Dishwasher

[LengerichKA88 1,883]

We are in need of a new dishwasher. I was hoping someone else may have had to buy one recently and could recommend one, or could warn against a bad one. 

I don’t mind doing some chores the simple way, but I’m not Little Kyle on the Prairie, I’m not scrubbing dishes by hand. I don’t mind shelling out a bit of cash for one that will clean anything and last for awhile, but I’d like to keep it under the 800, the lower the better without sacrificing quality. TIA! 

[ebinmaine 71,367]

1 minute ago, LengerichKA88 said:

Little Kyle on the Prairie

 

Okay now that's just plain struck me funny

 

 

I haven't purchased a dishwasher for a few years now.

I'm not overly impressed with the one that I have. I'll try to remember to tell you what it is later.

The plastic trim around the door started cracking because of - I assume - poor quality plastic.

It will not wash dishes that have any kind of hardened food of any kind.

I've tried this setting and that setting and this heat and that heat and I just had to get into the habit of making sure all of my dishes were rinsed clean before they went in the dishwasher. Almost pointless to own it.

Logic would be to me that I would not have to wash my dishes before I put them in the dishwasher.

 

 

 

I'll be looking forward to following along to see what other people say.

[LengerichKA88 1,883]

4 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

 

Logic would be to me that I would not have to wash my dishes before I put them in the dishwasher.

Exactly. That is exactly what I want.  Ours is 15-20 years old, it doesn’t do much beyond get things wet now. 

 

I have noticed that there is a major difference depending on what kind of soap we use as well though. I would just like to have a consistently functioning appliance. 

 

 

[ebinmaine 71,367]

I think there are others that would agree and I don't mean to sound cynical. It seems that the modern appliances that are maybe within the last decade or so? Are of much inferior quality to the ones that were produced before that.

 

The throwaway society that we discuss with the vehicles and modern tractors has, at least in my opinion, being spread over to appliances as well.

 

If it were me, I would get a couple of estimates from good quality, qualified, knowledgeable appliance repair companies and perhaps fix a two-decade old appliance that I already had.

[LengerichKA88 1,883]

@ebinmaine I’d thought about getting it repaired/overhauled..unfortunately you’re correct about everything being on the disposable side. 

I’ll most certainly look at all options, and that may be a viable one.  

[Kenneth R Cluley 583]

Just replaced a three year old  dishwasher for my daughter. Needed control board and pump valve , parts alone over $300, with me doing labor and still may not be fixed as most trouble shooting involves parts replacement till it works. We bought a new one from Home Depot but it is difficult to look at specs and compare because big box stores get their own cheaper version of appliances and sell them. you cant really compare apples to apples. I have a maytag that is about 10 yeras old and still working , we bought her a hotpoint around $450.00 that she loves. They really don't last like they used to. All appliances seem that way. 

[Racinbob 11,836]

We've always been pretty frugal (ummm….cheap) when it comes to buying appliances. We usually go somewhere in the middle of the price range and keep our fingers crossed. We bought a new GE dishwasher for our house in Florida. We never were happy with it. Mainly due to the noise. When we bought this house the previous owners had just replaced all the kitchen appliances. We were pretty shocked at what they paid for them. We laughed and said that we never would have spent that much. All of them are Whirlpool Gold Series. Now that we have lived here 2 years we have been surprised how much we like them and the difference in what level we usually buy and these. Especially the dishwasher. Unless you are right next to it it's nearly impossible to hear it run. You need to look at the lights to confirm that the cycle was started. That being said the msrp was about $1300 but they didn't pay that. Everything was purchased at an authorized Whirlpool dealer and I've got the receipt with the actual prices but danged if I can find it in the file right now. If I remember correctly it was about your max price. 

I agree with the comments here about the quality today but I also realize now that spending a bit more can be worth it. I'll let you know in a few years about the durability. I'm not knocking GE or promoting Whirlpool. They all have their entry levels and go up from there. I also agree with Ken about the big box stores the 'same' unit......but cheapened up just for them to sell cheaper. Why is the model # always just a fuzz different? 

[squonk 43,027]

The main thing with a dishwasher is the high heat rinse to sanitize the dishes. I work on Commercial (Hobart)  machines and even with them the dishes need to be pretty clean before running them thru. Look at it this way. Dirty dishes go into the machine. Any crap that comes off is now in the machine. Get enough crap in a load flying around and now the water that is still washing is full of the crap. Now when it drains the filter (like on my Whirlpool ) catches most of it . What doesn't make it out of the machine or caught by the filter will now be laying in the machine. A few days of this and you have a dirty stinky machine before you even start. Add in some hard water and now you got scale everywhere too.  And like Bob's Whirlpool, I have to look at the lights to see if it's running.

