Dishwashers, Sinks & Taps
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How to choose a sink, tap or food waste disposer?
Sinks
- Always double-check your measurements! If you choose an undermount sink, the hole in your benchtop must be precisely the same size as the sink
- What is your benchtop made from? Timber and laminate benchtops require additional protection from moisture, making inset sinks a better choice. Meanwhile, stone or marble benchtops are better suited to undermount sinks.
- If you're concerned about the noise of running water on stainless steel, opt for a sink with sound-deadening pads to absorb the noise
- Most sinks are made from stainless steel, and with good reason - it's tough, strong, looks great and cleans easily.
- Look for high-quality stainless steel of 18/10 grade (18 parts chrome to 10 parts nickel), which offers durability, protection, hardness and strength.
Taps
- Try to choose a tap that's durable and reliable, and also suits the décor of your kitchen. The design of a tap fitting can make a big impact on a kitchen's overall look and feel.
- Taps with different water flow options, from powerful jets to gentle sprays, can be useful when washing different dishes.
- Consider the tap's height. A high tap head can make it easier to wash larger items.
- A filtered water tap can also be installed alongside your ordinary tap - to provide instant chilled/boiling filtered water.
- Similar to the Energy Star electricity rating found in electrical appliances, the WELS (Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards) water rating provides an indication of how efficiently a tap will use water. The more stars, the more water-efficient.
- Choosing a tap with a decent WELS water rating isn't just good for your home's environmental footprint, it's good for your water bills as well.
Food Waste Disposers
- For optimum safety, get a food waste disposer with batch operation. These designs require a cap to be placed over the sinkhole before it can be activated, greatly reducing the risk of accidents.
- If you often need to dispose of a great deal of food scraps, a continuous feed model can process a steady flow of material without stopping.
- To limit kitchen noise, consider a food waste disposal with integrated sound bafflers and top-of-the-line insulation.
- Disposers with an air switch can be switched on and off with the touch of a button built into the sink, while the electric switches used in some models are usually positioned away from the sink.
- Larger households tend to create more food waste, and thus find larger food waste disposers more useful. These often feature 2 or even 3-stage grinding processes, and are able to larger and tougher food scraps such as bones. They also often are better insulated, resulting in lower noise levels.
- Most waste disposers must be installed in a sink with a 90mm drain. If your sink has a smaller drain, it's usually better to replace the sink with a more modern design rather than try to cut a new hole in stainless steel.
Warranty & Service
- Appliances Online sells only brand new appliances with full manufacturer's warranties - not factory seconds.
- This also applies to the sinks we sell, which often come with a lifetime warranty, or a warranty measured in decades.
- All the taps we stock come with a standard warranty (the length will vary by manufacturer and model).
- All the food waste disposers we stock come with a standard warranty (usually 2 years or more, depending on the model).
Top Tips
- Will it fit? Before you buy your dishwasher, measure your kitchen carefully, allowing room for the door to open as well as space for electrical wiring and water pipes in the rear. Be accurate! If the dishwasher is even 1mm too wide for the space, you'll need to either exchange it or modify your cabinets
- It's no good buying a dishwasher with a large number of cleaning modes if you're not likely to use them, so choose a model with wash cycles that best suit your household's needs. You should also look out for a dishwasher with intelligent sensor technology that can automatically calculate the best wash settings for each load
- Drying cycles are great for saving time and effort, but watch out - they use extra electricity (which can eat into your energy bills), and can sometimes damage heat-sensitive dishes such as plastic and Tupperware
- Remember to clean your dishwasher's filter regularly! Some models are available with self-cleaning filters to handle this for you
- Only use dishwasher-specific detergents in your dishwasher - regular washing-up liquid can flood the machine (and your kitchen!) with suds
- Some heat-sensitive items such as fine china can't be washed in a dishwasher - hand-wash these separately
Water Efficiency
WELS Water Rating
Similar to the Energy Star rating system, you can measure a dishwasher's water efficiency based on the WELS Star rating system. Because water is such a precious resource in this country, Australia has some of the most water-efficient dishwashers in the world.
