[HN Gopher] I was right about dishwasher pods, and now I can pro...
       ___________________________________________________________________
        
       I was right about dishwasher pods, and now I can prove it [video]
        
       Author : hnaccount_rng
       Score  : 16 points
       Date   : 2025-11-04 20:16 UTC (2 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.youtube.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.youtube.com)
        
       | 383toast wrote:
       | summary:
       | 
       | The creator argues that most dishwashers are designed to use a
       | pre-wash dose and a main wash dose of detergent, a fundamental
       | often ignored by single-dose pods, and presents independent ASTM
       | testing confirming the new powder matches or exceeds the
       | performance of a leading premium pod. The video also features a
       | detailed demonstration using temperature logging and peanut
       | butter to stress the importance of purging cold water from the
       | hot water supply line before running a dishwasher, particularly
       | in North America, to ensure the water reaches the optimal
       | enzymatic temperature needed for effective cleaning. This is
       | further reinforced by showing how adding pre-wash detergent
       | dramatically improves the initial cleaning phase, especially with
       | fats and oils.
        
         | suprjami wrote:
         | Thanks for the summary.
         | 
         | American dishwashers don't have their own heater? All
         | dishwashers I've seen in Australia only have cold water supply.
        
           | midnitewarrior wrote:
           | They do, but they are generally confined to 10 amps, so they
           | do not heat quickly.
        
           | Rebelgecko wrote:
           | American dishwashers are typically hooked up to hot water.
           | Some will have heaters but they're not that powerful and they
           | may only run for the main wash cycle
        
           | devilbunny wrote:
           | They do. I didn't realize this until my natural gas supply
           | company decided to replace my meter on a Friday. Without
           | alerting me ahead of time so that I could, you know, _plan_
           | to be gone while my house had no hot water.
           | 
           | Whenever natural gas supply is turned off in the US, for any
           | reason, only the gas company can turn it back on. And they
           | can't do so if there's a leak at all. You have to call a
           | plumber to come out, detect the leaks, and fix them. _After
           | that_ , you can call the gas company to come back out (but
           | not on a weekend) to turn it back on. And a same-day request
           | for service requires someone to be home ALL DAY after it's
           | called in.
           | 
           | And this is how I ended up showering at work for three days
           | that week after not having had one over the weekend.
        
           | vel0city wrote:
           | A dishwasher cycle is usually only going to run for a
           | specific period of time. Its more effective it if starts that
           | time closer to the proper temperature rather than relying on
           | waiting for the heater to get the temperature up to that
           | time. Especially on the pre-rinse cycle, where the heater may
           | or (probably) many not engage.
        
           | reaperducer wrote:
           | _American dishwashers don 't have their own heater?_
           | 
           | Some do, some don't.
           | 
           | The ones that do vary in ability by overall dishwasher
           | quality.
           | 
           | The ones that don't are hooked up to the kitchen's hot water
           | line.
           | 
           | This is considered more energy efficient because a home's hot
           | water heater (whether electric, gas, or another fuel) is
           | better at heating the water in a bulk capacity than a tiny
           | heater in the dishwasher.
           | 
           | The downside is that the cold water between the big water
           | heater and the dishwasher has to be purged first for it to be
           | really effective. If your hot water heater is in the other
           | side of the wall, no problem. If it's six rooms away,
           | problem.
        
             | WheatMillington wrote:
             | Hot water from the house supply isn't that hot though? My
             | dishwasher gets MUCH hotter than the hot water supply...
             | and I don't think the heater is "tiny" I think it's a
             | rather substantial element. The dishwasher also doesn't
             | need to heat up a "bulk" amount of water, just the amount
             | of water used for washing the current load of dishes.
        
               | reaperducer wrote:
               | _Hot water from the house supply isn 't that hot though?_
               | 
               | Depends on how you have it set. My current and previous
               | hot water heaters had thermostats which permitted
               | adjusting the temperature.
               | 
               | They also had warning labels on them about scalding
               | water. If it's hot enough to scald, it's hot enough.
               | 
               |  _The dishwasher also doesn 't need to heat up a "bulk"
               | amount of water, just the amount of water used for
               | washing the current load of dishes._
               | 
               | If you're washing dishes and someone is, or has recently,
               | taken a shower; or someone is, or has recently, done
               | laundry; or someone is, or has recently shaved or done
               | any of the other dozen things that draw from the hot
               | water heater, then the water is already hot and available
               | and doesn't need to be heated all the way from cold by
               | the dishwasher. A properly insulated hot water heater can
               | retain heat for quite some time.
        
           | WheatMillington wrote:
           | Same in NZ, never seen a dishwasher with a hot water
           | connection.
        
       | RealityVoid wrote:
       | I've found it harder and harder to find powder dishwasher
       | detergent in my country. I think they intentionally pull them off
       | the market, I used to buy a large Finish container and now I can
       | barely find a place that sells _any_ sort of dishwashing powder.
        
       | ErroneousBosh wrote:
       | I wonder if that's why my now something like nearly 40-year-old
       | dishwasher is so bad for leaking, on certain cycles? Maybe the
       | pods foam up too much, because it seems hell of a foamy inside.
       | 
       | At some point, I'll maybe post up the pics of repairing the door
       | hinges - previously it was leaking badly because the chunky metal
       | hinges had cracked and bent, pushing the door up enough to not
       | squash the bottom lip seal. Unobtainable parts now, but if you
       | have a welder...
       | 
       | If you don't use a JTAG cable and a MIG welder on the same
       | project in the same day, can you really call yourself "full
       | stack"?
        
         | smileysteve wrote:
         | At 40 years, there is an expectation that the rubber and most
         | plastic components have become embrittled. The hinges likely
         | only wore out after the spring had reduced function (and lack
         | of lubrication)
         | 
         | After your weld, I hope you consider replacing all rubber with
         | silicone, and add lubrication to at least an annual list.
        
       ___________________________________________________________________
       (page generated 2025-11-04 23:01 UTC)