Best 7 Under Counter Dishwashers: Compact Unit Designed For Business

Interested in buying an under-counter dishwasher that works perfectly in domestic or professional environments?

Then my post might help you with your search!

Listed below, you can find my reviews of the 7 best models that are currently up for sale. You will also find a buying guide that might help you make the right decision.

The Rundown

What Is An Under Counter Dishwasher?

This is a specially designed model for commercial use. It combines the cleaning efficiency and sanitizing power of larger commercial dishwasher systems into a compact unit. The dishwasher features a design that can easily be installed under most commercial counters of standard height.

Can It Be Used For Home Purposes?

There is really no need to invest in a commercial dishwasher as there are many dishwashing options with more approachable prices. Also, under counter model features an industrial design with a highly demanding operation. That is really not suitable for home use.

2 Temperature Model Options

You can find this model with both high and low-temperature styles.

• High temp machines use 150 to 160 Fahrenheit degrees for washing the dishes. The rinsing temperature goes even higher to 180 Fahrenheit degrees. These models sanitize through intense water heat and due to that, as well as due to the steam, they require a condensate hood. High-temp dishwashers dry fast and are great for washing the visibly soiled dishes, fat, and grease.
• Low temp machines wash and rinse at lower temperatures between 120 and 140 Fahrenheit degrees. They require chemical sanitizing agents and dishes must be well-scrubbed before the wash.

Key Components Of A Dishwasher

To understand this dishwasher type, let’s discuss and explain all the key components of such a model.

• Size. This dishwasher features a compact unit, so it is the smallest model you can find for commercial use. However, it isn’t that small. It can come in a variety of sizes between 20 and 26 inches.
• Design. Usually, this type of dishwasher has a single door on the front. It resembles residential washing units, but it can incorporate a variety of controls and displays.
• Capacity. As it has a compact unit compared to other commercial models, this dishwasher can clean up to 35 racks per hour. That can be up to 1,575 dishes cleaned in only 1 hour.
• Steel construction. Of course, as this is a commercially graded dishwasher, it needs to have strong and durable construction that will withstand the high demands of the business. Stainless steel is the best material of the making to go with.
• Additional installation items. Some of the models on the market come with a mounting kit. This helps you to secure the dishwasher in its place. The models that don’t come with that kit, need brackets and screws that you can easily find in the local hardware store, online on Amazon, or some other webshops.

What Other Models Are For Commercial Use?

Besides the under-counter type of the dishwasher, there are 3 other models that are specifically designed for commercial use. Here are the details.

• The door-style model features 2-way doors. You slide the tray on one side and when the cleaning cycle is over, you slide the tray out on the other side.
• The conveyor dishwasher is a big model made for rinsing, washing, and sanitating large amounts of flatware, dishes, and glasses.
• The glasswasher is a model designed only for washing the glasses.

Consumption Details

Under counter units usually use up to 1.8 gallons of water per rack. If a dishwasher can wash 35 racks per hour, that would mean that every 1 hour, it uses 63 gallons of water. In the terms of energy, it uses a maximum of 2.4 kWh.

Is This Model Expensive?

Yes. Buying a professional dishwasher is a big investment but it definitely pays off. The price range goes from $3,000 to $120,000. Everything depends on the brand and model you want.

Brand Options

Some of the most reliable dishwasher brands that produce excellent commercial models are Hobart, Blakeslee, Farbeware, Central Value Series, Fagor, and Champion.

Who Needs An Under Counter Model Type?

This dishwasher type is ideal for restaurants, bars, hotels, and even smaller businesses that serve food, cakes, or alcoholic drink services. As most of these businesses have a lot of activities, traffic, and guests, an efficient dishwasher comes in quite handy to ease up the cleaning and preparation time. Here are a couple of benefits and advantages of having a commercial dishwashing model.

Easy To Handle

Under-counter models are preferred by the industry because they are easy to load, unload, and handle. And easiness is a must when we’re talking about rush hours.

Size That Fits

As we’re talking about compact-designed dishwashers, they will fit in both limited and bigger business spaces.

Fast Cleaning Performance

These models need only about 2 to 3 minutes to wash, rinse, and dry a basket of dishes. That is great for a business as the needs of guests and customers will be met at the highest levels.

Sanitization

Dishwashers produce way more sanitary cleaning than hand washing. They use high temperature sanitizing method or a chemical solution in order to kill and remove all the germs and bacteria.

Lower Costs

Since the dishwasher will be doing all the cleaning, there won’t be a need for hiring additional people. Besides, people aren’t capable of doing the same amount of dishes per hour as the machine is.

Functions Made For Commercial Use

Dishwashers with under-counter designs are great for any business. But besides all the already mentioned specifications, here are a couple of more functions that you can count on by choosing this specific model.

Interior Details

The interior of this dishwasher type is seamless so any kind of leakage is almost impossible. Also, the interior features both thermal and acoustic insulation.

Washing Arms & Filter

Most dishwashers’ rotating stainless steel washing arms are longer lasting and easier to clean, while the integral tank filter prevents any kind of debris from entering the machine and causing additional issues.

