Buying the Right Booster Heater
Restaurant dishmachines come in two main varieties in terms of how they sanitize dishes. Low-temp machines sanitize wares with chlorine- or iodine-based chemical solutions. High-temperature dishmachines rely on water that's been heated to at least 180 degrees Fahrenheit to kill bacteria and other potentially harmful microorganisms. If you clean your dishes with a high-temp machine, you'll need a dishwasher booster heater to raise sanitizing water to the correct temperatures. Choosing a heater-less dishwasher means you'll have several decisions to make when buying a commercial booster heater, and this guide aims to help with each of them.
Energy Source
The first decision you'll need to make when selecting a water heater booster is what energy source to use. You have three choices: electricity, gas, and steam.
Electric Booster Heaters
Advantages:
- Easy to connect - Electric booster heaters may be the easiest type to get up and running. A qualified electrician should be able to install the equipment fairly quickly, especially if a suitable electrical circuit is already present in your dishroom.
- Low initial cost - Electric booster heaters tend to be the lowest-priced equipment of the three types.
Disadvantages:
- High utility costs - Depending on the cost of utilities in your area, an electric booster heater may be the most expensive type to run. In many parts of the country, electricity is more expensive than gas for the amount of heat generated per dollar. This means gas is often the most economical way to heat water.
Gas Booster Heaters
Advantages:
- Lower utility costs - In many parts of the country, gas tends to be cheaper than electricity when you analyze how much heat each produces per dollars spent. This makes gas cooking equipment the obvious choice in many kitchens, and the same goes for gas booster heaters.
Disadvantages:
- Higher initial costs - Gas booster heater equipment tends to be more complex than its electric counterparts, and that means it usually costs more upfront. This higher initial cost may be offset by lower utility costs over the life of the equipment.
Steam Booster Heaters
Advantages:
- Nominal utility costs - Steam booster heaters are generally heated with steam from a building's central boiler. This setup means that your dishmachine will likely require no more extra cost per month to operate than what's already being spent to provide energy to the boiler.
Disadvantages:
- High initial costs - Steam booster heaters tend to be the most expensive type upfront. These high costs may be worth the initial investment if the equipment is connected to a central boiler.
Temperature Rise
The second decision you'll need to make when choosing a hot water booster is how much the unit will heat the incoming water. A booster heater is designed to raise the temperature of water from your kitchen's main water heater, which will likely measure between 110 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit, to the 180-degree-Fahrenheit minimum required to kill bacteria and viruses.
Dishwasher booster heaters come in 40-degree- and 70-degree-rise versions. These numbers correspond to the increase in water temperature they're designed to provide. To choose the right one, you must know the temperature of your kitchen's existing hot water. You can find this out by measuring the temperature of your hot water at the outlet closest to your dishmachine's installation point. To ensure your water heater booster will be able to keep up when demand for hot water is at its highest, measure the hot water temperature during a busy period. Subtract the number you measure from 180 to get the minimum rise in temperature your booster heater will need to provide.
Gallons Per Minute
The final major consideration you'll need to keep in mind when you choose a dishwasher booster heater is whether it'll be able to keep up with your dishmachine's demand for hot water. Water volume is measured in gallons per minute (GPM), and different dishmachines will have different volume requirements depending on their size, features, and how often you use the machine. Consult the specs of your dishmachine or contact the manufacturer to find out the GPM requirements for sanitizing the water in your unit. Individual water heater booster spec sheets will tell you the maximum GPM volume the heater can handle at each temperature rise.
