With the things that are happening to our pocket book these days it’s no wonder that there is a growing interest in saving money by saving energy. Here is a post I recently came across in a forum that got me thinking.
The point was about getting water hot enough to sanitize dishes in the dishwasher but I want to put another spin on it.
We take it for granted that the heating element built into a dish washer does what it is suppose to do, heat water hot enough to get dishes, glasses and everything else clean. Not just spotless but germ free.
The instructions that come with your model will probably recommend that water going in be preheated to 120 degrees. Allowing for a little heat loss along the way this means your hot water tank has to be set a 120 F degrees or better, to do the job.
If you are using a standard hot water tank then you know that this means. You are heating water hotter than necessary for most any other household task. It makes sense to look for an economical solution, and there are several.
One is to invest in a newer dishwasher that has more powerful heating element, which will allow for lower incoming water at a lower temperature. A less expensive approach is to look into a mini-heater that is usually mounted under the kitchen sink and serves to pre heat water.
These point-of-use heaters usually operate on standard household current and are easy to install. They also have the advantage of providing on-demand hot water to the kitchen sink, which should be a bonus, as anyone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen will tell you – having instant hot water is a good thing.