Where Does The Dirty Water Go In A Countertop Dishwasher? [The SURPRISING Truth]

Originally Created on: April 12, 2023 @ 9:57 am

Where does the dirty water go in a countertop dishwasher? Do you live in a small apartment or home and want to save time and water when it comes to washing dishes?

Dishwashers are designed to spare you the drudgery of washing dishes by hand. However, small homes, RVs, and some apartments have no space for full-size dishwashers. This is where portable dishwashers come in.

So, where does the dirty water go in a countertop dishwasher? Unlike a full-size dishwasher, a portable dishwasher drains dirty water into the kitchen sink. It does so through a drain hose.

Want to know how portable dishwashers drain dirty water? Keep reading!

Also Read: Can I Leave My Portable Dishwasher Running All Night? [The SHOCKING Answer]

Where Does the Dirty Water Go in a Countertop Dishwasher?

The water from your countertop dishwasher drains into your kitchen sink through a hose plus a timer-controlled pump. Typically, countertop dishwashers use a fitting called a unicouple.

This fitting allows you to connect the hose to your kitchen sink faucet and another to the kitchen sink.

Hooking up the countertop dishwasher is easy. All you have to do is attach the drain hose and inlet hose then plug the dishwasher in and start the wash cycle.

You don’t need any tools to attach the drain hose or the inlet hose as the hoses connect easily and quickly. After use, unplugging the inlet hose and drain hose is also easy. 

How Do Portable Dishwashers Drain?

All portable dishwashers have a plastic or rubber hose that connects to your kitchen sink. The drain hose extends out 35 inches from the left, rear top corner of your dishwasher.

Once connected to a drain hose, your portable dishwasher will run dirty water into the pipes under or into your kitchen sink.

In some cases, the drain hose is usually connected to an inlet in the garbage disposal.

Before using your portable dishwasher, it’s important to inspect the hoses to ensure they’re not twisted or kinked. If they are, they will reduce the washing performance of your portable dishwasher.

Countertop Dishwasher With a Water Tank

A countertop dishwasher with a built-in water tank allows for instant use once you fill the tank. Best for homes with no permanent water connection, the countertop dishwasher is also ideal to use in your RV.

It comes with an automatic water level indicator that lets you know the correct level of water in the tank.

You can also use the faucet mode instead of using water from the built-in tank. To do so, simply connect the inlet hose from the portable dishwasher to your kitchen faucet. 

Do Portable Dishwashers Waste Water?

When you wash the dishes by hand, you use 30+ liters of water. However, when you use a portable dishwasher, especially one with a built-in tank, you only use 5 liters of water per wash cycle.

That means, the portable dishwasher saves you 83% water compared to handwashing.

Besides saving you on water, it also saves you on electricity. This is because the portable dishwasher only consumes 0.015 to 0.499 kWh of electricity.

This makes it an energy-efficient appliance. In addition, portable dishwashers have a space-saving design. As such, they are ideal for use in small homes, apartments, and RVs.

Do Portable Dishwashers Reuse Dirty Water?

A portable dishwasher does not reuse dirty water. Instead, the dishwasher filters out the dirty water.

The filter helps to clean out any leftover debris – small or big in size. At the start of each cycle, a portable dishwasher is usually filled with fresh, clean water.

To avoid wasting water, it’s recommended to have a full load in your portable dishwasher. Most portable dishwashers can hold 4 serving bowls, 4 cups, 4 small plates, 4 dinner plates, 7 spoons, 7 forks, and 7 knives.

By having a full load, you avoid running unnecessary cycles. If you run unnecessary cycles, you stand to waste as much as 20 gallons of water.

Conclusion

Portable dishwashers can save you the time and effort of washing by hand, and because they consume less electricity, they save on energy.

They use up to 5 gallons of water in each cycle which saves up to 80% compared to washing by hand.

If you choose portable dishwashers with a built-in tank, not only will they save you on power and water.

But they will not occupy your kitchen faucet during the wash cycles. As such, you can scrub fresh fruits under cold running water before eating.