Dishwashers are one of the most modern dishwashing machines available out there. It makes washing dishes easier by freeing one from washing them with bare hands. Dishwashers are a very useful and effective household machine.
Today, we are going to discuss whether dishwashers are 110 or 220.
Are dishwashers 110 or 220?
Most of the dishwashers operate on 110 voltage of current. But there is also a small number of dishwashers that run on 220 voltage of current. The amount of voltage a dishwasher runs on depends on the manufacturer. The manufacturer also designs the dishwasher according to the consumers’ demand.
Dishwashers have evolved over time according to the need of public demand and usability. For example, the older dishwashers used to come in with a hardwiring system and needed to be hardwired into the power source instead of an outlet.
But nowadays, most dishwashers come with a plug-in system.
The modern-day dishwashers are made run off on 110-120 voltage of current. That is why they are plugged into a standard 110-volt outlet.
But there are still heavy and large dishwashers available in the market that runoff on 220 voltage of current and can be plugged into a 220-volt outlet.
If you have bought a dishwasher that supports 220-240 voltage of current, then you will also need to install a 220-volt outlet in your home. Otherwise, you will not be able to run your dishwasher effectively.
So you need to buy dishwashers that your outlets can support and vice versa.
Does a dishwasher use a regular 110-volt plug?
Dishwashers require a 120-volt plug. But they can certainly use a standard 110-volt plug. In fact, most of the dishwashers nowadays can be seen using a regular 110-volt plug. The older model dishwashers came with hardwiring setup.
But the modern dishwashers can be used with a regular 110-volt plug easily and effectively.
First of all, you will need to figure out whether your dishwasher is hardwired or has a plug-in system. If it has a plug-in system, you can use a 110-volt plug to plug in your dishwasher to the outlet.
But the important thing to remember here is that the outlet you are going to use with your 110-volt dishwasher plug must have a Ground fault interrupter (GFI) in it.
How to know if the dishwasher is 110 or 220?
There are many steps that can be taken to find out whether the dishwasher is supported by a 110-volt plug or 220-volt plug outlet. Let’s discuss in detail some of those steps.
Check the manual:
First of all, you will need to check the manufacturer manual that comes along with your dishwasher. The dishwasher manual will have everything you need to know about your dishwasher.
The installation and operating section of the manual will most likely have the voltage requirement of your dishwasher.
If it says 110-120 voltage requirement, you can plug it into a standard 110-volt outlet. But if it mentions 220-240 voltage requirement, then the dishwasher must be plugged into a 220-volt outlet.
Check the nameplate:
Your dishwasher plug will have a nameplate on it. Often there is a voltage requirement given on the nameplate which can help you to decide the outlet it needs. Checking the nameplate will tell you exactly what you need to do.
The most important thing to do here is to plug the dishwasher into the outlet that the nameplate mentions.
Check the label:
Your dishwasher must have a label on it. You need to check the body of your dishwasher for a label to find out the voltage it needs to run properly. If the label indicates a 110 voltage requirement, you can plug it into a 110-volt outlet.
Plug it in to a 110-volt outlet:
You can also find out the voltage requirement of your dishwasher practically. You can plug your dishwasher into a 110-volt outlet.
If your dishwasher runs smoothly after being plugged in, you can be sure that it is supported by a 110-volt outlet and there is no need for a 220-volt outlet.
Plug it in to a 220-volt outlet:
If your dishwasher fails to run smoothly on a 110-volt outlet, you can try plugging it into a 220-volt outlet. This will help you to decide whether the dishwasher needs a 110-volt or 220-volt outlet.
Contact an electrician:
You can also contact an electrician and seek his help if you can not find out the exact voltage requirement of your dishwasher. The help of a professional will not hurt the process of installing a dishwasher.
3 reasons why the dishwasher is 110-volt
As we know, dishwashers can run on both 110 volts and 220 volts. But as 110 volt is the most common variant, we are going to discuss that. There are several reasons that solidify the fact that the dishwasher runs on 110 voltages of current. Let’s talk about some of those reasons.
The manufacturer says so:
Most dishwasher manufacturing companies make their dishwashers in a way that supports 110-120 volts of current. The manufacturer manual that comes with the modern dishwashers will suggest you plug your dishwasher into a standard 110-volt outlet.
If the dishwasher is made by the manufacturer to be operated with a 110-volt plug-in system, then it must be done that way. That is why modern dishwashers need to be plugged into a 110-volt plug-in.
The plugin system of the house:
There are different kinds of dishwashers based on the type of connection. Some dishwashers are hardwired while others support plug-in systems. The majority of the houses are designed in a way to support 110-120 voltage of current.
That is why the outlets of the houses also support this particular range of current.
Most households in America are known for handling 110-120 voltage plug-in systems and their electrical wiring and designing are done in such a way that they support this system.
Minimizes the risk:
Lower voltage of current is a sign of a low-risk factor. If your dishwasher runs on a low voltage of current, the chances of electricity-related accidents decrease significantly.
A machine that runs on 220-volt is more likely to fall prey to an electricity-related accident than a machine that runs on 110-volt. That is why it is safe to run dishwashers on 110-volt than 220-volt.
Can a dishwasher be plugged into a normal outlet?
First of all, we need to know the exact meaning of a normal outlet. If your house has outlets that support 110 voltage of current, that would be considered a normal outlet of your home.
Likewise, if your home has outlets that support 220 voltage of current, that is the definition of a normal outlet for you.
If your dishwasher is designed to run on 110-120 voltage of current, you can not plug it into a 220-volt normal outlet. You can plug in a dishwasher that supports 110-120 voltage of current into a 110 voltage standard outlet.
Similarly, the dishwasher that is made to run on 220-240 voltage of current can not be plugged into a 110-volt outlet. You need to know the capability of the normal outlet of your home and also need to know the capability of your dishwasher.
You can not randomly plug your dishwasher into any outlet you want. Your normal outlet must also contain a ground fault interrupter in it to give the dishwasher protection against any power surge or accident.
What type of plug does a dishwasher use?
What type of plug a dishwasher uses depends on a lot of things. First of all, the dishwasher supports two kinds of connection systems. One of them is hardwiring and the other one is a cord and plug system.
You can hardwire a dishwasher into a 110 volt or 220 volt outlet without using any plugs.
But the modern dishwashers mostly come with cord and plug system. In this particular system, the dishwasher is plugged into the outlet it needs. The outlet system also varies in different countries.
Some countries have 110 volts outlet installed in their households while other countries have 220 volts outlets installed inside their homes.
The dishwasher manufacturers make their dishwashers according to the public demand and usability of a certain country. Basically, a dishwasher uses the type of plug it is designed to be used with.
Final Thoughts
Dishwashers can run on both 110 voltage and 220 voltage. In fact, the dishwasher manufacturer decides whether the dishwasher will run on 110 volts or 220 volts. The 110V dishwasher needs to be plugged into a 110-volt outlet and the 220V dishwasher into a 220-volt outlet.