Service & Support

The washing/disinfection process for a commercial dishwasher is that items are first washed in water around 55 degrees Celsius (depending on the residue to be removed and the detergent being used). The combination of the temperature of the wash water, the detergent type and concentration, the agitation of the water during the wash cycle and the length of the wash cycle, is what ‘cleans’ the item being washed. Once clean the washed items are sanitised by the hot rinse water which must be at a minimum of 82 degrees Celsius. At this temperature ‘thermal disinfection’ occurs, resulting in the washed items not only being ‘clean’ visually but also the bio-load count is reduced to inconsequential levels by the thermal disinfection process.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has compiled a collection of internationally recognized standards, codes of practice and other recommendations relating to food, food production and food safety: Codex Alimentarius . They state that: “People have the right to expect the food they eat to be safe and suitable for consumption. Effective hygiene control, therefore, is vital to avoid the adverse human health and economic consequences of foodborne illness.”

It is a fact that manual washing cannot reach the same (constant) level of cleanliness as a commercial dishwasher. Brushes, pads, cloths (even tea towels) are all a potential source of infection. When manually washing, items would have to be immersed in CLEAN water at 70oC minimum, to achieve any possible level of sanitation. The average person cannot put their hands in water over 50oC. Obviously there could be a potential hazard in poor sanitation practices.

Therefore it is not a question of whether washing by hand is cheaper or not. Food hygiene has so many aspects, that being able to put a tick against hygienically clean reusable equipment removes another risk and potential headache.

The life expectancy of a commercial dishwasher depends on many factors, under normal conditions and use, a dishwasher should give 8 years of good service life. However there are situations where a machine is 20 years old and still performing well, even though some of the technology is outdated.

What determines the life of a commercial dishwasher these days is the cost of maintenance. With the use of bespoke electronics when one of these parts fail the repair cost may be higher than a total replacement cost.

There are a number of reasons why a commercial dishwasher is faster than a domestic dishwasher.

The main reason is that domestic dishwashers are designed to clear the dirty dishes and wash up for a family setting of six persons and all items, dishes, bowls, cutlery etc are loaded at the same time. Clean up quickly and afterwards there is enough time for the machine to do its job. Ease of loading all dishes at once is more important than actual washing up time.

A commercial dishwasher needs to turn the dishes around quickly, therefore quantity of dishes loaded is not as important a speed of loading and washing. To achieve this, dishes are spaced slightly more apart, only one layer/rack is washed at a time. One rack is loaded/unloaded while another is being washed. Often plates are washed separately from cups, glasses, cutlery etc to speed up the process.

Chemicals are stronger. Pumps are more powerful. A commercial dishwasher is working in a commercial environment giving a constant clatter of dishes and audible pumps.

There are various methods used in commercial dishwashers. Leaving the conveyor type machines aside the bulk of commercial glass and dishwashers work on a system using two sets of spray arm manifolds working independently from each other. This is as opposed to a domestic dishwasher that only has one spray arm manifold.

Domestic dishwashers consist of a wash tank, a pump and manifold system with two or more rotating wash arms as well as the necessary control and heating devices. At the start of the cycle the wash tank is filled with water and when the required level is reached the pump is activated and sprays water over the dishes for a set period of time. Once the time has passed the water is pumped from the wash tank to drain. The wash tank is then refilled with fresh water and the process starts over again. This process is repeated several times with varying water temperature as well as injection of required detergent and rinse additives. The final phase is mostly very hot water to assist with drying and sanitation.

Commercial dishwashers consist of a wash tank, a pump and two sets of independent manifolds with rotating arms as well as the necessary control and heating devices. When the machine is switched on, the wash tank will fill with water. A pump is connected to the wash water tank and to one manifold set.

The other manifold set is connected to the incoming water supply via a booster heater which heats the water to 82ºC.

When the cycle button is activated the pump sprays the wash water and detergent over the dishes. At the end of a set time period the pump stops.