Edited March 25, 2019 by squonk

[Sarge 3,464]

If you want appliances that will do the job and last - talk to a repair guy that also sells/services machines for commercial accounts. They can generally sell you commercial performing equipment for a little more than the cost of the really cheap versions that are short-lived from the big-box home stores and other retail outlets. Broad range Consumer goods are based solely on price/features - not long term performance. Many of the machines sold by home stores or brand chains are mass produced to specifications sought by the lowest bidder with the pricing being the biggest factor - not a good place to start if you want a quality machine. My Mom's washing machine died recently and needed to be replaced - the repair guy she had gotten to come out and diagnose whether it was worth fixing also services and sells for commercial accounts. He recommended the commercial line of Speed Queen over anything else - which is what you will find in a laundromat. When shopping for such appliances - one way to gauge quality is their weight. Most modern box store washers, dryers, and dishwashers are so light that one man in good health can easily carry/throw it - the Speed Queen Mom bought took 3 men to get it into the house and weighs 375lbs. It also runs nearly silent, can handle huge loads and has a full parts/labor warranty of 7yrs - for about $300 over the price of common box store "elite" brand models. There are some very high-quality appliances available in today's market - but you have to hunt for them and expect to pay a higher price as well. Back in the day, our tractors were not cheap by any means - the Wheel Horse brand was built to commercial quality standards and cost a lot more than most other brands at the time, you get what you pay for.

 

You have to make the decision to spend the money on quality - or base your decision on cheap pricing and a much shorter lifespan.

 

Sarge

[clueless 3,142]

The problem with dishwashers is the same problem with anything you buy now days to many options on them, when all you really want are clean dishes. My first Whirlpool lasted 24 years, load it, put soap in, turn the knob to start push the button and walk away. My second Whirlpool lasted 13 years, had a prewash setting, temp setting, delay setting, heavy soiled setting, and a heat or air dry setting. My current Whirlpool, has a heavy, normal, eco, 1 hour wash. overnight, and a sensor cycle choice . It also has power scour, hi temp wash, sani rinse, heat dry, and a hour delay option. According the the manual, the sensor cycle will adjust every thing to make sure your dishes are clean, why do I need all those other options . Keep in mind none of these were high end models. Even with all those options the last two don't clean any better than the first one, and they do not completely dry your dishes. My point to all of this is if your not trying to save a little water, and a little electricity, go with a basic brand name model that heats you wash and rinse water, because all you really want is clean, dry dishes. Now where did I put my coffee .   

[LengerichKA88 1,883]

Thank you all for your input, that’s why I asked. 

Until two years ago, I’d never been a homeowner, so as things pop up I find myself in new territory. 

I may know of someone who would fit the bill for the commercial grade route you mentioned @Sarge, so I’ll be reaching out to him. While I shop and price, I’ll also be looking at the possibility of repairing what we’ve got like @ebinmaine mentioned. 

I appreciate you all taking the time to chime in!

[LengerichKA88 1,883]

@clueless, In all my life I’ve never seen a dishwasher that actually finished its cycle with dry dishes. I don’t mind drying as I put them away, I’ve always had to do that. 

 

 

Maybe ive always had crappy dishwashers haha 

[Sarge 3,464]

The next time I'm down at Mom's, I'll have to ask what brand her dishwasher is - I know it is around 8yrs old or more by now. One thing about it, she never rinses dishes off before loading. I did ask why, as most folks seem to wash them before loading, which I always found a bit, uh, counterproductive. She says it never fails to clean or dry them so evidently, it is a well-built unit. Also nearly silent, which was a surprise.

 

Sarge

[LengerichKA88 1,883]

That was always a big deal in our house growing up: Wash the dishes before they go in. 

Of course, being the oldest child, that was my job from 6-18. I never understood it either. As an adult I do: my parents never bought a dishwasher, they wanted to baby what came with the house to avoid having to replace it. I grew up pretty poor, but my parents went to great lengths to make sure I didn’t know it. 

One of which was having me wash the dishes to help the life of the dishwasher. 

 

I guess the one we get really only has to last a couple years, seeing as my oldest is almost 4 

 

@Sarge that would be great. I’m not going to run out and buy one this weekend, if it’s 300 bucks or 1000 we will budget and save for it. 

Edited March 25, 2019 by LengerichKA88

[Jerry77 1,218]

We bought a GE about 12 years ago..still working fine, and yes, we rinse off our dishes before putting them in the washer..

[ebinmaine 71,367]

42 minutes ago, LengerichKA88 said:

guess the one we get really only has to last a couple years, seeing as my oldest is almost 4 

Now you're talking....

[clueless 3,142]

32 minutes ago, LengerichKA88 said:

@clueless, In all my life I’ve never seen a dishwasher that actually finished its cycle with dry dishes. I don’t mind drying as I put them away, I’ve always had to do that. 

