The Dishwasher and Garbage Disposal

Meal times with your family should be a time of enjoyment and celebration, it is during this time that you can discuss the events of your day, challenging aspects and how you strategized solutions to problems as they presented themselves. To get to this place of community within your home and with those in whom you share it with there are two appliances that can assist you with your meal preparation, the dishwasher and garbage disposal. Dishwashers are efficient machines that serve you in ensuring that your kitchen sink is not filled with dirty dishes. Whereas the garbage disposal is a small but powerful machine that will make sure that your sink in not clogged by food waste at the flip of a switch.

The first dishwasher was a manual wooden model designed in 1850 however in 1884 the model was re-engineered to make the machine automated. It was this automated model that has changed how we clean our dishes, pots & pans, cutlery, as well as, drinking glasses and cups. A complete dishwashing cycle can run anywhere from 1.5hrs-4hrs depending on the machine type, age of the machine, temperature of the water and chosen cycle. A successful cycle requires that water flows through the machine parts in an ordered fashion as follows:

☆The controls located on the door of the machine activate the motor to begin a new cycle.

☆The drain valve then drains any water left behind from the previous cycle.

☆The heating element warms water to a temperature between 140 degrees-160 degrees Celsius which then flows through the inlet valve.

☆Water being pumped into the tub of the machine causes the spray arms to spin circulating the water.

☆The dispenser that holds the dishwasher crystals, gel or pods opens which adds the soap to the dishes.

☆Then more water enters the tub through the intake valve to rinse the dishes.

The garbage disposal is an efficient grinding machine that was invented in the 1920's. It is a compact machine that is located below your kitchen sink and is connected to the drain system. The garbage disposal has the ability to grind food left in your drain which can thereby prevent you kitchen sink from being clogged. It is powered through your electrical system which is why a power switch located on your wall is turned on and off for activation and deactivation. 

When the motor is activated food placed in the grinding chamber is chopped into fine bits that are then pushed down by the impeller to travel down the drain. The dishwasher drain is also connected to the garbage disposal so these two machines actually do work together!