Commercial Glasswasher Specs Explained: What Irish Pubs and Bars Actually Need to Know

If you've ever stood in front of a supplier's spec sheet trying to work out the difference between a €1,350 glasswasher and one that costs three times that, you're not alone. Every commercial glasswasher promises "sparkling glasses in minutes", but the numbers that actually decide whether a machine suits your bar are buried in the small print: cycle time, basket size, tank capacity, wash type. Get those wrong and you end up either overpaying for capacity you'll never use, or queuing pint glasses behind the bar on a Friday night because the machine can't keep up.

This guide breaks down what each commercial glasswasher spec actually means in practice, using real figures from the machines we stock, so you can match a model to how busy your bar, café or restaurant actually gets, not just to whatever's cheapest on the page.

Why Glasswasher Specs Actually Matter (Not Just the Price Tag)

A glasswasher is one of the few pieces of kit behind a bar that runs almost constantly during service. If it's undersized for your turnover, staff end up hand-washing glasses to keep up, which slows service and skips the sanitising step a proper machine gives you. If it's oversized, you've spent money on throughput and tank capacity a small bar will never touch. The specs below are the ones worth actually reading before you buy, not just the headline photo and price.

Cycle Time and Baskets Per Hour: How Fast Do You Actually Need?

Cycle time is how long one wash-and-rinse cycle takes, and baskets per hour is simply how many of those cycles the machine can run back to back. Most undercounter glasswashers we stock run a 120-second cycle, which works out to around 30 baskets per hour, roughly a basket every two minutes. The Combisteel SL Glass Washer 350 DP is a good example: 120-second cycle, 30 baskets an hour, which comfortably handles a steady-trade café or a mid-week pub.

For a busy pub or a bar with a beer garden on a match day, that throughput matters more than it sounds. Thirty baskets an hour is enough for most independent pubs, but it's worth actually counting how many rounds you pour on your busiest Saturday night before you buy, rather than guessing. If you're regularly backed up at the bar during a rush, that's the clearest sign you need either a bigger basket or a second machine, not just a faster cycle.

Basket and Rack Size: 350mm, 400mm or 500mm?

Basket size decides two things: how many glasses fit per cycle, and what size glassware actually fits inside the machine at all. Tall craft beer or wine glasses need more headroom than a standard pint glass, so it's worth checking loading height as well as basket footprint.

• 350x350mm baskets (like the Combisteel SL Glass Washer 350 range) suit smaller bars, cafés and venues with a fairly standard glass range.
• 400x400mm baskets, such as the Combisteel ENT 400-230, give more room for taller glassware and a bit more throughput per cycle without moving up to a full hood-type machine.
• 500x500mm racks, the size used on hood-type machines like the Infrico LCP4550, are built for higher volume and, on combined glass-and-dishwasher models, for plates and gastronorm trays as well as glassware. Premium 500x500mm undercounter models can manage around 25 pint glasses in a single cycle, so it's a genuine step up in throughput, not just a bigger box.

If your bar also serves food, a 500mm rack machine that can switch between a glass basket and a plate basket saves you buying two separate machines, which is often the more sensible spend for a gastropub or hotel bar.

Wash Tank and Boiler Capacity

The wash tank holds the water that gets recirculated during each cycle, and the boiler heats fresh water for the rinse. Bigger tanks and boilers matter most when you're running the machine back to back for hours, since a small tank can lose wash performance as it picks up grease and residue faster over a long shift.

Real figures worth comparing: the Combisteel SL Glass Washer 350 DP runs a 10-litre wash tank with a 3-litre boiler, the larger-basket Combisteel ENT 400-230 steps up to a 17-litre wash tank and 3.5-litre boiler, and the hood-type Infrico LCP4550 carries a 15-litre wash tank with a 6-litre rinse boiler to cope with continuous pass-through use. As a rule of thumb, the busier and longer your service window, the more tank and boiler capacity is worth paying for.

Wash and Rinse Temperature: the Hygiene Side

Sanitising is the whole point of a proper glasswasher over a sink and a tea towel. Hood-type and pass-through machines like the Infrico LCP4550 run a thermal cycle, washing at 60°C and rinsing at 80°C, which is hot enough to sanitise glassware and crockery without any chemical rinse aid doing the heavy lifting. Most compact undercounter glasswashers work differently: they rely on a combination of detergent and rinse aid dosing rather than an 80°C thermal rinse, since running water that hot through a small undercounter unit isn't practical. Either approach gets you hygienically clean glassware, it's just worth knowing which one your machine uses so you keep it stocked with the right detergent and rinse aid, and don't assume a small undercounter unit is thermally sanitising when it isn't.

Undercounter vs Hood-Type: Which Suits Your Bar?

Undercounter glasswashers sit exactly where the name suggests, tucked under the bar counter, and they're the standard choice for most pubs, cafés and bars because they're compact, quiet enough for front-of-house, and quick to load between rounds. The Combisteel SL and ENT ranges are both undercounter units built for exactly this job.

