With the promise of receiving our first shipment of Cove dishwashers looming near, we felt that it was time to give everyone who follows our blog a behind the scenes look at this upcoming gem of a dishwasher. In this post we will delve into the Cove dishwasher’s provenance, design, operation, and features.
We’re all wondering, is the long-awaited Cove dishwasher a testament to the old adage that “Good things come to those who wait?” With over 10 years in development and several product teases along the way, our entire team has been waiting for some time now to see what the Wisconsin-based SubZero Group’s dishwasher offering is really going to look like. Will it dutifully perform like their namesake refrigeration? And what took so long?
In answering the last question with a question the most frequent response when asked about the Cove dishwasher deployment delay has been, “Do you want it done quickly or do you want in done right?” This quality-first philosophy isn’t unique to the SubZero Group’s most recent dishwasher foray. When SubZero Group began to expand their Wolf brand’s product offerings, patience was critical as even then it was more important to build it correctly than to meet a deadline.
So now that the Cove dishwasher is just about upon us, how does it stack up?
Design
Starting with cosmetics, Cove’s DW2450 dishwasher comes out of the box ready to accept a cabinet panel so that it can blend into adjacent cabinetry. Cove also produces stainless steel front panels for the dishwasher that sync up perfectly with both of its sibling Wolf and SubZero brands stainless steel products.
The quality, design, and finish of the stainless control panel with integrated LCD display is exactly what you would expect to find on any premium appliance. The styling of the graphics and the stainless capacitive touch controls of the Cove dishwasher mirror those found on Wolf built-in cooking appliances.
A great deal of thought has obviously gone into the control layout as operation is very user friendly. In navigating through the Cove dishwasher’s options, selecting a cycle, and engaging the wash start, the Cove dishwasher operated the way that most users (I believe) would expect the dishwasher to operate. Cove’s engineers have struck the right balance in furnishing all of the customization that most users expect from a premium dishwasher while appropriately organizing those options so as to make selecting them from the “Options” menu simple without overwhelming the user with a cluttered control panel. Great thought has obviously been given to control layout so as to ensure that the control panel hasn’t been overcomplicated. The LCD interface provides clear instructions as to what option is being manipulated and furnishes direction as to what control operations are needed in order to engage the dishwasher.
Wash Programs & Options
On the console of the Cove dishwasher you’ll find these most frequently used pre-programmed wash programs available for easy selection:
- Auto Wash
- Normal Wash
- Heavy Wash
- Quick Wash
Knowing that many users have other needs beyond these cycles, Cove has included the following additional “special-use” cycles behind their “Cycle +” button:
- Pots & Pans
- Soak & Scrub
- Light Wash
- China/Crystal Wash
- Rise & Hold
- Plastics Wash
- Energy Conservation Wash
- Extra Quiet Wash
The Cove DW2450 “Auto Wash” program will be for most users their “go-to” wash program. The Auto Wash program employs a series of sensors in the drain of the dishwasher which determine the amount of soiled vs. clean water being deposited into the drain during rinsing. The dishwasher will automatically adjust wash time and temperature to sync up with the cleaning power necessary to adequately clean the dishwasher’s contents without wasting water, electricity and time washing already clean plates. From start to dry the Auto wash program will take anywhere from 2 hours and 5 minutes up to 3 hours and 55 minutes.
According to Cove, here are the expected cycle times and amounts of water used for all of the DW2450 dishwasher cleaning programs:
| Cycle | Cycle Time* | Dry Time | Water Usage |
| Auto | 2:05 to 3:55 | :40 | 3.7 to 7.2 gal |
| Normal | 2:40 | :35 to :40 | 2.7 to 6.1 gal |
| Heavy | 3:25 | :40 | 6.7 gal |
| Quick | :58 | :10 | 3.3 gal |
| Pots & Pans | 3:55 | :40 | 7.6 gal |
| Soak & Scrub | 5:35 | :40 | 7.6 gal |
| Light | 1:53 | :15 | 2.8 gal |
| China/Crystal | 1:58 | :40 | 2.8 gal |
| Rinse/Hold | :15 | :00 | 2.2 gal |
| Plastics | 2:33 | :45 | 2.8 gal |
| Energy | 2:08 | :40 | 2.6 gal |
| Extra Quiet | 2:51 | :40 | 4.3 gal |
* Cycle time listed above includes drying time
Beyond the above choice in cycles, Cove’s DW2450 dishwasher allows the operator the flexibility to optionally modify the above cycles through the use of the “Options” menu. Naturally, Cove’s options programming is oriented toward safeguarding the user from damaging their plates and/or working against the goal of whichever wash program is selected. For example, you cannot change the wash temperature of the China cycle as that cycle’s wash temperature has been formulated perfectly to care for delicate dishware. Similarly, on the Quick wash program, the user cannot engage an extended dry or additional rinse options.
