How a dishwasher works

Although a dishwasher appears to be a magical device that makes your dishes shine, it is actually a well-built device with a specific purpose under the hood. Gaining an understanding of a dishwasher’s operation can help you use it more effectively and even solve common problems.

Water is the basic component of a dishwasher; it is heated, sprayed, and drained. However, the issue goes beyond water. To effectively clean your dishes, a trifecta of heat, mechanical action, and detergent is used. Every cycle, from washing away food particles to drying the dishes at the end, has a function.

Understanding how your dishwasher works will help you avoid wasting time, money, or aggravation. Knowing the fundamentals of how a dishwasher operates is the first step, regardless of whether you’re wondering why your dishes aren’t coming out as clean as you’d like or you’re just interested in how this common household appliance accomplishes the job.

How a dishwasher works

Prior to readers becoming familiar with the PMM’s operating principle, its structure needs to be explained.

Dishwashers are often thought of as intricate and unpredictable appliances. They actually don’t have that many parts. Please acquaint yourself with what appears when you first open the dishwasher door (see drawing) before we proceed to their consideration.

Parts arrangement in the dishwasher’s basket and front door, roughly

The major components are hidden from view and are found inside the dishwasher’s lower body. They fall into three primary categories:

• electronic control module – the brain of the entire device;
• sensors that supply the necessary information to the control module for analysis;
• executive mechanisms.

The dishwasher is made up of the following components and parts, as shown in the schematic drawing below:

1. Upper basket in which dishes are placed.
2. Return spring that closes the door.
3. Upper and lower sprayers.
4. Thermal relay with a water temperature sensor.
5. Coarse and fine filters.
6. Drain hose that goes into the sewer.
7. Safety valve that is triggered when the pressure is exceeded.
8. Drain pump that removes dirty water into the sewer.
9. The water tank.
10. One of the parts of the Aquastop protective system, preventing flooding in emergency situations.
11. Control module.
12. Circulation pump, pumping liquid into the sprayers and further along the circuit during dishwashing.
13. Condenser.
14. Dispenser, into which rinse aid is poured.
15. Lock, blocking the door.
16. Dispenser, into which detergent is poured or added.
17. Inlet valve, controlling the water supply to the dishwasher.
18. Seal, framing the door.
19. Container lid, into which sodium salt is poured.
20. Electric heater, bringing water to the required temperature.
21. Inlet hose, through which water enters the dishwasher.
22. Rollers with guides, along which baskets with dishes move.

Diagrammatic illustration of the Bosch dishwasher apparatus

There are two pumps in the model that is being described: drain and drainage. Many models perform both draining and drainage with a single pump. An electromagnetic valve redirects liquid flows (see Figure below). By using this method, you can lower the cost and simplify the device’s design.

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A single pump operating in both drain and sink modes

Dishwasher models vary widely these days. Manufacturers are attempting to draw in customers with a variety of innovations; some PMM, for instance, project the time on the kitchen floor. It’s a truly amazing sight.

PMM Bosch, which projects the operating time onto the ground

How a dishwasher works

The kitchen washing machine needs to be connected to the water supply, sewage system, and power networks before it can be turned on. In essence, masters handle this kind of work, but you can connect it yourself if a tool and PMM tools are available. You can read how to accomplish this here.

Consumables are needed for the dishwasher to function:

• specially prepared salt to soften water (remove salts from it);
• detergent;
• rinse aid.

Superior dishwashing requires softening water with a specific kind of salt. Salt is still added to the container even when using tablets that contain all three ingredients.

Dishwasher parts and accessories

Now, let’s examine the dishwasher’s basic working principle. It functions in multiple phases:

1. Dirty dishes are loaded into the baskets located in the working chamber. It should be noted that the dishes must be placed strictly according to the rules, otherwise they will not be washed properly.
2. The machine is turned on and its operating program is selected. For example, for very dirty kitchen utensils, a preliminary soaking mode is selected, as well as a high water heating temperature.
3. Through the pouring hose and inlet valve, the water begins to enter the reservoir allotted for it. The liquid is mixed with salt and softened. At the same time, the water is heated to the temperature set by the program. Some models of household appliances from Bosch, Siemens, Electrolux and other well-known manufacturers have the ability to connect not only to cold but also to hot water. Despite this, experts do not recommend connecting hot water, since the dishwasher will heat it itself anyway.
4. As soon as the liquid heats up to the desired temperature, it is mixed with the detergent and the pre-soak cycle begins. The circulation pump feeds the mixture in small portions to the sprayers (hereinafter also referred to as sprayers). Under the pressure of the liquid, the sprayers begin to rotate and through the nozzles distribute the cleaning mixture over the entire surface of the dirty dishes. The water softens dried food residues. As soon as this task is completed, the primary rinse mode is activated. The pump intensively supplies fluid into sprayers. Under the influence of high pressure, most of the soggy dirt residues are washed off the kitchen utensils.
5. The dirty liquid is not drained into the sewer, but passes through a filter, being cleaned for reuse. This allows you to save resources. The detergent is added to the purified water again. A more concentrated mixture is again sprayed over the surface of the dishes in large volume, completely washing away the remaining dirt. Only after reuse is the dirty liquid drained into the sewer using a pump.
6. For the final rinsing of the kitchen utensils, the inlet valve is opened again and clean water is collected in the tank. First, the container is rinsed with a small amount of it, and then the tank is filled for the final stage. The drainage pump supplies liquid under high pressure to the spray nozzles, which allows you to completely wash away the remains of the detergent and dirt. Depending on the selected program, rinsing can be carried out once or twice. After the process is complete, the drain pump removes the waste water into the sewer.
7. The final stage is drying the washed dishes. Depending on the design of the dishwasher, kitchenware is dried forcibly or in natural (convection) mode. The forced option provides that heated air is pumped into the chamber and quickly dries the dishes. Natural drying takes longer.

Dishwasher turbo drying that is forced

You are now aware of how the dishwasher cleans dishes. As you can see, it’s not at all complicated. The primary characteristic is the ability to remove even the most stubborn and dried-on dirt with hot, soft water diluted with a detergent.

We cordially invite you to observe firsthand what transpires inside the dishwasher chamber during operation:

Dishwashers are becoming more and more popular among consumers in Russia and the surrounding nations. You could see that their service is user-friendly and that there are significant time and benefit savings.

Knowing how a dishwasher operates can have a significant impact on how you use and care for it. You can maximize the effectiveness of your dishwashing routine and even solve small problems on your own by being familiar with the fundamental steps, from water intake to drying.

Dishwashers are made with the intention of simplifying life, from the way water is heated and sprayed to the sophisticated systems that manage detergent and drying. Even though the technology may appear complicated, its true goals are convenience and efficiency—making a tedious task quick and simple.

You’ll be able to make the most of this useful appliance by knowing more about what’s going on behind the scenes the next time you load your dishwasher. You can make sure your dishes are spotless every time by having a little knowledge.

In order to ensure that every dish is cleaned, a dishwasher uses rotating arms with tiny nozzles to spray hot water mixed with detergent onto dirty dishes. Following the washing cycle, the water is drained and replaced with fresh water to remove any leftover soap. Lastly, a fan or heated air are used to dry the dishes. Your dishes will be left clean and ready to use with little to no manual labor required thanks to this automated process that is meant to save time and effort.

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