How do you "test drive" a dishwasher?

I''m about to find out. Sometime later this month, Frigidaire is going to deliver one of its new energy-saving models to my home so I - and my dishes - can give it a whirl.

Over the next few months, I'll be blogging about the Frigidaire Gallery Built-In Dishwasher (model number FGHD2433KF) as I compare it to my ten-year-old Maytag. I'll be looking at factors like energy efficiency, water conservation, noise, capacity, time savings, ease of maintenance, and any other issues that come up.

The Frigidaire dishwasher is supposed to use a lot less water and energy to wash a lot more dishes. I'll let you know how it performs. I'd also like to hear about the dishwasher you have - especially if you're buying a new one and are doing price and performance comparisons.

Comments

[Jennifer]

How do you make accurate estimates when it comes to energy and water usage? is there some sort of meter on the appliance itself?

Just comparing water and electric bills, I think, is not very accurate as there might be other activities that would account for less or more usage in those areas.

[Diane MacEachern]

You're right, Jen. There will not be a meter on the appliance, so right now I'm setting up some baselines with the old appliance. I'm also going to get a kilowatt meter to monitor energy use during the time the washer is on. For the amount of water the appliance uses, I'll compare manufacturer projections. It won't be precise, but it will give me a good sense of how the machines compare.

[Christina Viering]

Good point.

[Green School Fundraising]

Good luck! I'm still wondering if my high-efficiency LG washers I purchased a year or so ago are really more efficient? Seems like they run a longggg time. I hang out most of my clothes due to the guilt of how long a load takes in the washer...I will be interested on what you think as far as the "efficiency" claim goes.

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