I have just found out there’s ecoli in my well water at the place we just moved to and am hearing I need 165 to kill ecoli but my dishwasher says it only heats to 155 but claims this meets the standard for safe drinking water.
Confused about whether or not it’s safe to use the dishes coming out of my dishwasher till the well manager can come up with a method to treat the water or something.
I can’t even imagine how I would boil the water I use to run through the dishwasher or clean my dishes with boiling water by hand sounds super fun.
Is it safe to use the dishwasher?
In: 803
Time is a factor as well, as in the time the bacteria is held at a temperature. A lower temperature can be effective at longer durations.
> Similarly, it is reported that one minute of heating to 162°/72°C and two minutes of heating at 144°/62°C will render Cryptosporidium oocysts non-infectious. Other studies report that water pasteurized at 150°F/65°C for 20 minutes will kill or inactivate those organisms that can cause harm to humans.
[Boil Water Response](https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/water/drinking/boilwater/response_information_public_health_professional.htm#:~:text=coli%2C%20Hepatitis%20A%20and%20rotaviruses,in%20five%20minutes%20of%20exposure.)
Typically, your water heater will be around 140°F. That, plus the extra heat from the dishwasher, is probably good enough. The CDC book advisory FAQ says:
> Household dishwashers generally are safe to use. If possible, set your dishwasher so it is using a hot water
rinse or sanitizing cycle.
So there’s this thing where bacteria die instantly at a given temperature. That’s what you’re familiar with. However they also die at lower temperatures if held there for a period of time. E. coli. is killed at approximately 140 degrees F as long as it’s held there for about 8 minutes. So yeah if your dishwasher washes with 155 degree water then you’re good.
If you are really concerned, there is a popular home fermentation hobbyist sanitizer called “Star-San”. It’s pretty cheap considering how concentrated it is and you can just spray your surfaces with it from a diluted spray bottle. It makes extremely short work of nearly all human pathogens, E Coli included.
Time is a factor as well, as in the time the bacteria is held at a temperature. A lower temperature can be effective at longer durations.
> Similarly, it is reported that one minute of heating to 162°/72°C and two minutes of heating at 144°/62°C will render Cryptosporidium oocysts non-infectious. Other studies report that water pasteurized at 150°F/65°C for 20 minutes will kill or inactivate those organisms that can cause harm to humans.
[Boil Water Response](https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/water/drinking/boilwater/response_information_public_health_professional.htm#:~:text=coli%2C%20Hepatitis%20A%20and%20rotaviruses,in%20five%20minutes%20of%20exposure.)
Typically, your water heater will be around 140°F. That, plus the extra heat from the dishwasher, is probably good enough. The CDC book advisory FAQ says:
> Household dishwashers generally are safe to use. If possible, set your dishwasher so it is using a hot water
rinse or sanitizing cycle.
So there’s this thing where bacteria die instantly at a given temperature. That’s what you’re familiar with. However they also die at lower temperatures if held there for a period of time. E. coli. is killed at approximately 140 degrees F as long as it’s held there for about 8 minutes. So yeah if your dishwasher washes with 155 degree water then you’re good.
Time is a factor as well, as in the time the bacteria is held at a temperature. A lower temperature can be effective at longer durations.
> Similarly, it is reported that one minute of heating to 162°/72°C and two minutes of heating at 144°/62°C will render Cryptosporidium oocysts non-infectious. Other studies report that water pasteurized at 150°F/65°C for 20 minutes will kill or inactivate those organisms that can cause harm to humans.
[Boil Water Response](https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/water/drinking/boilwater/response_information_public_health_professional.htm#:~:text=coli%2C%20Hepatitis%20A%20and%20rotaviruses,in%20five%20minutes%20of%20exposure.)
Typically, your water heater will be around 140°F. That, plus the extra heat from the dishwasher, is probably good enough. The CDC book advisory FAQ says:
> Household dishwashers generally are safe to use. If possible, set your dishwasher so it is using a hot water
rinse or sanitizing cycle.
So there’s this thing where bacteria die instantly at a given temperature. That’s what you’re familiar with. However they also die at lower temperatures if held there for a period of time. E. coli. is killed at approximately 140 degrees F as long as it’s held there for about 8 minutes. So yeah if your dishwasher washes with 155 degree water then you’re good.
If you are really concerned, there is a popular home fermentation hobbyist sanitizer called “Star-San”. It’s pretty cheap considering how concentrated it is and you can just spray your surfaces with it from a diluted spray bottle. It makes extremely short work of nearly all human pathogens, E Coli included.
You can wash bacteria off your hands with soap and mechanical agitation. The bacteria aren’t necessarily dead but they are washed down the drain.
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