Capsule dishwasher

Washing dishes isn't as sexy as new marine electronics, but when you find a good solution to make your life easier, it's still a pretty good thing. I've tried a few different countertop dishwashers, and am pleasantly surprised with the Loch Capsule.

I started using countertop dishwashers a few years ago, and while they seemed like they could help deal with dishes aboard, they always had some issues.

On Rendezvous we had a Kapas dishwasher that worked OK, but it required two loads for an average meal because of the height. The second load was always for the plates, tipped over at an angle. This limited the number of plates to about three, and required two cycles of about 45 minutes.

Capsule dishwasher

The Loch Capsule is a bit different in a couple of ways. First, it is taller and allows for standard dishes to fit into it without tipping them on the side. Second, it uses a lot less water and power for a standard wash, which is good on a boat.

It is narrower than the other standard countertop style dishwashers, but I find that for 2-3 people, it can accommodate a meals worth of dishes in one load. That has resulted in slightly different behavior. I now run the dishwasher after every meal, but it is a short 15 minute wash, and it takes care of whatever is generated at that meal. With the other dishwashers, I would run them 3-4 times a day because I'd have to pick and choose what fits in, and always end up with something that wasn't washed. This used a lot more power and water since they ran for 45 minutes each cycle.

What's included in the box - image courtesy of Loch Electronics

You get the dishwasher, tray, silverware tray, hoses for water from the reservoir and discharge water, and a basket for sanitizing fruit. The tray itself is well made, and has adjustable inner stays that help with holding plates and such. Some can be folded down to get out of the way if needed. There are also two angled platforms for cups so that the water runs off the top of them instead of pooling, which is nice.

The unit comes with a small water tank that you can fill to provide water for the unit, and a hose to connect it to the bottom left small inlet you see above. It also comes with an output hose for the dirty water and a little suction cup thing to attach that hose to the side of your sink so it doesn't fling around and cause problems. It also has a larger inlet for plumbing it from a pressurized water source. I used it both with the tank for the first month, and then via a diversion valve off of my sink faucet into the dedicated inlet.

The only complaint I have about this part is that changing the unit to use pressurized water is a funky key press on the front, and if you don't remember to turn on the water, it defaults back to using the smaller inlet and makes a racket until you shut it off and then reset the setting again.

There's a nice carrying handle on the top of the unit which is convenient when getting it into place or moving it around if you need to.

I bought the unit to wash dishes, but it can also clean fruit and has a UV cycle for sterilizing things. The buttons are really big and obvious, but not if there is bright sunlight. I really, really like how you can choose the length of a wash all the way from 15 minutes upwards.

The big change that I noticed over time was the water and power savings. Only running the dishwasher for 15 minutes, instead of 45, means a ton less power being used to heat the water, etc. during a cycle. The Capsule is also designed to use a lot less water than the other countertop dishwashers, and that helps too. I rarely have to use any longer cycles than 15 minutes, and only when things are really dirty. It does an excellent job of cleaning even in that short amount of time.

Challenges

Silverware tray - whomever designed this didn't put much thought into how it would be used. I appreciate that it is free floating, but there is no spot within the tray that it stays reliably. It falls over easily when even partially loaded. It would have been nice if they had thought of some sort of clip setup.

Lights are too dim - the lights and numbers on the front of the unit are completely unreadable sunlight. In most cases, I just hit the start button without being able to read the LEDs. On a boat in a galley with lots of windows, this is a bit of a challenge.

Rinse aid dispenser is optional - At the time I ordered mine, they didn't have this available, and I expected it to be a bolt on, but it's a completely different unit/door. I end up squirting the rinse aid in the bottom of the tray, but this really shouldn't be an option, it should come standard.

Conclusion

Would I buy it again? Yes, absolutely. It has been a critical appliance used every day multiple times, and it keeps dishes to an absolute minimum.

There have been zero failures, and while there are some issues, it doesn't prevent the overall use of the dishwasher. I use a ton less power and water than washing them by hand, and it is set and forget - throw everything in after a meal and hit a button, you're done!