Following the wash, a water valve (and or pump) is active and the fresh water is taken out of the booster heater and sprayed via the second manifold over the dishes for a set period of time. This is the final rinse phase.

The rinse water as it drips off the plates falls into the wash tank and is used as make up water. An overflow system ensures the water level  remains constant.

The wash water stays in the tank for the next cycle and typically can be used for up to 40 cycles, depending on soil level of items washed,  before it needs to be refreshed.

The best commercial dishwasher is the one that suits your particular type of operation. If you have a wine bar or offer cellar door tastings, then a compact glasswasher would be ideal. If you are in an area with relatively hard or chlorinated water then you may want to add a high sparkle RO unit to improve final results.

A small to medium sized coffee shop, reception area in a showroom, ice cream parlour,  a small office environment and you may want to consider a bar washer, which is a machine with slightly more power that a glass washer and would be capable of washing light plates, cups, saucers and glassware.

If you are a food establishment serving light meals then the smallest machine that would suit is an under-bench dishwasher. These are available in various configurations. Small restaurants, office canteens, schools, ward kitchens and pantries where space is at a premium. Machines are also available with disinfection cycles for high risk areas such for gastro outbreaks as nursing homes, child care etc.

If you have a larger establishment then a pass through dishwasher would be better suited. Pass through machines give a clear physical separation between soiled and clean items which is a good HACCP hygiene principle. Inlet benches can be fitted with sinks and overhead spray units (pre-rinse spray). Note that a pre-rinse spray should not be connected to hot water, first of all for safety reasons and secondly use tepid water to prevent soil baking on.

Moving up from pass through dishwashers the next size would be a conveyor dishwasher. These are available in either a rack conveyor configuration where by dish racks are automatically transported through the various pre-wash, wash, rinse and dryer stages or as continuous conveyor dishwashers (so called flight type machines).

Expert advice is required to help determine the best outcome for your operation. Rhima specialises in washing machines and has a full product range to give you independent expert advice.

Rhima have a team of qualified engineers and technicians located across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore to install and service machines. We can also train and support on-site maintenance staff. If you are based in a rural town we can also work with a local contractor to ensure your machine is serviced to our standards. Full online & onsite service is available in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. Please contact Rhima for your local provider.

If a Rhima machine is connected to hot water, it is recommended to have a maximum connection temperature of 70ºC. The maximum recommended final rinse temperature is 85ºC.

If your washer has a disinfection cycle, the temperature will reach over 80ºC for 10 minutes or over 90ºC for 1 minute according to relevant standards on time vs temperature.

Your dishwasher will need some TLC. To ensure your washer lasts to its full life, it is recommended to clean it out daily and weekly. You can refer to your quick reference guide for daily and weekly maintenance (downloadable copies can be found on each product page).

A simple rule of thumb is that the cleaner your machine is inside, the cleaner your final results will be. There is not pre-set rule of practice for cleaning a commercial dishwasher as it often depends on how it is used. For example if you have a pre-rinse unit or system, then most soil is removed prior to entering the main stages.

A correct dosing of chemical is very important. Another rule of thumb is that if the side walls in the main wash chamber feel “gritty” then there is a good chance that the machine is not washing clean either.

Industrial dishwashers are often supplied with CIP (cleaning in place) systems that automatically clean the interior of the washer when it is not in use ( night time etc). Also special rotary separation filters are used to remove particles larger than 1 mm from entering the machine wash areas. More and more commercial dishwashers are now also available with basic CIP systems.

If you have misplaced your installation and maintenance manual you can email [email protected] to purchase an electronic emailed copy for $25 + GST. Manuals are supplied when you purchase your washer.

Your dishwasher will come with two tubes. The tubes should be clearly marked. The green or blue tube is to be connected to the rinse aid and the clear tube is to be connected to detergent.

