Placing a drain for commercial dishwasher

Should the drain for an industrial dishwasher be in the floor? And what do you do if the drain is in the wall?

The location of the drain is one of the things that should be checked before ordering a professional dishwasher. Some machines drain the water using gravity, while others have a drain pump that gives greater freedom in the location of the drain.

How do you drain an industrial dishwasher?

A professional dishwasher must be able to direct the used washing water to the building's drain.

On machines without a drain pump, this happens by natural fall. The water therefore flows from the machine and down towards a drain that is placed sufficiently low.

Other machines have an electric drain pump – also called a drain pump – which actively pumps the water out of the machine.

What is a drain pump?

A drain pump is a pump inside the dishwasher that helps to empty the machine of water.

This means that the machine is not as dependent on the water itself being able to flow downwards from the machine to the drain.

This can be particularly practical in existing kitchens where the drain is already located in the wall or in some other way higher than the machine's natural drain.

When is a drain pump needed?

A drain pump is typically relevant if the drain is not located low enough for the machine to be emptied correctly using natural fall.

For example, if you have an existing wall drain, a model with a drain pump may therefore be necessary.

On the other hand, if there is a suitable floor drain close to the machine, a machine without a drain pump may be sufficient in some installations.

How high can the drain be placed?

This depends on the specific dishwasher.

A drain pump can lift the water, but not to an arbitrary height. The manufacturer usually specifies a maximum height and requirements for how the drain hose should be routed.

Therefore, you should always check the installation instructions for the specific model if the drain is in the wall or a bit above the floor.

The same applies to the distance between the machine and the drain. A longer drain hose is not necessarily a solution if the manufacturer's maximum height or hose length is exceeded.

Drain in the floor or wall

A floor drain close to the dishwasher usually offers good opportunities for establishing the drain with a natural fall.

A wall drain can be more challenging because the water must be lifted from the machine before it can be led away. Here it becomes important to check whether the machine has a drain pump and how high the pump is designed to lift the water.

This does not mean that a wall drain is a problem in itself. It simply requires that the dishwasher and the installation match.

Can a drain pump be retrofitted?

On some professional dishwashers, a drain pump may be an optional extra or available in different versions of the same machine. On other models, the pump is either integrated from the factory or not intended for retrofitting.

It should therefore be clarified on the specific model instead of buying the machine with the expectation that a pump can always be installed later.

What happens if the drain is incorrect?

An incorrectly performed drain installation can cause problems with emptying the machine.

If a machine without a pump does not have sufficient slope, the water may have difficulty draining away. On a machine with a drain pump, incorrect hose routing, kinks in the hose or a location outside the manufacturer's instructions can also cause problems.

Drainage is therefore not just a question of getting a hose from the machine to the nearest drain.

Check the drain before you buy the dishwasher

It is much easier to check the installation before the machine is ordered than when it is in the kitchen.

Therefore, please note:

• Whether the drain is located in the floor or wall.
• How high the drain is above the floor.
• How far it is from the machine's location to the drain.
• Whether there is already a drain connection from the previous machine.

With this information, you can check the installation requirements for the specific dishwasher and determine whether a model with a drain pump is needed.

Are you going to buy a new industrial dishwasher?

This article is only about the drain. If you are choosing the machine itself, you can see our commercial dishwashers. Here you will find both undercounter and hood dishwashers, including models with a built-in drain pump.