HOME BY JONATHAN LEE, ING. JR PICTURES : RÉJEAN POUDRETTE. Dishwashing Duty THE 12 DISHWASHERSTESTED HERE PUT UP A GOOD SHOW

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1 HOME BY JONATHAN LEE, ING. JR PICTURES : RÉJEAN POUDRETTE Dishwashing Duty THE 12 DISHWASHERSTESTED HERE PUT UP A GOOD SHOW

2 PICTURES : JONATHAN LEE ; ISTOCKPHOTO VINEGAR FOR RİNSİNG? According to a popular belief, vinegar would be as efficient as a rinsing aid to eliminate food remnants and accelerate drying. We did the test to check. Result : Vinegar is not the ideal solution. The rinse aid improved drying and reduced to a great extent the spots on cutlery, compared to a washing without any aid. With vinegar, our specialists only found a small improvement compared to a washing without any aid. İNTERPRETING THE DBA 40 dba = whispering 50 dba = normal conversation at 1 meter 60 dba = ambient noise of an office, almost annoying We have tested 12 dishwashers sold in most of the stores at prices between $ 600 and $ Good news : the efficiency of those devices has improved a lot since our last test, in This time, all the models tested do a good job without being too noisy. Recommendations TheMiele remains the most efficient and the most expensive of the devices tested. However, it does not take place among our recommendations since three less expensive dishwashers were as efficient, easy to use and of a similar sound volume. These are: Frigidaire (850 $), Kenmore (900 $) and Blomberg (1 000 $). You budget is lower? The GE model (750 $) offers a good value for money. Silence, please! We all dream of a dishwasher which would be efficient without drowning out the sound of TV or preventing us from talking. Even if most of the devices of our selection are silent, the Kenmore stands out from the lot : its noise is almost equivalent to the ambient silence. In order to compare the noise of the dishwashers, we used built-in dishwashers and we measured their sound level at one meter of distance, during all the phases. The measures were expressed in adjusted decibels according the A curve (dba), taking into account the human ear response to sounds. This measurement makes it possible to quantify the sensation of sound intensity and not only its "real" intensity, like the wind factor or humidex index used in weather forecasts to take into account how the temperature feels to people. Many manufacturers write the sound level of their devices in dba. Since there is no international standard for dba tests, they are free to test their devices with various methods. However, in acoustics, the result may vary strongly according to the assembly and environment of measurement. Therefore, the sound level of the same device may vary of a few decibels according to the device used. For a valid comparison, trust our table rather than the mentions of the manufacturers. Ergonomics When choosing your dishwasher, take into account the kind of dish you will wash with it. Make sure the dimensions and characteristics of the baskets suit your dishes. Baskets with close supports will allow you to put more cutlery but you will have difficulties with large wine glasses and plates with strong edges. In order to help you, we have tested the ergonomics of the devices with several ways of filling. We have especially analyzed the configuration of the baskets, the closing of the door and the use of the control panels. Most of the devices are very easy to use but don't forget that those aspects depend on your personal needs. Chose what configuration suits you the best.

3 Some manufacturers use high temperature washing option to boost the sales of their devices. We tested this option on Whirlpool and Maytag models but we were not convinced : according to our tests, high temperature washing do not give better results than the ordinary program. Good news for environment : dishwashers use approximately 25% less soap than at the time of our previous test and wash better. Would you like to do more? Remember that water is the main agent for washing. We observed that it is possible to diminish the quantity of soap without altering the result. Some essays will confirm it to you. OUR TEST Tests were conducted according to an international standard. First, we needed 10 dishes (mugs, small plates and plates of white porcelain, glass plates glasses, tools) for each test. We have chosen resistant dish, as the one used in restaurants, so that it may get dirty and be washed several times without being damaged. MANUAL FILTER OR FOOD GRINDER? If a bone or a piece of glass enter the outlet mechanism of the dishwasher, it may damage it. Therefore, all the devices are equipped with filters to block the largest debris. What is better? A filter with manual cleaning or a self-cleaning one with a grinder? All depends on your utilization... and on the cleaning you are ready to assume. Each piece of dish had to be as dirty as the others... by a tenth gram or so! The food was measured precisely before being applied on the dish, always using the same method. Dirty dishes had to remain during at least 15 hours, so our lab was transformed into a "battlefield"! We use various devices to measure the efficiency of the dishwashers. This one measures how much water has been used. Filter with a grinder inside The grinder crushes food into small pieces. However, this mechanism is not totally secure : small bones, olive stones and pieces of glass may block or damage it. And as those grinders are difficult to reach, you often have to call an agent when a problem occurs. "Manual" filter This kind of filter is a grid which captures the debris. You have to clean it every three months but it is not a difficult job. And as the filter is easy to reach, no problem in case anything is blocked. The dishes were placed in a similar way in all the dishwashers. At the end of the washing and drying phases, the experts of our lab made a meticulous inspection to find out spots, debris and marks.

