A lot of time has passed since the release of the first dishwashers. The equipment was changed, improved, new functions and technologies were developed. All of them suggested the presence of additional elements - one of them is a heat exchanger. What is it and what is it for?
Dishwasher heat exchanger - what is it
Both users and manufacturers are thinking about saving water and electricity. It has been proven that connecting a dishwasher to a hot water supply is not as effective as most people think:
- Fine debris and rust enter the system from the hot water supply. Therefore, do not be surprised if the flow filter is clogged and water does not enter the tank.
- A hot stream is still mixed with a cold one, but more water is consumed.
- During the discharge, a temperature difference occurs between the water and the pipes. Therefore, pipes wear out faster.
For this problem, a solution was found - a heat exchanger. It is installed in the latest Bosch, Asko, Siemens models and is a flat tank. This tank is filled with water and is located on the side of the hopper.
The principle of operation is simple:
- You start the wash. Water begins to flow into the chamber.
- At the very beginning of the cycle, cold water is poured into the heat exchanger.
- Then it is heated to a predetermined temperature and washing begins.
- The circulation pump delivers water to the nozzles, from where it takes off under pressure and washes the dishes.
- Draining, the water comes into contact with the walls of the heat exchanger and cools. Going into the drain, it will not harm the pipes. At the same time, the tank heats up, accumulating heat, and not warming the air in the kitchen.
- After washing, the heat exchanger, giving off heat, allows the dishes to dry faster.
So manufacturers have learned how to use energy efficiently. What are the advantages of a dishwasher tank?
Operational benefits
Having figured out why a built-in heat exchanger is needed, we will consider what advantages it gives:
- Touching a cold reservoir, hot water gradually cools. This allows you not to harm the details, smooth out temperature differences and generally extend the work of the equipment.
- Heated at the end of the wash, the water in the heat exchanger gives off heat when rinsing and drying. Therefore, the machine does not spend additional energy on heating.
- High temperature negatively affects the ion exchanger. The resin inside it is destroyed, which leads to quick spoilage.
You can find out if there is an additional tank of water in the dishwasher by the sticker on the case: three wavy vertical lines, and around two arrows.
To make your choice easier, we have compiled a small PMM overview with heat storage function.
Which dishwasher to choose
Machines with an integrated heat exchanger are more expensive than conventional models. In this case, “it’s expensive, but it’s cheap”, given how much energy this development will save.
Bosch SPV69X10
This is a narrow built-in model with dimensions of 45x55x82 cm. What makes it interesting, except for the heat exchanger:
- An impressive load of 10 sets.
- Full protection against leaks and blocking from children.
- VarioSpeed - accelerated intensive washing.
- IntensiveZone - increased water pressure in the lower basket area.
- Variodrawer - the ability to rearrange the basket with dishes, changing the total space of the hopper.
- HygienePlus - antibacterial function covers dishes with water of 70 degrees.
In one cycle, the machine consumes 9 liters of water and 0.91 kW / h of electricity. You can conveniently choose from 6 programs thanks to electronic control.
Cost from 49 000 rubles.
Bosch SRV 53 M 03 EU
Narrow, fully integrated model. The hopper is designed for 9 sets of dishes. Energy class A + (total 0.71 kW / h). The machine consumes 6.5 liters of water. It works quietly - 45 dB.
The control panel allows you to choose from 5 programs. There is a half load mode and delayed start up to 24 hours. What else is interesting:
- Heat exchanger.
- Purity sensor - detects the level of turbidity of the water in the tank. The rinse will be repeated until it becomes transparent.
- Load sensor. The system automatically determines the weight of the dishes and selects the optimal mode.
- The basket is adjustable in height.
- VarioSpeed Plus - an improved high-speed sink.
- Quiet EcoSilence Drive inverter motor.
At the end of the cycle, a signal sounds or a beam appears on the floor.
The price is from 32 000 rubles.
Now you know what the heat exchanger is for. Even models of dishwashers with condensation drying, which are considered ineffective, thanks to the tank become very popular. We presented the most interesting models from the Bosch brand in terms of functionality and efficiency. When choosing a technique, carefully look at the technical specifications.
Video to improve the performance of the dishwasher: