Australia's Science Forum

Ok gal and guys i know this subject has been done and redone several times - and yes i have done the archive thing thanks

But while i got seom information from it all i need a little more.
It seems a lot of labs went for a household unit - was this for ease of buying and cost?

i am not to do the resourcng it has to be given to the district office to research now apparenlty so what i need are a list of hting i need them to look for - as i dont have a dishwasher nor had one i am unsure of sizes, brands, needs for the lab (as far as using house hold units).

i like the idea of the double draw units but that is not necessarly a fair thing to ask for in a lab.

so for those of you totally over this subject i apologies but as i am not suppose to waste time researching myself i thought i woudl go to the people who use them to help me give district office a list of needs for them to reseach the best option for me!!!

thanks in advance people

I didn't have a clue about dishwashers either so really relied on what was said on this website. I too had wanted a two drawer dishwasher but when I finally looked at what was available I decided that it was not as functional as the regular dishwashers particularly if I wanted to wash measuring cylinders. (The really tall cylinders I still have to do by hand.) There are machines that had fixed top level baskets and those with adjustable top baskets. Some dishwashers have one rotating arm at the base, some have two rotating arms, one under each basket and some have the added feature like mine of an extra fixed shower at the top which helps in rinsing off soap residue (at least that is what I think it's for). Cost can be a factor, with cheaper dishwashers not having all the features that you really need. I think if a dishwasher is installed correctly and used properly, then its being a household type machine shouldn't matter. After looking at what was on offer I went with the Electrolux Dishlex with adjustable top drawer and extra little shower at the top. However there is currently a slight drawback with certain dishwashers of a particular make and serial number manufactured after the 4th April 2007 having a small fault which can make them a fire hazard. This however is fixable. My dishwashers fall into this category but there are other brands which are also affected including certain models of Westinghouse and others which I can't remember. In the end go and have a look at what is available and tell the district office that a particular dishwasher has all of the features that you require to have clean glassware for science practicals at all year levels. Tell them that it has to be functional, ie adjustable drawer levels, and able to accommodate varying glassware heights within the machine. Good hunting.
Lyn.

Recently I was at a network meeting and some of the schools, both public and private had meile, apparently the one with the shallow top basket (at the top for cutlery) is great for slides saving hours of manual labour . They are very impressed the machine and it would be a long term investment.

Also make sure it has spikes, not loops to hold things in. You can put test tubes over spikes, but not the loopy ones.

I have a Fisher & paykel, double draw, and it is ok, seems to wash things pretty well, but last week it started to make this awful grinding noise, it is only just over 12 mths old. We had a service guy come out, and he replaced the rotating arm in the bottom of the top draw, this is the one I use the most, the arm bit was really chewed underneath. There were also these crystals that looked like broken glass in the bottom , not sure what they were or from, he suggested that I rinse everything before I put it in the dishwasher, which I do, mostly. Does anyone know what the crystals could be from,
Cheers
Lisa

Hi
Last week I got another Thor benchtop washer.This time it was stainless steel inside.
It has got smaller,maybe there is a bigger version, but gee it cleans well.
(Affordable Services Ltd)
Rhonda

Hi Annette,

You could also check out Feb 2008 Choice magazine which will probably be in your school's library. There is a table of results of various tests on some 20-odd dishwashers.

Cheers,
Fran

Fran nice idea but our Lib does not get Choice mag i did try there.

What's your fax there Annette? I'll photocopy and fax to you if it's a help.

Cheers,
Fran

that would be good - very good thanks Fran for that


fax: 9586 7315 - Attention : Annette Dedman

Hi Annette,

Faxed Choice Mag article to you this morning.

Cheers,
Fran

Thanks Fran for that

Hi All at Chemtalk
I am seeking information on Prep room dishwashers, I have one but it has had its day (7 yrs) could any one help with, good brands or suppliers for me,
Thank You

Mines is a Westinghouse VIrtuoso Sensor wash S8925. We go it from the local appliance store at the start of the year. It's fantastic, lots of racks that can be taken out, moved, folded down etc or used for holding test tubes, and it came with this fantastic plastic tray that is great for microscope slides and even cover slips . It's got lots of cycles to choose from "fragile", "heavy duty", "Eco" "Normal" etc etc. I have found though that really dirty stuff (test tubes with stuff stuck at the bottom) do need a couple of cycles (or if your impatient like me ) a rough hand wash with a test tube brush to remove the bits! My school is quite small though so I dont use it more than one a week and its gets a bit stinky (water in the pipes im told) when it sits for too long. Anyway thats what ive got

Do a search for dishwashers as there has been plenty of discussion on this before. I got my dishwasher donated to the school by someone who was renovating their kitchen and got a new one for themselves. If you're on a tight budget you could put a notice in the school newsletter asking if anyone has an old one in their shed. If I had a choice, I'd get one that had the cuttlery tray right at the top instead of the ones with a basket.

Hi all
welcome back for yet another term. I don't even feel as if I have had a break, I was soooooooooo busy.
Anyway does anybody know of any funding for the dishwashers in the labs. There was some talk earlier on, but haven't been able to find anything out.

thanks Linda

In NSW the schools that get new prep rooms will get a dishwasher mine is a LG household one works OK
Noona

We had to submit budget requests or 3 years in a row (patience is a virtue right? ) to get money for a dishwasher, but it was worth the wait.
We got a Miele Professional G7804 & bought inserts to hold test tubes, flasks, measuring cylinders etc.
It wasn't cheap, $7,300 in 2005 + $750 for the inserts, but it's a wonderful machine & now I can't live without it!

I get it serviced each year & it hasn't let me down once. I think getting a proper lab standard dishwasher is probably worth it in the long run if you can get the funding. I know a few labbies with household models that have problems with theirs, especially corrosion because they're not built to handle the sort of chemicals we use in science labs.

TGIF......have a great weekend everyone!

We have Miele and that is the machines I have used at previous schools.
You can buy test tube baskets and racks for measuring cylinders,flasks etc
the machines are robust and the service here and in NSW is excellent...worth the money

WOW Judy a Miele!!, I have just bought one for my own kitchen and they really are the top of the pile, and if the budget allows for a miele, I would say go for it, they are suppose to last 20years of 'normal' use, as you say well worth it
cheers
Lisa