It's a common misconception that dishwashers use more water than washing up in the sink - the most water-efficient dishwasher can use as little as 11L of water per cycle, while the average kitchen sink holds around 20L. You can save more water by placing your dirty dishes directly in the dishwater without rinsing them first - look for a dishwasher with a good rinse cycle.
Remember, WELS water ratings are based on the amount of water the dishwasher uses to complete a regular cycle - special programs such as the heavy cycle may use more water, while Eco modes may use less.
Energy Efficiency
Energy Star rating
Every dishwasher has an Energy Star rating - the more stars, the more energy-efficient the appliance.
Energy-efficient dishwashers have two key advantages:
Reduced running costs - While you may pay more upfront for a dishwasher with a good energy rating, it will eventually 'pay for itself' through savings on your energy bills.
Reduced impact on the environment - The more energy-efficient your dishwasher, the greener your household will be.
If you're concerned about your electricity bills, look for a dishwasher with a delayed start option so you can run the dishwasher during off-peak periods.
Noise
Many dishwashers come with a decibel rating from their manufacturer to indicate how loudly they operate. To give you an idea of how the decibel rating compares to other sounds, you can refer to this chart:
Environmental Noise | Decibels |
|---|---|
Whisper quiet library | 30dB |
Normal conversation | 60-65dB |
Telephone dial tone | 80dB |
Traffic noise | 85dB |
Train whistle | 90dB |
Jackhammer | 95dB |
Please note that the decibel rating for a dishwasher is typically taken during the normal cycle - other cycles might be nosier. Additionally, the noise level will be affected by where the dishwasher is positioned - built-in dishwashers tend to make less noise than freestanding models.
Standard dishwasher
Features | Advantages | Disadvantages | Ideal For |
|---|---|---|---|
A dishwasher that can be installed under a bench or used freestanding, usually 600mm wide, 600mm deep and 810mm-850mm high (dimensions vary by model and brand). | Easy to install Budget-friendly Fits into most standard size cavities Can be operated as a freestanding appliance, making installation easy | Can take up a fair bit of room The dishwasher's front panel may not suit your kitchen's décor | Average-sized households (2-4 people) Spacious kitchens |
Dish Drawer
Features | Advantages | Disadvantages | Ideal For |
|---|---|---|---|
A compact dishwasher that pulls out like a filing cabinet. Exclusive to Fisher & Paykel | Fits into small spaces Two-drawer models can run different wash settings at the same time Ergonomic design is easier to load and unload | Doesn't fit in standard-size cavities Needs to be professionally installed into your cabinetry | Apartment living People with mobility problems |
Compact/Slimline
Features | Advantages | Disadvantages | Ideal For |
|---|---|---|---|
A narrower than average dishwasher | Fits into smaller kitchens | Smaller capacity than average | Kitchens where space is at a premium |
Semi-integrated
Features | Advantages | Disadvantages | Ideal For |
|---|---|---|---|
A dishwasher that's built into your kitchen cupboards, leaving only the controls exposed. | Matches well with a kitchen filled with other integrated appliances (e.g. oven, microwave, fridge) Can be fitted with a front panel that matches your cabinetry | Must be permanently installed into your cabinetry Can't operate freestanding The visible control panel may not suit your kitchen's décor | Kitchens where space is at a premium Modern kitchen designs |
Fully integrated
Features | Advantages | Disadvantages | Ideal For |
|---|---|---|---|
A built-in dishwasher that blends seamlessly into your kitchen cabinetry. Controls are usually placed inside the top of the door, so when the door is shut you won't see them at all. | Looks almost invisible except when the door is open Keeps kitchen looking clean and uncluttered | Must be professionally installed Door panel must be matched to cabinetry Tend to be more expensive than other models | Kitchens where space is at a premium Designer homes |
Benchtop
Features | Advantages | Disadvantages | Ideal For |
|---|---|---|---|