Does It Have Multiple Cleaning Cycles?

Not really. This dishwasher type usually has one universal program that is suitable for any type of cookware and dishes. Some models can feature heavy and light washing cycles, but that is rare.

Loud Dishwasher Type

This dishwasher type isn’t designed for quiet performance. It features a noise level between 50 and 60 decibels. That is in the louder noise range than models for home use that can feature between 38 and 50 dB.

Energy Efficiency

Energy Star certified dishwashers are the best ones to go with, both for residential and commercial use. Such a model is 40% more energy efficient and 50% more water-efficient. It saves, on average, $1,500 per year and more than $19,000 on utility bills over the product’s lifetime. It also saves 9,500 kWh.

Best 7 Under Counter Dishwashers

Jet-Tech Systems F-18DP Dishwasher

Stainless Steel Construction
This dishwasher is constructed out of high-quality stainless steel material. It provides it with both high quality and durability. Its wash arms are also made out of stainless steel material. Thanks to this feature you don’t have to worry that they might get clogged up during the wash cycles.

Powerful Cleaning Cycles
It has a built-in rinse-additive and detergent pump that ensure sparkling results. Its built-in booster is specially designed to provide superior sanitizing performance.

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Fagor CO-502W Dishwasher

Heater Booster
The best thing about this model is that it comes with a built-in heater booster thanks to which your dishware will be sanitized at a temperature of around 180 degrees.

ETL Listed
Another thing you should know is that this small dishwasher is ETL listed. This means that it has been subjected to periodic inspection and approved to meet the minimum safety requirements. You can be sure that it is perfectly safe for use in professional kitchens.

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Jackson Dishstar LT Dishwasher

Built-In Design
Like so many glasswasher models, this dishwasher also features an under-counter built-in design. Make sure that you always check the size of the dishwasher and measure the free space you have inside your kitchen to ensure that the machine perfectly fits underneath the kitchen counters.

Cleaning Capacity
Keep in mind that this under-counter glasswasher can clean up to 24 dish racks per single hour. This means that it needs about 2.5 minutes per cleaning cycle. This makes it a highly convenient choice for restaurants that need to be able to clean a large capacity of the dishes.

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Hobart LXEH-220-1PH Dishwasher

High-Temp Performance
The most important thing about this model is that it uses very high temperature levels to clean the dishware inside its tub. Thanks to this feature you can be sure that your dishes will be completely sanitized once you take them out from the dishwasher.

Highest Price
Keep in mind that this high temp dishwasher comes at the highest price out of listed models. Additionally, like a few other models, it is specially designed for commercial use.

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CMA Dishmachines L-1X Dishwasher

Simple Design
This low temp under counter commercial dishwasher features a very simple stainless steel design. It has a convenient control panel that is located at the top of the machine to ensure that you can easily access it and adjust its settings.

Low-Temp Cleaning
As opposed to the previous model, this dishwasher uses a somewhat lower temperature during the cleaning process. It might not provide the same level of sanitation, but you can be sure that it won’t lack in its cleaning performance.

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Eurodib DSP3 Lamber Glasswasher

Efficient Performance
This is another commercial-grade dishwasher that provides you with extremely efficient cleaning performance. It needs only about 2 minutes per cycle, meaning, it can easily clean up to 30 dish racks in a single hour. The built-in thermometers are designed to inform you about the cleaning temperature.

Safety Device
Another thing worth mentioning is that this under-counter bar dishwasher comes with a door-opening safety device. It is specially designed to prevent the possibility of the dishwasher door opening during the cleaning cycle.

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Central Value Series UC18-3 Dishwasher

Multipurpose Use
Because of its commercial-grade design, this dishwasher is the perfect choice for hotels, restaurants, bars, pubs, etc. It can clean up to 20 or 30 racks of dishes in one hour, depending on whether you decide to run a 3-minute or a 2-minute washing cycle.

Triple Filtering System
This under-counter industrial dishwasher offers a triple filtering system. It is specially designed to collect all soil and debris leftovers and prevent them from entering the draining system.

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How Safe Are Dishwashers For Under-Counter Use?

Completely safe! Because they need to meet the highest safety standards in order to even be commercially graded models. Here are some of the safety features they have.

Safety Switch

This feature is located at the door of the dishwasher. It stops the wash cycle as soon as the door is opened and it prevents the door from opening during the cleaning cycle.

Special Compartments

Since some of the models use chemicals for the washing operation, they also come with special trays or compartments for storing the chemicals as an extra measure of safety.

Tight Seals & Minimized Gaps

These features reduce air flow. That action limits the risk of fire from spreading in case of overheating components.

Fire-Resistant Doors

The doors are comprised of metal shieldings. Thanks to that, in the case of fire, the flames are prevented from spreading.

Cut-Off Feature

In case of overheating, this feature will immediately shut off the power.

Installation Requirements

When it comes to the installation of this type of dishwasher, the best way to do it is to call a professional. He will do the proper job of connecting the dishwasher in the terms of electricity and plumbing. You can try to do it by yourself, however, in that case, make sure to strictly follow the instructions from the official manual.