A dishwasher has become an indispensable item in the kitchen for many. Many do not even know how they ever managed without it.
This article may be useful for those who have begun to look after a dishwasher, but have not yet decided which type of dishwasher is best - freestanding, built-in or compact?
The functionality and technical data of a stand-alone dishwasher and a built-in dishwasher, within the same manufacturer, can be exactly the same.
The main differences lie on the surface. Freestanding machine, has a finished top-top and the same door. Management on such machines is placed on the front panel of the door. On built-in dishwashers, the control is most often located on the upper end of the door and is very rarely found on the front.
The built-in dishwasher does not have a top cover, and the door itself implies the attachment of a furniture facade to it.
The dimensions of a free-standing machine may vary depending on its width, which comes in two sizes 45 cm and 60, with a depth of 60 cm. and a minimum height in the range of 85 - 86 cm.
The built-in dishwasher can also be both 45 and 60 cm wide, and due to the lack of a top cover and facade on the doors, it has a lower minimum height, starting from 82 cm, as well as a smaller depth of about 55 cm.
The compact dishwasher is a stripped-down version of the freestanding dishwasher, it has controls on the front of the door. It can have a height of 44 to 60 cm, with a width of 42 to 55 cm with the same dimensions in depth. A freestanding dishwasher with the same functionality as a built-in dishwasher has both disadvantages and advantages.
PLUSES and MINUSES of a freestanding dishwasher
PROS:
A free-standing machine can be installed anywhere, you don’t need to customize furniture for it and change something in the kitchen. Therefore, this option is widely used by those who have in the kitchen, the time for a new repair has not yet come and in the near future, alteration and installation of new furniture is not expected. The standard door surface does not require a separate front and is easy to clean. The control panel located on the front of the door is easy to read and you can always see whether the washing process is in progress or not.
MINUSES:
It happens that a separate place is not provided for the dishwasher that does not limit it in height, and the previously installed kitchen set turns out to be slightly lower than the minimum height of the dishwasher. And in order for the machine to pass in height under the countertop, sometimes the top cover interferes with it, which, without “dancing with a tambourine” with a possible loss of warranty, is not always easy to remove, and not every machine has such an opportunity. Therefore, before buying, it would be useful to find out about the possibility of removing the top cover, as, for example, it is implemented in some Bosch models, where the cover is a removable element and can be completely removed by pressing a few clips.
Another disadvantage of a free-standing dishwasher is in its lower plinth. The design of such a machine is based on the fact that it stands on its own, and therefore, by installing it in a common row of furniture under the countertop, the base of the dishwasher will not coincide with the base of the cabinets adjacent to the sides. With this model, you can not achieve a solid furniture plinth, securely attached to the floor, allowing you to clean in one motion and not allowing anything to roll under the furniture.
In this case, the space under the machine is not protected in any way, debris can get under it, and cleaning next to it will not be very convenient.
Built-in dishwasher PROS and MINUSES
PROS:
The biggest plus of this dishwasher option, no matter how trite it sounds, is that it is built-in. In the line of kitchen cabinets and drawers, she does not give herself away, because the same facade is installed on the dishwasher door as on the rest of the furniture. All furniture is obtained in the same style, there are no gaps and cracks between the tabletop and individual cabinets, everything is extremely harmonious. The second plus, although it can be attributed to the first one, the kitchen plinth with a built-in dishwasher is one, in front of the dishwasher it is possible to place a standard kitchen plinth, and this is a real perfectionist's holiday.
Also, many people believe that the noise level of a built-in dishwasher compared to a stand-alone one is much lower, citing the fact that the machine, installed under the countertop between cabinets and closed from the outside with a furniture facade, has additional sound insulation due to additional furniture walls.
MINUSES:
Installing a built-in dishwasher in a kitchen set requires some experience and knowledge. The niche for the typewriter must be calculated with the utmost accuracy, and the height of the kitchen plinth must also be taken into account, since sometimes an incorrectly recessed and high plinth has to be cut to freely open the facade of the car door. Many people often encounter this moment due to the fact that even at the stage of the kitchen project, the features of the dishwasher, the depth and height of the base were not taken into account.
Another disadvantage, although many will argue, is the location of the control panel on the upper end of the door. If your machine is not equipped with an informative beam or auto door opening, then it is impossible to find out about the current execution of the program or its end, because when the door is closed, you cannot see what is happening on the scoreboard.
Compact (desktop) dishwasher, pros and cons
PROS:
Again, a commonplace, the main plus of a compact dishwasher is its size and weight. Such a machine can be easily installed in a fairly limited space, most often, it is placed on the countertop, and when leaving for the summer to the country, you can easily take it with you.
MINUSES:
I would like to return to the word compactness again, and note that here, the word compactness does not necessarily keep pace with the word economy. Since anyone who thinks that buying a small dishwasher because he has very few dirty dishes, but really does not want to spend a lot of water, electricity and detergents, may not know everything.
The thing is that the buyer will have to pay for this compactness, since the most inexpensive compact machine will cost you not much cheaper than the simplest free-standing 45cm wide machine. And this despite the fact that a compact machine has a little less electricity consumption or even the same, and water consumption can be about the same compared to a stand-alone one. Therefore, probably, the main argument for buying a compact dishwasher is the limited space in the kitchen and the ability to transport appliances from place to place.
Copying of texts, photos and other information for re-publication on other resources is allowed only with the written permission of the site administration.