Useful Life of a Dishwasher

[Porthos]

I more carefully read that part of the manual dealing with drying temperatures and I had misunderstood the difference in drying choices. There is no drying heater element. The lower-energy setting uses a lower rinse water temperature and a very short evaporation time before indicating the end of the cycle whereas the higher-energy drying cycle is achieved by heating the incoming rinse water to a higher temperature and then lengthening the drying cycle to allow for more evaporation.

 

I'm glad for the feedback that challenged me to check on what I was missing. Thanks.

[Porthos]

Not sure if it's still the case, but when I sold dishwashers, Bosch had no food grinder, so any solids that came off the dishes were trapped in a filter. The filter needed to be cleaned regularly to keep the dishwasher from reeking due to the rotting food that accumulated. Most consumers were unaware of the filter and the smell was a major source of dissatisfaction with Bosch until they understood what was causing the smell.

I have pulled out the filter, very easy to do, once to check for buildup and saw none. I wasn't too surprised since I scrub the dishes before they go in. Since I can't give up this practice (we all have our idiosyncrasies) I use the express wash cycle which in the high-heat drying mode is still only an hour long.

[radtek]

Seven years ago I bought a Maytag energy efficient dishwasher for less than $500. Has a grinder and a thoughtfully laid-out spacious interior. Still going strong (knock on wood)- I've used it maybe 3 times a week at most. 

 

During the entire heavy cycle it uses less than 6 gallons of water! Also has a sanitize feature which is nice. 

 

The unit is full-sized, rides on casters and hooks up to the sink; it gets rolled over at casa radtek, but can be installed under the counter if desired.

 

Since the dishwasher isn't under the counter it is noisy and that's the prime drawback. The second is a looong wash time. Even the light cycle takes an hour to complete.

 

I also bought a front-loader clothes washer. My advice is to leave the door open after use so it can dry. This negates any mildew smell which is probably the chief complaint with FL machines. And, top loading dryers do exist.

[palo]

Are you asking about my wife???

 

Seriously though, I'm not married  But I can feel the comment coming: "And we know why" 

 

Back to dishwashers, mechanical that is not human, I have a cheap no-name from Home Depot that has lasted over 10 years, but that being said, it has been used infrequently. If, as mentioned upthread you're using it 2 - 3 times a day, then the wise choice would be to purchase a premium model. Aside from expected durability, the new ones are so quiet. When I run mine, I have to turn up the TV volume just to hear it, mind you there is no actual wall beteen the kitchen and the TV room, just a peninsula which holds the dishwasher and sink.

 

p

[Anna N]

Are you asking about my wife???

 

Seriously though, I'm not married  But I can feel the comment coming: "And we know why" 

 

Back to dishwashers, mechanical that is not human, I have a cheap no-name from Home Depot that has lasted over 10 years, but that being said, it has been used infrequently. If, as mentioned upthread you're using it 2 - 3 times a day, then the wise choice would be to purchase a premium model. Aside from expected durability, the new ones are so quiet. When I run mine, I have to turn up the TV volume just to hear it, mind you there is no actual wall beteen the kitchen and the TV room, just a peninsula which holds the dishwasher and sink.

 

p

Um. Think radtek said 2 to 3 times a week!

[palo]

^^oooooops!!!

 

They say the devil is in the details. I should have read radtek's post more carefully, although I did think "that's a hell of a lot of dishes from breakfast"

 

p

[lemniscate]

My current dishwasher is dying, and the baskets appear to be rotting 😠.

 

I don't want to buy another one, the reviews are disheartening. 

 

But I think I'd try something like this Tetra which is hopefully not vaporware, because we really don't use loads of dishes daily:

 

Anyone else heard of this?

 

 

 

 

[weinoo]

I could live with no microwave; a dishwasher, on the other hand...

 

My guess/bet is that that thing sucks.

[Joe Blowe]

There's a countertop dishwasher category on Amazon, so there's no need to wait for that vaporware to materialize...

[Margaret Pilgrim]

My question is, if you're only going to wash that many dishes, isn't it just as easy to hand wash them?   

 

Our Asko dishwasher lasted 30 years,    We just replaced it with a Samsung.    I am well pleased with the S, but it does take an hour on "quick" cycle.    It is also rather huge, washes stemware and a dozen place settings,    We run it several times a week.    

[lemniscate]

50 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

My question is, if you're only going to wash that many dishes, isn't it just as easy to hand wash them?  

 

Not an unreasonable question.  Answer is:  I don't wanna.   I like the unattendedness of an modern automatic dishwasher, I grew up in an old farmhouse having to do the dishes in a tin basin.   I did not enjoy it.   I run the dishwasher at night and wake up to clean dishes.  

 

Countertop?  Takes up pretty much permanent counter space plus still needs fill and drain hookups to use.  I don't have the counter space for one of those currently.   My friends in Singapore had one, so I am familiar with countertop versions.  I remember the rolling ones also.

 

In "theory" the Tetra doesn't need fill and drain connections according to the video, unless I missed something.  Plus it looks small enough to stow out of the way.

 

Again, it's probably VAPORWARE, but what if it really does work?  I wanna believe (like the X-files).

 

I'll run this current dishwasher until it croaks.   It just irks me that durable goods are much less durable now.

Edited August 29, 2019 by lemniscate
add clarity (log)

[chromedome]

It does look like a nifty little gizmo for small/single-person households.

Always assuming, of course, it actually gets things clean. I briefly had a countertop Danby, and ran no more than 3 or 4 loads through it before putting it back up for sale on the same site where I'd purchased it.

