"Some say "it drains" or "it gets drained" or "it goes to the drain" but they mean a hose drains the resulting condensation water in the condensation chamber AND THEN upon further study it is clear that this hose puts the H2O out into the room and not back into the machine.

Can you tell us more about the further study that is being done to determine this?

Which brands of dishwashers are you describing? I've never seen a dishwasher that works as you describe.

In the various models I've seen, as water evaporates from the hot dishes, steam results which is circulated by fan, passing through a condenser coil, where it condenses into water, drains into the sump, then gets pumped out the drain. Other models rely on the steam condensing on the cooler stainless steel walls of the wash cabinet interior. The resulting condensate drips down the walls into the sump at the bottom of the dishwasher, and then gets pumped out.

It's hard to imagine any manufacturer is making a machine that simply allows the condensate to evaporate into some enclosed area outside the cabinet, or worse yet, drains it into some area surrounded by cabinetry. Are you sure you have your facts straight? Every machine I've ever seen drains condensate into the sump where it's pumped out through the machine's drain hose.

I agree it is hard to believe.

It is not_true that steam passes through a condenser coil, since that implies all or most steam. It IS true that a small small fractional amount of steam gets into a condenser device (which can look like a coil), where it condenses into water, drains into a hose, which then can be left UNconnected to anything.

So, wa8b, the way you've rephrased it is almost exactly as many manufacturers support people have said it over the phone, although they also say it is not much H2O at all, not much at all, and I believe them as they say that almost all the H2O condenses inside_the_tub, and I believe them too. Your phrasing may be misleading (to yourself or to others) as the steam does NOT_all pass through a condenser coil, no. Very little gets into this condenser ("coil"). A small small amount of vapor will come out of the tub and into the vent if your unit is equipped with one.

The vent is the focus here. The vent is open at the end of the wash cycle to let Some Steam escape into a condensation device. Its purpose is not to pull the steam through a condensing coil nor to vent all the steam into the air.

This (fractional) portion of condensate that goes into the small device at the vent does not go back inside the tub. According to the manufacturers I have contacted.
-- Where does this small amount of H2O go next?
-- How much is it?
These have been my questions that I have asked in many places for many weeks.

Where this "vent condensation exhaust tube" goes to is an interesting subject. This tube can be called a drain. Drain. Calling it a drain tube or "a drain" does not mean it is connected to the machine's one and only drain tube that goes into the house drain (the main drain, the plumbing drain.) Using this minor confusion some companies have allowed many salespeople to get confused and to start saying "it goes into the drain." Which means to them that it goes into the plumbing drain. In many cases they are wrong.
________________________________

Summary:
Yes, some condensate (not much) is allowed "... to evaporate into some ... area outside the..." (tub), and yes it can drain or evaporate in an "...area surrounded by cabinetry..." So, yes I am concerned enough to want to know what will happen when I buy my next DW now for my upcoming new kitchen reno now.

Yes, the bulk of the water condenses on the tub and drips down into the sump area; it slides down the tub walls and goes into the sump where it's pumped out through the machine's drain hose. So at the end of a cycle most of the water is inside the tub, either in the sump area, or clinging to racks and interior surfaces.

About "the further study that is being done" = further study means further examination by my eyeballs and my persistent questioning.

I hope to have a little more feedback from people before I name names. Bear with me. This is caution. I have take pictures and can post them later.

I am not an expert so I hope I have phrased my descriptions correctly. Work with me on this and tell me if how I have phrased it makes sense. I've tried my best to be precise and neutral.

I think the vent and condensation chamber is only for excess steam pressure or to lower the temperature of the tub steam air down below the condensation point.

David

I will pass on the information I gathered upon reading through many service manuals accessible online.

Whirlpool's tech sheet says: "Active Vent: Energized to hold vent closed from beginning of cycle up through first 6 minutes of Heated Dry. NOTE: For models with vent on top of door, vent is closed for entire Heated Dry and 4 hours after cycle." However, since Whirlpool does not use fans to dry dishes, I wonder whether very hot steam will, once the vent opens, just slowly rise from the vent opening. Also I don't quite understand the use of a vent, if it's closed during the drying cycle anyway. The opening on the left side of the tub is the water inlet. Don't know how the DW deals with steam during the wash.

