Reply #2: yes, it's more efficient to use a dishwasher [View All]

[CreekDog]

dishwashers today use perhaps 6-7 gallons of water on average per load of dishes.

turn off the plate warmer function. the hot water is all you need.

doing dishes by hand uses 2.5 gallons of water per minute of the faucet running. you can probably see that for most people, doing dishes by hand uses much more water than dishwashers.

also, the 1.5 - 2 hours is pretty normal for a full cycle these days. one of the reasons dishes come so clean with so little water is that they are sprayed and sprayed and sprayed with the same soapy water for long periods of time.