Dumbwaiter, as the name suggests, carries food like a waiter, but in actual it is a small freight elevator or a lift that is designed to transport food between multiple floors. It is commonly used in public and private buildings including restaurants, schools, hospitals and more. Dumbwaiters are generally built in the kitchen.
In recent times, these dumbwaiters aka food lifts have gained popularity in Karachi and people who are able to afford it are installing it at their homes for convenience. This appliance is tremendously effective if the house is big, comprising of multiple floors.
Dumbwaiters are easy to build by the help of an elevator manufacturer. Since it’s a common practice in many sectors, the idea is not innovative and can be made with the availability of space and design.
There are custom sizes available for a dumbwaiter but generally, its height is about 24 to 30 inches, width about 24 to 28 inches and the measurement of depth is 24 to 28 inches as per the standard. The dumbwaiter is usually designed at the corner of the kitchen and considerably closest to the cooking area. This helps to transport food in the minimum time possible, keeping it piping hot and the serving time minimum.
It is highly recommended that dumbwaiter or in other words, miniature food elevator should be installed before designing your kitchen otherwise there will be wastage of time, efforts and of course money.
Not only should the kitchen designer be informed about the dumbwaiter, but a full inspection should be made by the contractor to check the ducts of all floors for the size according to the space available in all dimensions. Once the contractor examines the area, he will eventually install a box lifted by a heavy cord inside the frame. That cord will be held by the upper frame and at the bottom by a pulley. The cord will again run to the top through second pulley at the right side and the bottom cord will be tied to a metal cleat for a support. Thus, fixing the dumbwaiter doesn’t involve heavy machinery but rather expertise skills.