy that warms the water and saves 30% electricity and also with it you don't need to install hood . 

Always use high temp machine . always . 

Robert


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