 

 

Maybe ive always had crappy dishwashers haha 

After buying my last whirlpool and the dishes not being completely dry I asked my neighbor who is appliance repair man who worked for Sears for years why. He told me that most brands, high end or low end don't completely dry the dishes, that's why they make Jet Dri. The main reason is hot water, most homes probably have around 120 degree hot water coming out of the tap, maybe 130 at the most, years ago it was closer to 140. The reason for the change, safety, and energy saving. If you dishes are being washed and rinsed in 140 degree water they are going to dry much faster in the drying cycle. The manufactures have designed these machines to wash with around 120-125 degree hot water, the dishes get clean but they just don't dry completely when the heat element is on. My first real job after paper boy was washing dishes, and I used one of those commercial Hobart machines, the thermostat was set at 170 degrees, you really didn't need soap, but we did, just rinse the chunks off, load the tray put it in close it and push the button. I think it washed for 4 minutes, then you pushed the tray out on to the counter, it took a couple of minutes before they were cool enough to unload, no drying needed, and they were squeaky clean.

[LengerichKA88 1,883]

@clueless, I’ve used one of those, or one very similar before. No one warned me just how hot they got the glass ware, let alone silverware.  

Had a couple blisters on my fingertips trying to unload, I only made that mistake once. 

[formariz 11,995]

This is what is so great about this place. We touch on just about every subject that is a common interest to all of us, not just tractors but also dish washing machines and who ever would think also sewing machines.

I don't have a great deal of experience in the subject but here is my experience that may be something to consider for others. We bought a new one several years ago. Fortunately we are able to buy something of good quality without worrying too much about the price, so together with reputation, reliability, and quality in consideration, we opted for a Bosch . The other deciding factor  was the fact that it was entirely made out of stainless steel and since the last one exhibited severe corrosion in the interior it was sort of a no brainer. Machine heats its own water and does dry dishes completely.

In addition to being nearly totally silent everything about it is great except one issue. At first we thought it was a unique issue with ours but after speaking and hearing dozens others that have the same unit, it is common to all of them. The cause still escapes me but perhaps it is the drying dishes part coupled with the stainless steel. When one opens machine after it has completed its job, there is a terribly strong odor of the detergent used. We also tried changing that but results are the same. Problem does not end there because any glasses or mugs exhibit that odor internally to the point that if you do not rinse a coffee cup prior to using it the coffee will taste like detergent. We had it serviced along with many others and result is the same. I think that the drying part of it coupled with the stainless steel may be the culprit. Others we had that also did not rinse well never had any detergent odor or taste. They also did not dry the dishes or were stainless steel. We just got into the habit of rinsing any cup or glass that comes out of it prior to using it but it is very annoying.

[LengerichKA88 1,883]

@formariz, that’s why I love Red Square: it’s not just tractors. 

 

Thats an interesting issue, one I’ve never heard before. I was looking at a Bosch just a moment ago actually. 

I have been looking at the units that have stainless tubs after reading a couple reviews that stated they believed it helped with drying since a SS tub retains more heat from the wash cycle. 

I also saw a couple reviews that claimed they developed rust fairly quickly (one review claimed inside of 6 weeks it starts to show rust). I definitely have my homework cut out for me. 

 

Keep the advice/info coming, it’s greatly appreciated!!

[Racinbob 11,836]

Ya made me go look cuz ours is stainless. Nope, no rust at this point. 

[LengerichKA88 1,883]

4 minutes ago, Racinbob said:

Ya made me go look cuz ours is stainless. Nope, no rust at this point. 

Glad you didn’t find any, that would’ve been an unfortunate development! 

[stevasaurus 23,142]

Kyle, if you are not married...$300 to $800 buys a lot of excellent paper plates and plastic utensils.  You can boil water in a plastic bag and make pans out of tin foil. 

[LengerichKA88 1,883]

7 minutes ago, stevasaurus said:

Kyle, if you are not married...$300 to $800 buys a lot of excellent paper plates and plastic utensils.  You can boil water in a plastic bag and make pans out of tin foil. 

It does if you’re married too, but I don’t want 800 dollars worth of “AngryWife” 😂😂

 

That wouldn’t bother me in the least, but I still have more time as a bachelor under my belt than I do as a Trophy Husband 

[squonk 43,027]

Commercial machines final rinse at 180 for health dept. reasons. Commercial bldgs (Schools) should have a separate water heater set to 130-140 deg just for the dishwasher. Then a booster heater either separate or built into the machine to bring it up to 180. When the rinse water mixes with the wash water it brings the wash temp to 160. If the dept of health stops by and you don't have those temps they shut you down until it's fixed. We had a couple of boosters blow up this past year. One was older than dirt. When it let loose with a bang it shot a knob off that traveled across the kitchen and hit a lunch lady in the leg. She thought she got shot! 

Edited March 25, 2019 by squonk