Re:To Make Dishwashers Great Again? (2020)
by PeterStuer on Monday September 11, 2023 @01:00AM
(#37463065)
The world outside the US just hooks dishwashers up to the cold water supply and it washes just fine. Are US machines different?
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Re:To Make Dishwashers Great Again? (2020)
by chongli on Monday September 11, 2023 @02:00AM
(#37463424)
Yes. North American dishwashers don’t heat the water during the prewash cycle because the duration in time is too short and the 120V electrical service can’t supply enough power to heat the water quickly during that time.
European dishwashers use 240V (like everything else in the house) and so they can heat water much more quickly.
This electrical difference is also reflected in the fact that electric kettles (for boiling water) aren’t nearly as popular in North America as they are in Europe. Technology Connections also did a video on this topic [1].
Re:To Make Dishwashers Great Again? (2020)
by dboreham on Monday September 11, 2023 @04:05AM
(#37464305)
As a former British person I'm not sure this is true now. The 220V supply part is true, but you can buy electric kettles at Costco and they boil plenty fast on 120V and everyone who drinks tea has one in my experience.
Re:To Make Dishwashers Great Again? (2020)
by daveoc64 on Monday September 11, 2023 @05:50AM
(#37464955)
It's sort of a physical impossibility. If your kettle is limited to 1500W, it's always going to be slower than a kettle operating at 3000W.
Re:To Make Dishwashers Great Again? (2020)
by wongarsu on Monday September 11, 2023 @06:06AM
(#37465058)
Just checking Amazon, most popular local (230V) kettles are 2200W, with some 2400W options. Checking Costco, US kettles are 1500W. Assuming equal efficiency, the European kettle takes between 62% and 68% the time it takes a US kettle to boil the same water
Of course equal efficiency isn't necessarily a given. The insulation and the design of the heating element can have a notable impact on heating time. And for small amounts it likely doesn't matter that much. But assuming equal construction it is still a very notable difference.