How to choose a glass washer?

The glass is the first thing a customer sees at the table or at the bar. A spotty or cloudy glass spoils the impression before the drink or food has even arrived. In this guide, we explain how to choose a glass washer that delivers clean, sparkling glasses every day: how high the door opening needs to be, which rack size to choose, when you need reverse osmosis and why beer does not foam in some glasses.

In short: five questions to ask before you buy

• What is your tallest glass? This determines how high the machine’s door opening needs to be.
• How many glasses do you wash in your peak hour? This determines the rack size and programme length.
• What is your water like? Hard water leaves spots on glasses – is a water softener enough, or do you need reverse osmosis?
• Will the machine wash only glasses? If glasses and dishes go through the same machine, the glasses will never truly sparkle.
• Where will the machine go? Check the space under the counter, the electricity, water supply and drain before you buy.

First, measure your tallest glass

Glass washers have different door opening heights – 220–315 mm in our range. A lower machine, such as the Comenda PB24 (220 mm), suits smaller glasses and cups. Long-stemmed wine glasses, beer glasses and carafes need a higher opening: for example, the Comenda PB34 and EB28 have 280 mm, the HB35 R 300 mm and the Meiko M-iClean US 315 mm.

Measure the tallest glass you plan to wash in the machine and leave a couple of centimetres to spare. The glass must fit easily into the rack and must not touch the upper wash arm during washing. If your tallest glass does not fit in the machine, it will end up being washed by hand – exactly what you wanted the machine to avoid.

400 or 500 mm rack?

• A machine with a 400 × 400 mm rack is compact, fits neatly under a bar counter and suits a smaller bar or café. A rack this size usually holds about 25 glasses – for example, the Meiko UPster U 400 washes up to 30 racks, or about 750 glasses, per hour.
• A machine with a 500 × 500 mm rack holds more glasses at a time and uses the same rack system as commercial dishwashers. Glasses can be stored and carried in the same racks, and plates can also be washed in the machine if needed. It suits restaurants, hotels and busier bars.

When working out capacity, base it on your peak hour rather than the daily average: if you need to wash 300 glasses an hour on a Friday evening, the machine has to actually manage that. The manufacturer’s maximum capacity assumes the shortest programme and the next rack going in immediately; in practice it will be lower.

Water determines the washing result

A glass’s worst enemy is the minerals dissolved in water. When water dries on the glass, the minerals remain as spots and streaks. That is why a glass washer almost always needs water treatment:

• A water softener removes the lime that causes limescale in the machine. It protects the machine and improves the washing result, but some dissolved salts remain in the water – so glasses may still be left with light spots.
• Reverse osmosis removes most of the dissolved minerals from the water. Glasses dry spot-free and do not need hand polishing.

Rule of thumb: if your wine glasses cost from around €35 each, or if glasses go to the table without polishing, choose a glass washer with built-in reverse osmosis – for example, the Comenda HB35 RO or YB35 RO. A reverse osmosis filter cannot be added to just any machine – we explain why in our guide How to choose a commercial dishwasher?

Before choosing a machine, it is worth measuring your water hardness. This shows whether a water softener is enough or whether it makes sense to go for reverse osmosis straight away.

A story from our experience: when old glasses started sparkling again

We once gave a customer a Meiko M-iClean UM+ machine with reverse osmosis to try out for two weeks. Later we heard that bars in the area had been coming to him to have their glasses washed “like new”. The machine’s washing result was so good that even old glasses that had been put away in the cupboard as spares started to sparkle again.

Once the machine was his own, he stopped washing his competitors’ glasses – and quite a few of them later contacted us to get the same machine under their own counters.

Some people consider such machines expensive and try to achieve the same result with a cheaper machine. As a rule, this means endless experimenting with different filters and chemical suppliers. There is always the suspense of whether the glasses will finally come out clean this time – but the result never quite arrives.

My personal view is simple: unless your business is testing filters and chemicals, it pays to buy the right machine for each job and focus on your core business. – Gert Laineste

What makes a good glass washer?