Bosch: we have a Siemens dishwasher at home. This system will not release any steam during the drying stage - water droplets simple form on the inside of the tub, run down into the sump and are drained before the cycle finishes. However, Bosch/Siemens dishwashers DO have a vent opening located on the right-hand side of the tub. It'll release excess steam pressure during the cycle via a hose that runs up the side of the tub.

The LG service manual I have includes exploded views. The drawings show some sort of zigzag-shaped channel that runs down the inside of the door. A fan sucks air from the tub, mixed with cool room air, into this channel where condensation is supposed to form (thus the zigzag shape to increase the channel's surface). The condensed water is then redirected into the tub, while the air is vented into the room from underneath the door. I think Fisher & Paykel uses a somewhat similar system. And I also guess - from the exploded view - LG uses a Bosch-like method to release excess pressure.

Miele's Clean Air drying system utilizes recirculation and condensation drying. During the drying cycle, moisture-laden air is sucked through an opening above the cutlery tray into an air-cooled condenser chamber and blown back into the tub. Again, no steam escapes during drying. Don't know how the DW deals with steam during the wash.

GE, Electrolux etc. - I don't know.

HTH, Alex

My previous Dw had a fan that was used as part of the drying process and when I replaced it after 10 years I didn't see any evidence of moisture damage to the floor or surrounding cabinets.

Sometimes the telephone service reps don't always have detailed technical info. As you continue to research please request that your questions be referred to the technical group, and not just the phone customer service rep.

The Bosch pressure vent(800 Series taken as an example). 0316 is the vent assembly that connects to the right-hand side of the tub. Exploded views available from Bosch homepage.

Clean Air drying by Miele.

Fig. 1
1 Inner fan channel
2 Outer fan channel
3 Fan

Circulation Turbothermic drying (UTT) operates with two separate air paths:
1. Condensing circuit
2. Cooling circuit with ambient air

Both paths flow past each other separated by two thin stainless-steel foils, which act as condensation surfaces.
The steam condenser in the machine side wall has cool ambient air passed over it which speeds up the cooling of the moist warm air from the cabinet.
This has the advantage that even with connection to a hot water supply, the drying performance is not impaired.

LG Service Manuals

daviddro,

It sounds as though you're confused over where the condensate flows before it is drained out of the machine. Depending on the brand of the machine, the condensate may pass through a tube connected to the bottom of the condenser unit, but that tube doesn't connect directly to the machine drain line (the big tube that connects to your disposer or house drain). The condensate drains into the sump at the bottom of the dishwasher and gets pumped out just like the wash and rinse water. The salespeople are not confused about the condensate going down the drain. You're confused. The condensate flows to the sump. From the sump it gets pumped out of the machine, goes through the machine drain line, and into the drain system for your house. It is not being held in some mysterious place to evaporate outside the machine or under your countertop.

When I used the term "Coil" in my earlier posting, I used it generically to indicate whatever condensing device a particular machine utilizes. It probably isn't an actual coil, it's just some sort of a device where the hot steam passes over or through, or comes into contact with a cooler surface and condenses. Once the steam condenses, it flows into the dishwasher sump. It may be through a tube, it may not be. The condensate does not, however, flow directly into the machine's drain line and down the house drain. It goes to the sump, then from there, it's pumped out through the machine's drain line just the same as the wash and rinse water.

Some older or less-sophisticated machines with heated drying systems may vent moisture-laden air out the front of the machine, either through a vent in the door front, or through a vent near the bottom of the door. None that I know of release moisture any place where it would be likely to cause problems around the sides, top or back of the machine if the machine is correctly installed.

I have the Electrolux wave-touch unit, and its going back to Lowes due to problems.
But to answer your question about drying...
There is a fan in the top-back and bottom-left that sucks air out. I can feel that warm air being blown out of the bottom where the toe-kick is.

Just buy a Miele and don't worry about it.