4 TEST Dishwasher SPECİFİCATİONS Price EVALUATİON Brand and model white or black inox inox and integrated control panel EnerGuide Level (kwh/an) MIELE G2141SCUWH * 1350 $ $ X % FRIGIDAIRE FPHD2491KF X X 850 $ % KENMORE $ X 900 $ % BLOMBERG DWT $ X $ % BOSCH SHE55P05UC $ $ X % GE GDWF160RSS X 750 $ X % LG LDS $ $ X % MAYTAG MDB8959AW 950 $ X $ % KITCHENAID KUDS30CX 1000 $ $ $ % WHIRLPOOL GU3200XTXQ 800 $ X 900 $ % IKEA Renlig ( ) ** 800 $ X X % SAMSUNG DMT300RF 600 $ 800 $ X % Warranty (years) Washing Drying Noise Utilization Global mark Best choice Good value for money very good good average bad very bad * In 2011, the number of this device is G2141SCUWH. The one we tested in 2010 is the same but at that time its number was G2142SCUSS. ** Model with integrated control panel on the top of the door and a plastic surface which may be covered. Ikea sells various surfaces. SPECIFICATIONS All the dishwashers are built-in and are labelled Energy Star. Price : According to the surface offered and the built-in control panel option on the top of the door. Prices are approximate, rounded off to 50 $ and based on a survey in December Warranty : Years, parts and labor. Some parts may have a longer warranty for specific damages. EVALUATION Washing : Efficiency in washing. Is worth 50 % of the final grade. Drying : Efficiency in drying. Is worth 20 % of the final grade. Noise : Noise of the device during all the cycles of a washing. Is worth 25 % of the final grade. Utilization : Easy to use characteristic of the device and its functions. Is worth 5 % of the final grade. Final grade : The products are ranked by descending final grade and by alphabetical order when they got the same grade. WHO DOES WHAT? When you go shopping, you will see many brands which seem to be produced by different manufacturers. However, several brands are marketed by the same company. Here are some information to help you. Whirlpool Canada LP markets the following brands: Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Inglis, Estate et Ikea. Roper, which belonged to that group, has just been withdrawn from the market. Electrolux Group markets the up-market brand Electrolux and the mass-market brand Frigidaire. Kenmore is the Sears' signature. Its models are produced by other companies, like Bosch (e.g. the Kenmore model).

5 FRIGIDAIRE FPHD2491KF Very good efficiency in washing and drying. Easy to use. IMPACT OF HARD WATER The harder water is, the more minerals it contains and the less soaps lather. Then washing is more difficult and it is important to buy an efficient dishwasher, otherwise you may have to use more detergent. To test the devices, Protégez-Vous used a water with 11 grains per gallon (gpg), above average of the Quebec waters. For example, in Montreal water is 8 gpg. So what? In Québec, surface waters are in general softer than underground waters. Therefore, the problem most often occurs in houses with an artesian well and those connected to a an aqueduct network which supply them with underground water. The high value in calcium and magnesium ions of hard water may scale the pipes. However it is not harmful to health and most often it does not taste bad. Unless the case is extreme, it is not a dramatic situation. What can be done? If you think that your domestic water is hard, you can control it. - In case of a house connected to the municipal water supply, call the aqueduct service. - In case of an artesian well, contact a water softener company in order to have your water analyzed. If needed, a softener located at the entrance of your house may solve the problem. KENMORE The most silent of our test. Very efficient in washing. BLOMBERG DWT34440 Very efficient in washing, efficient in drying and easy to use. "GOOD" VALUE Web ENERGY STAR : A FADING STAR? This symbol identifies the most ecoenergetic devices. However, the evolution of the devices changes the settings. GE GDWF160RSS Very efficient in washing, efficient in drying but a little noisier than the other recommended devices. Good price. NEED A WATER SOFTENER? Have a look at our last test to learn the best models. You may also find relevant information on the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.