There is no need to pre-wash soiled items, but we do recommend removing heavy, loose debris. A dishwasher does not replace your rubbish bin and a basic rule of thumb is the cleaner the machine – the cleaner the results. Pre-washing does improve results and larger conveyor machines can be supplied with a pre-wash.

A condenser is a unit that collects the steam that normally is vented from the dishwasher and condensates it. Cold water is circulated through a radiator type device and hot vapours are drawn though by a fan. In many cases the water from the condenser is used for the final rinse process as it is slightly pre-heated.  A heat recovery unit is similar to a condenser but with a larger heat exchanger and the heat that is transferred to the water is used to pre-heat final rinse water. A heat pump is a heat recovery unit that uses a refrigerant to remove all excessive heat from the machine and re-use for the final rinse. In most cases a heat recovery unit eliminates the need for direct connection to external ducting. However, the requirement for adequate room ventilation according to building codes still applies.

Rhima stands behind the products it sells and will repair or replace any part, which in Rhima’s sole judgment is defective in material and/or workmanship. Please refer to the General Terms and Conditions of Sale for full details.

Rhima has developed a unique monitoring program that takes safety, hygiene and operational conditions into account. Once correctly setup your machine will comply with HACCP guidelines. At least once per year we recommend to do a safety hygiene test on the dishwasher. Rhima technicians are specially trained in carrying out preventative maintenance and HACCP testing on Rhima equipment. This includes temperature checks with a calibrated thermometer, residual protein swabs (before and after) as well as full preventative maintenance on the machine.

Rhima detergents are subject to on-going quality control to optimise results. We strongly recommend using Rhima detergents as their consistent high quality is specially formulated for use in Rhima washing equipment. Detergent is an important part of the cleaning and sanitising process. Detergent must be low foaming and safe for use in dishwashing machines.

Yes other items such as plates, cups and saucers can be washed in glasswashers. Rhima glasswashers use the same washing technology as our larger dishwashers. You can wash cups, saucers and lightly soiled plates. It is not recommended to wash dinnerplates. If your glasswasher has been set up with our High Sparkle system then we recommend use for glasses only.

The Optima range has a clean cycle which means the rinse water is saved for the next wash which allows mixed loads.

Check out the Rhima glasswasher range below

GS-35 T glasswasher

High Sparkle 500 glasswasher

High Sparkle 400 glasswasher

Yes there is a cutlery and glass polish free solution on the market. Rhima’s High Sparkle machines are connected to specially treated water which has all minerals removed to allow for spot free results. Please contact us for more information and check out the High Sparkle range below

High Sparkle 500 glasswasher

High Sparkle 400 glasswasher

Yes there is the option of having a single phase pass through dishwasher with a standard 15amp plug if there is no access to 3-phase power. It is a no cost option however the cycle times will be longer.

Yes a dishwasher can be run without a hot water connection. All Rhima’s machines have a “thermo stop” which means the cycle will not complete if the temperature has not reached the safe minimum for sanitation. Cycle times may be longer. For machines connected to cold water if possible connect to 3-phase power supply.

The main difference between a commercial and an industrial dishwasher is the fact that a commercial dishwasher is mostly an off-the-shelf product albeit adapted to suit individual requirements, while an industrial dishwasher is a bespoke machine designed for a specific purpose. The term dishwasher does not accurately describe the process.

A commercial dishwasher is designed to wash a variety of utensils and implements used in the food service industry. An industrial dishwasher is designed to wash anything from engine conrods, to smokehouse trolleys; from eyeglasses to cheese moulds; from wheelie bins to crates etc.

The one thing they all have in common is that the cleaning process is all based on aqueous washing solutions. We do not use solvents. The cleaning process is a specific designed combination of time, chemical, temperature and mechanical interaction. Water pressure, volume, droplet size, spray angle all are specifically designed in an industrial dishwasher while a commercial dishwasher utilises the same principles throughout.