HOT PURSUIT

For the past quarter of a century, I’ve relied on my trusty old dishwasher to keep things in tip-top shape in the kitchen. But at some point, it seems as if all good things come to an end, even for a dishwasher.

As I shared a couple of weeks ago, I have been going through “the great purge” while renovating my dated kitchen. One of the items at the top of my list was getting a new dishwasher to match other appliances, though the dishwasher was still doing its job.

So, I traded out my old Kenmore dishwasher for a brand-new Whirlpool. I’m finding some distinct differences between the old and the new.

For starters, new dishwashers are much quieter, sip significantly less water and use far less energy. In fact, the first time I turned it on, I was convinced it wasn’t working. I simply couldn’t hear it.

As for water, modern dishwashers apparently use about 3 or 4 gallons per cycle compared to 10 to 15 gallons in older models. Older models were incredibly wasteful. Modern dishwashers are legally mandated to use a fraction of that.

However, there was one detail I found sort of odd until I did a little more research about it. I was puzzled that a newer dishwasher would have longer run times. I’ve found out that because modern units use less water and energy, they compensate by taking longer to clean.

It seemed like my old model was off to the races in a marathon, often finishing in less than an hour. But now the new model takes 2 to 3 hours to complete a standard cycle. This dramatic shift is a direct result of strict environmental regulations and engineering tradeoffs rather than a defect in the machines.

Because there is so little water inside the machine, a modern dishwasher cannot just blast dishes clean with raw water volume and high pressure. Instead, it continuously filters and recycles a small amount of water, repeatedly spraying and soaking the dishes over a longer period to let the detergent chemical enzymes break down the food.

Naturally, there is a tradeoff. You can use the express option of 1-hour wash. While the Express cycle saves time, it uses much more electricity and water, completely bypassing the machine’s built-in efficiency.

The takeaway? Stick with the longer wash times and save money on utility bills.

One thing I wasn’t really crazy about hearing is that the average lifespan of today’s budget machines is only around 7 to 10 years. What happened to the 27 years with my older model? It makes me second guess the logic behind putting in a new machine that’s expected to last only a third of the time.

My mother recently found that dishwashers aren’t what they once were. Her model that had been around for less than 10 years needed to be replaced already. I guess they know what they are talking about with the average lifespans, though I don’t care to see it as a consumer.

Still, it’s comforting to know my new washer isn’t struggling when it hums along for two hours or more.

I guess it’s a good thing to be in hot pursuit of energy efficiency.