These days you’ll be hard pushed to find a bar, club, pub, or restaurant managing without a commercial glass washer. Whilst there may still be a few diehard operators around that hand wash glasses, on the whole there are far more using old, inefficient machines no longer fit for purpose.
Your glass washer should be bringing a number of benefits to your operation, and you should be able to rely on it completely to produce all the clean glasses needed for your bar staff to carry out their work effectively. Buying a commercial glasswasher can be confusing process, so we’ve outlined 7 key factors for you to consider:
-
Hygiene and sanitisation
-
Size and capacity
-
Easy and speed of use
-
Noise
-
Cost
-
Energy and water consumption
-
Warranty and aftercare
First, we’re going to explain the difference between commercial dishwashers and glasswashers and why they need to be used exclusively.
The Key Differences: Commercial Dishwashers vs. Glasswashers
While both are pivotal to the smooth running of a kitchen or bar, there are crucial distinctions between dishwashers and glasswashers that make them suited to their respective tasks.
Gentle, Targeted Water Flow
The best commercial glass washers are designed to provide a gentler wash than their dishwasher counterparts. An optimal glasswasher, like our Advantage range, gradually builds water flow to provide maximum protection to delicate items while ensuring exceptional cleanliness.
Optimal Wash Temperatures
Temperature control is another key differentiator. Glasswashers typically operate at a lower wash temperature, ideally between 52°C and 55°C, and around 72°C for rinsing. Commercial dishwashers operate at a higher range, which while ideal for dishes, could damage or corrode delicate glassware.
Time Efficiency
A commercial glasswasher outshines a dishwasher when it comes to time efficiency. It's designed to clean a full basket of glasses within 60 seconds, compared to the longer 3-minute cycle needed for crockery. This rapid turnaround time is not only convenient but also reduces the risk of damage to your glassware.
Hygiene & Sanitising
The pandemic has placed even more of an emphasis on hygiene standards - by both customers and industry standards agencies.
When used with high quality chemicals that have been approved by the supplier, the best commercial glass washers will clean and sanitize glassware meaning that not only does it look great, it’s also completely safe to use.
Size & Capacity
Most glass washers are designed for undercounter siting as they will usually be positioned behind a bar. However, sites that process a large number of glasses, such as hotels and conference centres, can benefit from a larger passthrough model with ample space nearby for storing both soiled and cleaned glasses.
Judging the size and capacity of a new machine – and also deciding where it should ideally be sited – can be confusing. Read our guide on the Types and Sizes of Commercial Dishwashers if you need further information to help you choose.
Ease & Speed of Use
The best commercial glass washers usually offer multiple programmes meaning that there will be one available for every eventuality – heavily soiled items, rapid wash items, delicate items and so on. They are often loaded with intuitive controls that maximise water and energy efficiency and self-diagnostic features that enable an operator to resolve a minor problem long before it becomes an issue.
Wash cycles are usually between 1 and 3 minutes so, in a busy environment, the need for dedicated storage for soiled and cleaned items is crucial to take full advantage of the machine’s capabilities.
Noise
Noise is an important factor to consider. Of course, any machine is going to be audible, but some are quieter than others. If your glass washer is sited front of house, for example, you don’t want it drowning out your carefully curated playlist, or worse still, your customers conversation…
The best commercial glass washers are double skinned and provide noise and heat insultation to minimise disturbance. We always recommend checking the decibel levels of any machine you consider buying and research what that equates to. For instance, our Advantage glass washers have a decibel rating of 58 which equates to gentle rainfall.
Cost
Compromising on quality can be a costly mistake. Buying on price alone can result in an inferior machine producing cloudy and smeary glasses or dull crockery. Worst of all, it can mean frequent breakdowns and long waits for expensive repairs! Cheaper older style folded stainless steel wash tanks can result in debris and bacteria build up, where the new style moulded stainless steel wash tanks are designed to reduce any.
Most suppliers understand you may not want to outlay a large amount of money up front so offer genuinely affordable solutions to finance your purchase. It’s worth investing in the best commercial glass washer you can afford, with the confidence that your new machine will deliver the reliability and results you demand for the longest period of time.
Energy, Electrical & Water Saving
Investing in energy-saving equipment is to save money as using less energy will, of course, cost less to run. As well as this, there’s the environmental impact that needs to be considered. The best commercial glass washers utilise technology that reduces water and energy consumption and will minimise your carbon footprint.
Energy saving equipment has other advantages too. One significant benefit is that it tends to create a much cooler working environment. The levels of insulation found on well specified commercial glasswashers are designed to keep heat inside the machine rather than allowing it to escape. Some of the best commercial glass washers even harness and utilise the heat from the steam generated during a wash cycle. Clever designs like shallow wash tanks and the re-use of rinse water can make dramatic savings on water consumption.
Warranty & Aftercare
Always check the warranty that comes with your machine and the level of aftercare available to you. This is really important as, should your machine break down at any time, you need be sure that the problem will be fixed efficiently and quickly. It’s worth asking your supplier for some recommendations too so you can check how efficient they are.
We take great pride in the quality of our service and aftercare and operate a nationwide team of engineers who carry a complete stock of spare parts to maximise the chances of a first time fix. The majority of our breakdown calls are completed on the day they are logged. However, if for some reason we are unable to attend on the same day, we guarantee we'll be there within 48 hours.
If you have any have questions about any of the topics we've covered in this article, or are looking to purchase a glasswasher and would like some professional advice, please call us on 0800 592 833 or fill in the Contact Us form and we'll get back to you shortly.