[andiesenji]

When I got rid of my Hobart commercial dishwasher,  the friend that wanted it replaced it with a Bosch - at that time the top of the line model.

I have been extremely happy with the Bosch, it is so QUIET I can't tell it is on, the controls are in the top edge of the door so don't show while it is operating. 

The quick wash if 15 minutes and it works great for cleaning but leaves a bit of detergent behind. So I do a SECOND quick cycle so

half an hour and I do allow it to cool down a bit -  it has its own  electric instant water heater  so only needs a cold water line.

It cleans everything to my standards, which are a bit stiff.     

 

I was spoiled by the HOBART, which I had fro 21 years and the 90 SECOND wash cycle  with the individual removable trays, worked great for all the years I catered and did a lot of baking.  

[chromedome]

1 hour ago, andiesenji said:

I was spoiled by the HOBART, which I had fro 21 years and the 90 SECOND wash cycle  with the individual removable trays, worked great for all the years I catered and did a lot of baking. 

 

My dream is to one day have a decent conventional dishwasher for day-to-day, and a commercial unit with that 90 second cycle for when I'm cooking a holiday meal or engaged in some other project.

 

Currently I have a vintage Kenmore portable that I bought (well) used for $49, which cleans beautifully and fits nicely into my compact apartment kitchen.

[andiesenji]

5 hours ago, chromedome said:

 

My dream is to one day have a decent conventional dishwasher for day-to-day, and a commercial unit with that 90 second cycle for when I'm cooking a holiday meal or engaged in some other project.

 

Currently I have a vintage Kenmore portable that I bought (well) used for $49, which cleans beautifully and fits nicely into my compact apartment kitchen.

A lot of people cringed when they learned I paid $4658. for the HObart installed, but previously I had had to replace regular dishwashers (Kenmore) every 5  years or so and during the previous 20 years I had spent that much on the machines, having them fixed and having my floor fixed when one leaked!  The Hobart turned out to be a bargain.  My friend has used it a lot in his bakery/café and says it still works like a charm 10 years on.

 

[chromedome]

6 hours ago, andiesenji said:

A lot of people cringed when they learned I paid $4658. for the HObart installed, but previously I had had to replace regular dishwashers (Kenmore) every 5  years or so and during the previous 20 years I had spent that much on the machines, having them fixed and having my floor fixed when one leaked!  The Hobart turned out to be a bargain.  My friend has used it a lot in his bakery/café and says it still works like a charm 10 years on.

 

I don't doubt it for a moment. I had a Fagor at my restaurant, a much less storied but still serviceable brand. It cost me around $3500 IIRC, and we installed it ourselves (this was in 2008, so a bit more recently than yours...*and* in Canadian dollars). The first season I was open I had only a domestic dishwasher, which took a full 90 minutes per cycle. Seriously, when you're already working 100-hour weeks, the last thing anyone wants is to be washing 30-40 covers' worth of dishes after closing time.

The upgrade wasn't just money well spent, it was an absolute prerequisite to continuing. Definitely value for money.

[KennethT]

Bumping this old thread.  As some know, I recently moved into a new apartment.  Even though we did a full renovation, the apartment came with a nice dishwasher - a GE top control stainless steel with stainless tub. It's heads and tails nicer than the one we had in our old rental apartment.  I have no idea how old it is - but when I check out the manuals for it online, they're dated around 2010.  It was working great until the other day when it died.  This means, of course, that I need to investigate.  So after taking the whole thing apart, it turns out that one of the discrete relays on the control board is not making contact when it closes, which would power the circulator pump. $30 later (including 2nd day shipping and 3 more spares) means I should have a working dishwasher again by Wednesday evening (hopefully).  It shouldn't be difficult to unsolder a thru-hole 4 pin relay and solder in a new one.

 

Edited June 5, 2021 by KennethT (log)

[lindag]

31 minutes ago, KennethT said:

Bumping this old thread.  As some know, I recently moved into a new apartment.  Even though we did a full renovation, the apartment came with a nice dishwasher - a GE top control stainless steel with stainless tub. It's heads and tails nicer than the one we had in our old rental apartment.  I have no idea how old it is - but when I check out the manuals for it online, they're dated around 2010.  It was working great until the other day when it died.  This means, of course, that I need to investigate.  So after taking the whole thing apart, it turns out that one of the discrete relays on the control board is not making contact when it closes, which would power the circulator pump. $30 later (including 2nd day shipping and 3 more spares) means I should have a working dishwasher again by Wednesday evening (hopefully).  It shouldn't be difficult to unsolder a thru-hole 4 pin relay and solder in a new one.

 

Kudos to you for having the ability to fix it yourself...I'd be waiting for the new one to arrive.

[weinoo]

And it would be a Bosch or a Miele. The title of this thread and some conversations I was having with a friend about a new dishwasher she was buying - research I did pointed to a Miele having about double the lifespan of most other home models.

[KennethT]

1 hour ago, weinoo said:

And it would be a Bosch or a Miele. The title of this thread and some conversations I was having with a friend about a new dishwasher she was buying - research I did pointed to a Miele having about double the lifespan of most other home models.

are you talking about mine? It's a GE.

[weinoo]

15 minutes ago, KennethT said:

are you talking about mine? It's a GE.

 

No - another friend's DW started leaking and she's buying a new one. Her's was a Kitchen Aid.

 

I hope to not have to buy another dw; this one is only 3.5 years old. 

[Duvel]

Siemens or bust ✊

[weinoo]

3 minutes ago, Duvel said:

Siemens or bust ✊

 

Good luck finding one of those here.

[Okanagancook]

Our 16 yr old Miele is recommended.  Quiet.  Cleans perfectly.