Commercial vs Domestic Washing machines and Dishwashers

[AMEdinburgh]

Is there someone on the forum that can give me an insight into what are the differences between commercial and domestic machines. I appreciate the increased durability of the commercial machine and perhaps more robust controls for an uncaring environment.
We have WRAS approved check valves between the isolators and the flexible hoses to prevent any backflow from our energy efficient Bosch domestic machines but I'm struggling to find any other solid information, as to what makes a commercial machine necessary in light commercial premises.

Can anyone help?

 

[OwainDIYer]

What sort of light commercial premises? What sort of duty cycle per day?

Commercial washing machines have different settings eg for healthcare environments for washing soiled clothes or linen

 

[JohnD]

I have a commercial dishwasher in my business premises. It preheats the wash and the rinse water in a tank, up to 80C, and can run a cycle in about six minutes. It can do plates and cups, but needs a premium liquid to get stains out of cups that have been left with tea in, and is not much good on cooking pans. It does not get teapots sparkling clean. It is loaded differently, it has several racks, you load them up on a kitchen surface or in a stand, and lift out the clean rack, to put away or re-use, and lift in a dirty rack, to wash. You can fill up a number of racks as they crockery is used. It is on a stand which means the door is at worktop height so you do not have to stoop to load and unload it. It cost a few thousand pounds. Below the level of the door is the integral preheat water tank, and a space on the floor for the flagons of detergent and rinse aid, and the separate water softener. The filter has to be cleaned at least once per shift. It does not have a drying cycle, you slide out the racks at the end of the hot rinse and they steam off in the kitchen. It is not especially noisy, but noisier than my home machine. It is about 1500x800x800mm including the space underneath. The set of racks includes some flat ones, for large items, and some with pins to hold plates on edge. It only takes one rack at a time. It has cutlery baskets and you could probably put about 20 such baskets in one flat rack.

As you might have to hand-scrub cooking pans, especially roasters and grills, I do not think it would be suitable for home use, and a home does not generate such large amounts of dirty stuff that you need the fast cycle time and fast load/unload method.

 

[Dan Robinson]

What Mr D said.

But also the duty cycles. A domestic machine is rated for a fraction of the use and will probably collapse under the strain of anything more than a small B&B

 

[AMEdinburgh]

Thank you for your replies so far. I'm a vet and the dishwasher is in a staffroom and runs once every two or three days for mugs and lunch cutlery and plates. The two washing machines do one or two cycles each per day. Overall I wouldn't have thought it more than a decent family home. We have Scottish Water coming to inspect our plumbing as part of some inspection scheme (never had it before) and I'm told they don't like domestic machines in commercial premises and I'm trying to understand why, having had premium domestic machines like the Boschs give excellent service for the past 30 years.

 

[Agile]

Yes, I remember you as the DIY vet with a pet jacussi.

It seems a bit of an overkill to even have a dishwasher if its only needed every few days.

I can see no problem with a domestic machine in your vet's palace.

The main difference with a commercial machine will be the quality and durability of the construction.

For example a commercial washing machine has a strong steel frame and is bolted down. A domestic washer has a sprung suspension to absorb the out of balance vibration so that it is free standing.

Tony

 

[OwainDIYer]

Thank you for your replies so far. I'm a vet and the dishwasher is in a staffroom and runs once every two or three days for mugs and lunch cutlery and plates. The two washing machines do one or two cycles each per day. Overall I wouldn't have thought it more than a decent family home.

If you're washing clothing for surgical use then you might need a hotter or longer wash than standard domestic machines provide.

Run the dishwasher every day - leaving dirty plates in it for 2 or 3 days is simply unhygienic.

But I don't see what it's got to do with Scottish Water unless there is a contamination risk.

 

[Agile]

Possibly the dirty animals in his jacussi ?

 

[AMEdinburgh]

Thank you, Oswain, we actually only need 30-40 degrees as we use bio detergent and a modest cycle. Anything that needs to be sterile gets steam autoclaved at 2 bar / 134 degrees after washing

Hello Tony,

I do like the thought of dirty dogs lying in a Jacuzzi, perhaps sipping a cocktail and reading a magazine.

In reality, we pre-wash them and they swim in a chlorine sanitized pool, just the same as a human pool but a bit smaller at 6750 litres. When we have to top it up, we fill it from a hosepipe and I suspect that's going to be contentious, as the inspectors seem to have a bee in their bonnets with hosepipes.

The other piece of equipment is a treadmill, in a water tank, so the dogs can exercise in chest deep water. It is filled with warm fresh water which is discarded afterwards. The feed tank has a ballcock to isolate the water to be used from the mains supply, so I think that will be OK.

I'm just trying to be as well prepared as I can both in terms of fittings/fixtures and knowledge.

 

[Newboy]

You may encounter some problems because of the nature of the possible contaminants in the washing machine - fluid category 5. One of our clients had some issues with the use of domestic machines in a commercial setting. The inspector wanted RPZs fitting - eventually he agreed that the machines would be compliant if fitted with external double-check valves on the supply.

With regard to filling a pool using a hosepipe - we ending up fixing a length of copper pipe fixed with musen rings/backplates with a gap of 150 mm above the pool overspill level with a hose adapter on the end of the copper. Again the supply pipework was double check valve protected with test drain-cocks either side of the valve.

 

[Agile]

Most commercial machines have an open "overflow" outlet so that the water can never fill up to the water filling point.

In any case many commercial washing machines are supplied from a break tank and not directly from the mains.

Domestic machines don't usually have that and not even non return valves on the inlets.

Tomy

 

[AMEdinburgh]

In the end the inspector was happy that I had fitted a 3/4" WRAS approved check valve designed to go between the isolator and the flexible hose.
However he didn't like the wet tables and I would be grateful of some ideas for them. I'll start a new thread for those.
Thank you to everyone who gave me their time and thoughts on this one.

 

[it's not that hard]

If you had bought a domestic dishwasher and put it in your commercial premises the guarantee would be null and void.