Here’s a list of all of the options included in the DW2450 dishwasher furnished by Cove:
| Cycle Options | Description |
| Delay Start | Delays start of wash cycle by 1–12 hours in 1-hour increments. |
| High Temp Wash | Increases the main wash water temperature and extends the cycle time by 10 minutes. |
| Sani Rinse* | Increases the rinse water temperature and extends the rinse time. |
| Extended Dry | Extends the dry time by 30 minutes. |
| Extra Dry | Increases the rinse water temperature and extends the dry time by 30 minutes. |
| Top Racks Only | Directs wash functions to upper and middle racks only. |
Loading
Compared to other premium dishwashers, flexibility in loading is where Cove really shines. Similar to most high-end dishwashers, Cove’s DW2450 dishwasher has three wash racks built into the dishwasher cavity. The top rack is dedicated to cleaning flatware and cooking utensils. Moving the cleaning of those items up to the top rack liberates some precious space in the lowest rack which will allow the user the flexibility of cleaning a couple of additional items in every load. For users that prefer the traditional two rack configuration and have no interest in loading silverware into the uppermost rack, the Cove dishwasher’s uppermost rack is removable which has the benefit of adding additional clearance for taller items in middle rack.
At home, we make a contest of seeing how full each member of our family can fill the dishwasher and still get the door shut. I pine for all of the flexibility that the Cove racks afford. The star of the “Cove loading show” is their five position movable tines operated by each of twelve lime green levers positioned on the lower and middle racks.
The challenge that we struggle with at home is that “creative” loading leads to plates and bowls nesting. When that nesting occurs there is no space between the items for water to wash and for air to dry. The tines in the Cove DW2450 address this with all of the different positions that they are movable to so as to create gaps between different sized items. The tines hold and separate the items being washed so as to maximize water exposure during washing and air exposure during drying.
Performance
As one should expect from a premium dishwasher, the Cove dishwasher cleans incredibly well. A full load without any pre-washing took every bit of 3 hours to wash and dry. Even without engaging the “Extra Quiet” cycle, it is remarkable just how silently the dishwasher runs. I had to put my head right up next to the front of the dishwasher to hear the jets of water rush up against the door. The results very much justified the premium cost of the dishwasher and the amount of time that it took to clean.
After hitting start on the dishwasher, a red light shines on the floor below the right side of the dishwasher door to alert all potential users that the dishwasher is operating. The dishwasher is so quiet that without the light it would be easy to open the dishwasher up without realizing that it was running. When the dishwasher is finished washing and drying the light changes from red to green.
Drying is one area where the Cove dishwasher excels even over other premium dishwashers. Like most premium dishwashers, the Cove DW2450 dishwasher employs a series of fans to pull all of the condensation out of the dishwasher instead of relying on a heater coil in the base of the dishwasher cavity which has the potential of melting plastics (and creating an unnecessary fire hazard.) As the dishwasher is nearing the end of its wash program, it boosts the water temperature which in turn heats the interior walls and all of the dishwasher contents. After the dishwasher has finished washing, that residual heat paired with the wind movement generated by the fans thoroughly dries the dishes. Additionally, the middle rack is angled to channel the condensation away from the middle of the dishwasher.
Reliability
With a new product there is no established track record so as to know what you should expect in terms of longevity. With as much time in development and testing as this dishwasher has had, along with the care for their reputation that the manufacturer has exhibited with all the other appliances that they manufacture, its reasonable to expect that the Cove dishwasher should be a winner. To help consumers feel good about their investment in this new product, Cove is warranting their dishwasher for a full five years against defective materials or workmanship. If you have the Cove dishwasher installed by a Cove Factory Certified Installer (like Metropolitan Appliance) you can enjoy an extra year of warranty protection.
Cove has a great deal at stake with their entry into the dishwasher market. They’ve produced a dishwasher with the features, aesthetics, and performance to compete with other high-end dishwashers. At first glance it appears that Cove has ticked all the boxes in an effort to produce a product that both compliments and is commensurate with SubZero’s food preservation appliances and Wolf’s professional cooking equipment. SubZero Group is comfortable manufacturing products aimed at customers with premium expectations. It’ll be great to see how well the Cove dishwasher succeeds at fulfilling those same expectations in this new category for its parent company. Given everything that they’ve done in planning for this dishwasher’s debut I really like their odds.