In short, the answer is yes. Dishwashers generally come in one of two varieties: with a built in garbage disposal / food grinder or with a filtration system. Each type offers its own distinct set of advantages and disadvantages. Let’s learn a bit more about each option.
Dishwashers & Hard Food Garbage Disposals
The current majority of American made dishwashers, like those by KitchenAid, Whirlpool, and GE, feature hard food disposers. These food waste disposers should be thought of as miniature garbage disposals that sit inside the dishwasher itself. Their grinding capacity and motor power is not on par with the garbage disposal that you would find under your kitchen sink; however, they are adept at removing small pieces of food waste and debris from the water during the wash cycle. The food grinder disposal system in a dishwasher is self-cleaning and does not require any assistance from the homeowner.
A high-end European dishwasher may look sleek,. but often lacks hard food disposal.
A dishwasher with a built in garbage disposal tends to louder during the unit’s overall wash cycle than one that boasts a filtration system, and this is something homeowners should take into account when making a buying decision. However, in most situations the additional noise is minimal, and the added benefit of not having to throughly rinse your dishes before loading the dishwasher is a huge plus.
A dishwasher that features a hard food disposer is ideal for individuals or families who simply want to skip rinsing their dishes clean. Just eat, then load them directly into the dishwasher – and skip the step of rinsing each dish under hot water. After each cycle the waste water produced by the dishwasher is then routed to the garbage disposal so it can pulverize any remaining pieces or sent down the drain if there is no garbage disposal present.
Do I Need To Connect The Dishwasher To The Garbage Disposal?
In general, if you have a garbage disposal and a dishwasher, even one with a hard waste disposal, you should connect the waste hose from your dishwasher to your garbage disposal – we go through exactly how and why in this article below. Not only should you connect your dishwasher to your garbage disposal, but you should also connect it via the air gap on your kitchen sink. If you do not have a garbage disposal, you can connect your dishwasher directly to the drain, but you should rinse your dishes before you load up the dishwasher.
RELATED: Do I Need To Connect The Dishwasher To The Garbage Disposal?
Dishwashers & Filtration Systems
Most European appliance manufacturers eschew the built in garbage disposal found in their American counterparts in favor of traditional filtration systems. This decision is made in an effort to reduce the amount of noise the appliance makes. European manufacturers believe that the addition of the garbage disposal is not necessary, and the very high temperatures produced by the dishwasher during its wash cycle are sufficient enough to break down food particles, which are then intercepted by the filtration system.
However, the filtration systems of these European style dishwashers must be checked and cleaned periodically, which can range from one every ten days to upwards of once a month. Many leading domestic dishwasher manufacturers such as GE and Frigidaire now incorporate hard food disposal into their mid-range to high-end offerings.
The hard food disposal inside a dishwasher is small, though it can handle most small food particles stuck to plates.
What Are The Benefits of a Dishwasher With a Garbage Disposal?
We recommend to pick a dishwasher that has a built-in food grinder or garbage disposal rather than a unit that just has a filter. Aside from the obvious benefit of not having to empty out the filter basket, a dishwasher with a built in hard food disposal will also:
- Result in cleaner dishes – a common problem of dishwashers that do not have a hard food disposal is the residue stuck on plates. During the rinse cycle, food particles are simply washed around and are not drained away with a filter-basket type model. In dishwashers with a hard food disposal all food particles are pulverised and then sent down the drain, leaving you with a cleaner load of dishes.
- Reduces the chances of clogs and leaks – if your filter basket is not emptied out regularly, water may drain slowly or worse, may not drain at all – this will lead to dirty dishes as well as spills or leaks once the dishwasher is opened.
- Cleaning up is easy – dishwashers with hard food disposals allow you to skip the rinsing off the plate step when cleaning up – simply take your dish from the table and put it directly into the dishwasher. Whatever is clinging onto the plate can be handled by a hard food disposal.
So Which Option Is Best?
Although systems without built in hard food garbage disposals have long been the standard, a number of American manufacturers, including KitchenAid, Whirlpool, Frigidaire and GE are beginning to adopt this system on their premium models. This ensures that if you load a dishwasher without rinsing each dish, the rinse and drain cycle will complete properly – this is especially important with large loads where there is a large amount of waste food matter stuck to plates. However, keep in mind that the hard food disposal is not the same as a garbage disposal – it cannot break down large chunks and can only handle food pieces that are stuck on to plates after the larger scraps have been tossed or put down your main garbage disposal.
