Fifth Grade
Worksheets
How Do Dishwashers Work?
A dishwasher is a machine found in most kitchens in America. A person is needed to load the dirty dishes, unload the clean ones, and put in detergent. Then the machine does the rest! Did you ever wonder how these handy appliances work?
When a person loads the dirty dishes and turns the dishwasher on, a washing cycle begins. First, cold water comes into the machine through a small inlet pipe that has been connected to the kitchen's water pipes. A valve in the inlet pipe opens and closes like a gate. A small computer program controls how long the valve is open and how much water comes into the machine. Only a small amount of water is needed in the bottom.
Second, an electric pump pushes the water up and out of the spray arms. The arms are located under each rack of dishes. The spray arms have holes in them and work like garden sprinklers. The arms spin around very fast. As they do, water is sprayed over the dishes.
