Booster Heaters
Commercial booster heaters amplify the temperature of rinse water in a commercial dishwasher. Temperatures of 180 degrees Fahrenheit are necessary to ensure your wares are sanitized effectively; these heaters enable you to get water to that benchmark. More
Commercial Booster Heaters: What You Need to Know
Commercial dishwasher booster heaters increase the temperature of washing water by as much as 70 degrees Fahrenheit, bringing it to the 180-degree-Fahrenheit heat required by many local regulatory bodies. Standard warewashing practice requires a rinse of hot water to sanitize the cleaned flatware and utensils at the end of a dishwashing process; a booster heater provides the extra power required to reach those temperatures. You'll need to choose between electric and gas booster heaters, whether you need to raise the temperature 40 or 70 degrees, and the recovery speed needed.
Common Questions About Booster Heaters
How does a booster heater work?
A booster heater is a hot water heater that attaches to your commercial dishwasher and heats rinse water hotter than a standard water heater. Commercial booster heaters are necessary with high-temp dishwashers, as without a booster heater, the water isn't hot enough to truly sanitize your wares. The booster heater provides hot water for the rinse phase of your dishwashing process, giving a final scouring rinse that sanitizes clean dishes without any of the unpleasant residue that can be left behind by sanitizing chemicals.
Do I need a booster heater?
Health codes require commercial warewashers either to utilize special sanitizing chemicals (in a low-temperature dishwasher) or 180-degree-Fahrenheit water (in a high-temperature dishwasher). If you choose a high-temperature dishwashing process to clean your flatware, you must purchase a high-temperature dishwasher with a built-in booster or purchase a dishwasher booster heater to make up the difference.
What temperature rise do I need?
The water used in a commercial dishwasher booster heater comes directly from your establishment's hot water heater. The booster, appropriately, boosts water heat by 40 or 70 degrees, depending on your chosen unit. Which level of increase you need is based on the heat your hot water heater can produce. Before purchasing a booster, measure the heat of the water wherever you plan to install the booster. Subtract that number from 180, and your answer will tell you whether you need a 40- or 70-degree temperature increase to reach the prescribed sanitizing temperature. You should check the temperature at the busiest point in the day so you'll know the temperatures your water heater produces under high-volume operation.
How quickly can the booster recover?
In a high-volume commercial environment, speed is key. The faster your booster heater works, the faster you can return dishes to service. Boosters are rated by gallons of water they can heat per hour, and you can translate this number to total usable cycles per hour by comparing the amount of water heated to the amount of water used per wash cycle. More powerful machines cost more upfront, so don't purchase a heater that works faster than your needs unless you plan to upgrade your other washing appliances soon.