• Soft start – the wash pump starts gently so that tall and delicate glasses do not tip over or break.
• Consistent rinsing – an open (atmospheric) boiler and a rinse pump ensure that every rack is rinsed at the right temperature and pressure, even when the mains pressure fluctuates. Examples include the Comenda models with the R designation.
• Several programmes – a short programme for peak hours and a longer one for taller or dirtier glasses.
• Built-in dispensers – detergent and rinse aid are dosed automatically, so the amount is always the same.

Why doesn’t beer foam in some glasses?

If even a thin layer of grease or detergent is left on the glass, the beer’s head will not hold and bubbles cling to the sides of the glass. The customer notices this immediately and assumes the beer is weak or stale. With beer glasses, it is therefore especially important to:

• wash glasses in a separate machine, not together with dishes – greasy wash water leaves a film on the glass;
• use a detergent designed for glasses at the correct dosage – too much detergent is just as bad as too little;
• not dry glasses with a towel.

After washing: let the glasses dry by themselves

After a hot rinse, glasses dry by themselves in the rack within a few minutes. A polishing cloth transfers lint and bacteria to the glass, and polishing is exactly when most glasses break – the stem snaps or the rim cracks. Keep glasses in the rack or on a shelf, not stacked inside one another while wet.

If glasses stay cloudy

• The cloudiness comes off with vinegar – it is a lime deposit. The water is too hard: check the water softener and regeneration salt, or consider reverse osmosis.
• The cloudiness does not come off – it may be damage to the glass surface (glass corrosion), which is irreversible. It is usually caused by too much detergent, too high a temperature or the wrong detergent. Have the dosage and detergent checked so that your new glasses do not go the same way.

Installation – what to check before you buy?

• Space – check the width, depth and height under the counter, and leave room in front of the machine to open the door and lift out the rack.
• Electricity – some machines run on either 230 V or 400 V (e.g. the Meiko UPster U 400 can be switched on site). A 400 V connection allows faster heating and shorter cycles.
• Water and drain – if the drain is higher than the bottom of the machine, you need a drain pump.
• Maintenance – a bar glass washer works every evening, so choose a machine for which maintenance and original spare parts are quickly available in Estonia. Read also how to choose a maintenance partner.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a glass washer and a commercial dishwasher?

A glass washer has the wash pressure, temperatures and programmes suited to glasses, and a better machine also has soft start, which stops tall glasses from tipping over. A dishwasher is built to remove food residue, and greasy wash water will never give glasses a sparkle.

How high should the door opening of a glass washer be?

Measure your tallest glass and add a couple of centimetres to spare. For long-stemmed wine glasses and beer glasses, choose a machine with a door opening of at least 280–300 mm.

Does a glass washer need reverse osmosis?

Yes, if your glasses need to come out of the machine spot-free without polishing, or if you use expensive glassware. Otherwise a water softener is often enough – measure your water hardness to decide.

Why doesn’t beer foam in the glass?

Grease or detergent residue has been left on the glass. Wash beer glasses separately in a glass washer, use a detergent designed for glasses at the correct dosage, and do not dry the glasses with a towel.

Do glasses need polishing after washing?

Glasses from a machine with good water treatment dry by themselves in the rack and do not need polishing. Polishing transfers lint and bacteria to the glass and increases the risk of breakage.

Ask for a quote

Haktek Seadmed will help you choose a glass washer from the Meiko and Comenda ranges to suit your glasses and volumes – complete with water treatment and installation. You will find the full range in the Glass washers category.

Ask for a quote – we will help you choose the right glass washer and take care of installation and maintenance. All products come with a warranty of at least 2 years. Contact us.

Read also: How to choose a commercial dishwasher? · How to choose a maintenance partner for kitchen equipment? · How to plan a professional kitchen?

Author: Gert Laineste, Haktek Seadmed. Haktek has been selling, installing and maintaining professional kitchen equipment since 1997.