How to Install a Pub Glasswasher: Step by Step for New Licensees

Getting your glasswasher installation right from day one saves you weeks of reactive maintenance, failed EHO visits, and the particular misery of hand-washing pints glasses at 11pm on a Saturday. I’ve set up three different glasswasher positions across my time at Teal Farm and made most of the mistakes worth making. Here’s how to do it properly.

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Choosing the Right Location

Your glasswasher needs to sit as close to your glass return point as possible. At Teal Farm we run 180 covers on a Saturday, so glass turnaround speed is a genuine operational concern — every extra metre your staff walk carrying dirty glasses costs time across a full service.

Hard requirements for your chosen spot:

• Cold water supply within sensible pipe run distance
• 22mm or 15mm feed (check your machine spec — most under-counter glasswashers run on 15mm)
• Waste outlet at or below drain height, or higher if you’re fitting a drain pump (more on that shortly)
• 240V socket on its own circuit, ideally switched fused spur at 13A
• Adequate ventilation — these machines generate steam and heat in an enclosed bar environment

Avoid positioning directly beneath shelving you care about. Steam rises. Bottles and optics above a glasswasher take a beating over time.

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Plumbing Requirements

Most under-counter pub glasswashers need:

• Incoming cold water feed with an inline stop valve (fit one even if the machine spec doesn’t demand it — you’ll thank yourself the first time there’s a leak at midnight)
• Water hardness check before you start. Hard water areas — and Washington sits in moderately hard territory — will need a softener or tablet salt compartment kept topped up. Without it, limescale kills your heating element within 18 months
• Waste connection into a trap. The machine’s outlet hose connects to a standpipe or a purpose-fitted trap under the unit

If your waste outlet sits higher than the machine’s internal pump can manage, or if you’re draining into a high-level waste run, you need a drain pump. This is non-negotiable. A glasswasher without adequate drain clearance will flood its own base, create standing water in the sump, and give you grey, smeared glasses within a week. I fit drain pumps as standard now regardless of the waste height — the cost is minimal against the call-out fee when it goes wrong.

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Electrical Connection

A qualified electrician should sign off any new circuit. In a licensed premises your EHO and your insurer both take a dim view of DIY electrical work behind a commercial bar. Get it done once, get it certificated, keep the paperwork with your compliance file.

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First Run Setup

Before you run your first cycle with glasses in it:

1. Fill the salt reservoir if your machine has a built-in softener. Don’t skip this. Run the fill cycle the machine manual specifies
2. Prime the detergent dosing line — most machines have a priming function. Run it until you see detergent reach the injector
3. Prime the rinse aid dosing line in the same way
4. Set your dosing levels — start at manufacturer midpoint, adjust after watching results over the first week
5. Run two empty cycles to flush the system and check all connections for weeps
6. Check your water temperature at the wash cycle. You’re looking for 55–60°C wash, 82–85°C rinse on a standard glasswasher

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Rinse Aid and Detergent

Use chemicals matched to your machine and your water hardness. I use a commercial powder detergent and liquid rinse aid from a catering supplier rather than domestic products — the dosing ratios are engineered for commercial cycle speeds. Domestic tablets clog dosing units and void warranties.

Check levels daily during service. A glasswasher running without rinse aid leaves smear marks that look exactly like a poorly cleaned glass — which your customers cannot distinguish from an actual hygiene failure.

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Common Installation Mistakes

• Not fitting a stop valve on the water inlet
• Skipping the drain pump when waste height is marginal — if you’re unsure, fit one anyway
• Running the first cycle with glasses in before priming and flushing
• Ignoring water hardness until you get limescale damage
• Wrong chemical products — commercial machines need commercial chemicals
• No ventilation planning — steam damage to surrounding units adds up fast

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Equipment

For a reliable under-counter option that suits most pub back bars, the Buffalo Glasswasher is worth a look. Straightforward installation, sensible chemical dosing setup, and parts availability that won’t leave you hunting.

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Getting your glasswasher right is one of the first credibility signals you send — to your EHO, your staff, and your customers. Before you sign anything, know your numbers. Pub Command Centre: real-time labour %, VAT and cash position from day one. £97 once. https://smartpubtools.com/5684-2/

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