A smaller dishwasher that sits on top of the kitchen bench | Does not need to professionally installed into your cabinetry Easy to relocate Easy to use | Smaller than other dishwashers, which means the capacity is smaller Unusual size and shape can make setup/installation tricky | Apartment living Renters |
Inset Sinks
Features | Advantages | Disadvantages | Ideal For |
|---|---|---|---|
A sink designed to be inserted into the bench from above, with the 'lip' of the sink resting on the countertop. | Provides extra protection for your benchtop - great for washing up large pots and pans Sealant between the underside of the sink and the benchtop ensures the join is impervious to moisture Affordable and durable | The lip of the sink sticks out, breaking up the smooth line of your benchtop | Timber and laminate benchtops |
Undermount Sinks
Features | Advantages | Disadvantages | Ideal For |
|---|---|---|---|
Sinks designed to be installed beneath your kitchen benchtop | Creates a sleeker and more stylish look for your kitchen Leaves more room for bench space | Requires a hole to be cut in the benchtop that's precisely the same size as the sink, making installation more difficult and more expensive Generally not suitable for installation in timber or laminate benchtops, as these materials are too susceptible to water damage | Stone and marble benchtops Smaller kitchens with less available bench space |
Mixer Tap
Features | Advantages | Disadvantages | Ideal For |
|---|---|---|---|
A style of tap that mixes hot water and cold water together in the same spout. Most modern taps are mixer taps - as opposed to the old system of having separate hot and cold taps. | Provides precise control over water temperature Often uses a single lever to intuitively control the water temperature and flow Available in a variety of different designs to better suit different kitchens | A fixed mixer tap can make it difficult to wash large pots and pans. For greater convenience, consider investing in a pull-out tap | Most kitchen sinks |
Pull out tap
Features | Advantages | Disadvantages | Ideal For |
|---|---|---|---|
A tap where the spray head can be pulled out on a short length of hose, providing additional flexibility when rinsing dishes | Handy for washing bulky pots and pans Often provides several different water flow options | Usually more expensive than mixer taps | Large sinks |
Boiling & Chilled Filter Taps
Features | Advantages | Disadvantages | Ideal For |
|---|---|---|---|
Tap that provides instant boiling or chilled purified water | Saves the trouble of boiling water in a kettle, or buying bottled water Selected models can also offer instant sparkling water Can be installed beside your ordinary kitchen tap, next to the sink Often uses less energy than an electric kettle, and if replacing bottled water, can reduce the number of plastic bottles in landfill | Filters must be periodically replaced Requires connection to power as well as water | Busy homes Office kitchens |
'Batch flow' waste disposers
Features | Advantages | Disadvantages | Ideal For |
|---|---|---|---|
A food waste disposer that requires a cover or stopper over the sink opening before it can be turned on. | Reduces risk of foreign objects ending up in the disposer Usually larger, more powerful and quieter Convenient 'air switch' often comes standard A good choice for the safety conscious | Less intuitive to use | Disposing of larger food scraps such as bones |
'Continuous flow' waste disposers
Features | Advantages | Disadvantages | Ideal For |
|---|---|---|---|
A food waste disposer that operates continuously, rather than in short bursts | Can dispose of large amounts of food scraps at once Simple and convenient to operate | Risk of non-food objects falling into the machine, such as teaspoons, knives and rings Usually smaller and less powerful, with less noise insulation Air switch often sold separately | Households that use their waste disposer frequently |
Warranty & Service
Appliances Online sells only brand new appliances with full manufacturer's warranties - not factory seconds.
All the dishwashers we stock come with a standard warranty (usually 2 years, depending on the manufacturer). However, you also have the option of buying an extended Customer Care Plan from Appliances Online.
Our Customer Care Plans are available at the time of purchase. You can purchase a Care Plan of 2, 3 or 4 years - which will begin once the original manufacturer's warranty is up.
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