Dirty Dish Nightmare! – Image by Achim Thiemermann – Pixabay
Ultimately, the decision of to go with a dishwasher with or without a hard food disposal is up to you and will depend the specific features that you need your dishwasher to have, as well as your budget. Also, if you already have a garbage disposal, then you can connect your dishwasher to your garbage disposal directly so it can grind any food waste down even further.
Many are used to the tradition of rinsing their dishes before placing them in the dishwasher – yes, it is a chore – but it usually adds only a few more minutes to washing up. However, if you have a large family, or if you do alot of heavy cooking at home, then a dishwasher with a built in hard food disposal – take it from us – you won’t know how you did without one!
Which Dishwashers with Hard Food Disposals are Best?
According to several review websites, these are the most popular and highly rated dishwashers with hard food disposal units built in:
Frigidaire – 24 Inch Built In Full Console Dishwasher with 5 Wash Cycles with Hard Food Disposal
No products found.
Model
InSinkErator Evolution Compact
Horsepower
3/4 HP
Our Rating
4.7 out of 5
Our Review
Model
Horsepower
1/3 HP
Our Rating
4.8 out of 5
Our Review
Model
Waste King L-3200 Legend Series
Horsepower
3/4 HP
Our Rating
4.7 out of 5
Our Review
Model
Horsepower
1.0 HP
Our Rating
4.7 out of 5
Our Review
Model
Waste King L-2600 Legend Series
Horsepower
1/2 HP
Our Rating
4.5 out of 5
Our Review
GE 24″ Stainless Steel Fully Integrated Dishwasher with 16 Place Settings- 4 Cycles 8 Options- Dry Boost & Piranha Hard Food Disposer
- Dishwasher with hidden controls
- Cycles: 1 hour wash, auto sense, heavy wash, light wash and normal wash
- Options: bottle jets, child lock, delay start: 1-12 hours, Dry Boost(TM), heated dry, Sani (NSF 184 certified),...
Frigidaire FFCD2418U 24 Inch Built In Dishwasher with 5 Wash Cycles, 14 Place Settings, Hard Food Disposer, Quick Wash
Last update on 2024-05-04 at 04:27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
mr knowitall
…is not on part with…
Par!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
🙂
Justin Curtis
Thanks, I made the change.
Mia Hurtz
I have a household with 3 people including a five-year-old, and occasionally one more. We have no problem filling the dishwasher. I believe people worry necessarily about that dried up on food. Dishwasher technical engineers know about that. Dried on food gets undried on during the process.
https://all4webs.com/malcolmljohnson/portablewasherand.htm?19865=62017
Lucy
Thanks for the information on dishwashers. We had a Maytag for years which had food disposal, now we have a Bosch with filter. Just another chore, cleaning out the filter… and there is always water sitting in the trap. I wonder which system is best for a home with septic tank?
Now we have to clean out the filter, clean out and disinfect humidifier, wash the filters in our stick vacs and dry them…. the more improvements, the more time caring for our appliances!
Olis Buchanan
Thanks Justin,
I found the review very helpful. I don’t like talking to sales people anymore because most of the time they are not informed. I have seen the filters in a Dishwasher but I wager most people don’t clean them out. I am searching for a new Dishwasher and I am considering the Samsung Storm Wash$499 Model DW80K5050US. I initially wanted the Samsung Waterfall $899
Model # DW80M9960US. I was really surprised the more expensive Dishwasher did not have a Hard Food Disposal. I think the Disposal is important because I fear the filtration will leave particles on your dishes.
SSquire
The Samsung Storm Wash is a great one! We installed one at our last home and it was a LOT quieter than our previous one (ie we could run it and watch TV rather than setting it to run at 2am). Our new home has a Bosch with a filter and it is an order of magnitude quieter BUT I would prefer to not have to clean it every weekend.
Lisa
One way to insure a quiet dishwasher is to buy batting at a sewing store and wrap machine with extra batting before installing. It works! Weve had our dishwasher w/disposal for years now w/o a single worry.
Admin
What a great idea! It would be preferable to use a non-flammable material however, just to be safe, but other than that, we like the idea!
BRCATHY
I saved the batting from my old dishwasher and added it to the new one’s batting. Very quiet.
Judith Avinger
A new dishwasher was recently installed in the apartment above me. I never really noticed the one that was there before, but this one is extremely noisy in my apartment – apparently, not so much in the upstairs apartment. To me it sounds just like a garbage disposal. The noise lasts for the entire cycle. I’d like to find a solution because the noise is very irritating to live with. Is it normal for the noise to last the whole cycle and is there any way to fix this problem? Thank you for any information you can give me.