Hood-type and pass-through machines, like the Infrico LCP4550, are taller, freestanding units where a counterbalanced hood lifts up to load a rack and drops down to wash. They're the better fit for a busy bar-and-kitchen setup that needs to wash plates and gastronorm trays as well as glasses, or for any venue where sheer volume outgrows what an undercounter machine can keep up with. If you're also weighing up a dedicated dishwasher for the kitchen side, our Commercial Dishwashers Ireland buyer's guide covers that side of the decision in more detail.

Drain Pump, Detergent Dispenser and Other Extras Worth Paying For

A few add-ons come up again and again on spec sheets, and they're worth understanding rather than just ticking the box marked "premium":

• Drain pump: lets the machine pump waste water out rather than relying on gravity, which matters for back-bar or island installations where the drain isn't conveniently below the unit. The Combisteel SL 350 DP and the Combisteel ENT 400-230 Commercial Glasswasher both come with one built in for exactly this reason.
• Detergent and rinse aid dispensers: dose the right amount automatically each cycle, which keeps wash quality consistent and stops staff over or under-dosing by hand.
• Double-skinned doors and hoods: found on some of the higher-spec machines, these run quieter and hold heat better, which matters if the machine sits somewhere customers can hear it.

Water and Running Costs

Water consumption per cycle is one of the more overlooked specs, but it adds up fast on a machine running dozens of cycles a shift. The Combisteel SL Glass Washer 350 DP uses around 2 litres of water per cycle, the larger-basket ENT 400-230 uses about 3 litres per cycle, and the hood-type Infrico LCP4550 uses roughly 2.2 litres per rack despite the bigger capacity. Electrical power draw is worth a glance too if you're planning the circuit for a new bar fit-out: the compact undercounter units in this range typically draw around 2.7 to 2.9kW, while a larger hood-type machine with a bigger boiler element can draw considerably more, so it's always worth checking the exact spec sheet against your electrician's plan before installation day.

Installation: Water Supply, Drainage and Noise

A few practical checks before delivery day save a lot of hassle on install day. Most undercounter glasswashers need a hot water feed rather than cold, typically supplied at somewhere around 45 to 55°C, so check with your plumber whether that's already available near the counter or needs running in. Water inlet connections on compact undercounter models are commonly a straightforward 3/4 inch fitting, which most catering plumbers will be familiar with.

Drainage is the other thing worth planning for properly rather than assuming it'll be fine. If the machine's outlet sits below the level of your drain, you'll need a drain pump, which is exactly why models like the Combisteel SL 350 DP build one in as standard. Retrofitting a drain pump after installation is more hassle than choosing the right variant up front.

Noise is easy to overlook until the machine is running behind a bar full of customers. The Combisteel ENT 400-230 runs at around 59 decibels, roughly the level of a normal conversation, which is typical for a compact undercounter unit and shouldn't be noticeable over a busy bar. If your counter is small and customers stand close to it, a double-skinned model will run a touch quieter still.

What Does a Commercial Glasswasher Cost in Ireland?

Based on current pricing across the range we stock, ex VAT: compact 350mm to 400mm undercounter glasswashers for a standard bar or café generally run from around €1,350 up to roughly €2,000, depending on basket size and extras like a drain pump or detergent dispenser. Larger 500mm-basket undercounter models, including WRAS-approved premium options, sit in the region of €3,450 to €3,500. Hood-type and pass-through machines that handle both glasses and plates start from around €3,450 and run up to roughly €6,450 for larger models with features like heat recovery. Have a browse of our full range of commercial glasswashers to see exact current pricing model by model.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a commercial glasswasher cycle actually take?
Most undercounter models run a 120-second wash cycle, meaning you can run around 30 baskets through the machine per hour.

What size glasswasher does my bar actually need?
For most independent pubs and cafés, a 350mm or 400mm undercounter model is enough. If you're serving high volumes, tall craft glassware, or plates and trays as well as glasses, a 500mm hood-type machine is worth the extra spend.

Do I need a drain pump?
Only if your installation doesn't have a gravity drain conveniently below the machine, which is common with back-bar or island bar counters. If you've got a straightforward drain run, you can save a bit by skipping it.

Can a glasswasher wash plates as well as glasses?
Compact undercounter glasswashers are built for glassware and light items like saucers. If you need to wash plates, cutlery and gastronorm trays too, a combined hood-type glasswasher and dishwasher, like the Infrico LCP4550, is the better fit than trying to stretch an undercounter unit beyond its basket size.

Ready to Pick the Right Glasswasher for Your Bar?

Whether you're kitting out a new bar from scratch or replacing a machine that's finally given up, getting the cycle time, basket size and wash type right up front saves a lot of hassle down the line. Browse our commercial glasswashers or our wider commercial dishwashers range if you need something that covers plates too. Not sure which model fits your bar's volume? Drop us a line and tell us how busy your Friday nights actually get, we'll point you at the right one.