Considering Vintage Dishwasher

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thinker1920

Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2021
Messages
7
Location
Maine
Hi Everyone,

We currently have a Whirlpool WDT970SAHV that has been a poor performer since the day we bought it. We have had techs come out and look at it and supposedly it's functioning perfectly despite it leaving food particles on glasses and dishes (about every 8th wash), really cloudy glasses that look dirty (about every 4th wash), and the dishes and silverware just don't come out that clean.

For clarification, we do not have hard water, we religiously clean the filter, we use rinse aid, our hot water is 140 degrees and we run the sink till it's hot before starting, we have tried putting in the dishes very dirty / medium dirty / and well rinsed, and we've run cleaning agents through the machine (afresh / some vinegar). No matter what we try it's just a poor performer. The only thing that makes it usable is running it on Heavy + High temp + Sani Rinse, that at least has the glasses coming out clean but I still occasionally find little food bits on top of the glasses and bowls in the upper rack. I check everything that comes out of it when I unload it and its not unusual to find bowls with food bits stuck to them, same with silverware or grease on the butter knives where you can tell they were used to spread butter.

For those reasons we've been considering going vintage (also getting sick of the 3 1/2 hour run time). I've been looking at KitchenAid's KDS series and Whirlpool / Kenmore PowerClean / UltraWash. I did find a KDS-20 about 2 1/2 hours from me for $150 but it looks like the tub might have some staining and it may have been sitting for 8 years (and from what I've read I think the KDS-18 fans may have won me over). As for the Whirlpool / Kenmore's if we go that route I'd really like to find a porcelain tub version but I only seem to be able to find the plastic tub versions. Is the only way to tell by looking at the placement of the detergent dispenser? Or does that only work on the whirlpool models? Did any of the later versions come with porcelain or stainless steel tubs? I've been a little discouraged by how hard it has been to find things. Any forum Members have any extra machines they'd be willing to part with?
 
A KDS-18 will need 150F at the tap as these don't pre-heat, so they're fine if you're up to that (I keep my water heater at 160F). The 19 and 20 series pre-heat to 150F before wash so your current 140F setting will work just fine with them

As someone who has owned 2 KDS-18's, a KDS-19, and KDS_20, you'll probably want to look out for a Ultrawash with the Powerclean module. The Kitchenaids are great machines but their wash times are on the shorter side as they're designed for highly phosphated and chlorine based detergents that aren't around anymore. Also, parts are starting to dry up with them and you're completely on your own when it comes to repairing and tracking down parts. They're great for an enthusiast like myself but not so much these days for the average person anymore.

All parts except timers/control boards are still very easy to find for the Powerclean models. Best to stick with them.
 
I thought Bubble Bandit Dishwasher Detergent worked in the older machines?

I did also come across a KUDS-22 while searching, how would that compare to the Ultrawash with the Powerclean module? As far as both parts availability and performance?
 
I didn't have great results with Bubble Bandit in mine but I was using it in very hard water conditions. The old Institutional Cascade performed much better.

I haven't used a post 20 model, these are different animals. There are complaints by some that they didn't rinse well due to 1 full rinse + purge vs 2 full rinses in pervious designs (2 full rinses + purge in the KDS-18) and this caused the racks to deteriorate much quicker from leftover detergent residue, but I haven't personally used one.

With these machines you're still running into parts issues. There's a fine filter mesh under the wash arm that gets torn/deteriorates over time and are now extremely hard to locate. Same goes for other parts. I'd stick with a 90's or newer Powerclean that's TOL or very near that. Parts for those are still easy to find and there's no complaints about rinsing.
 
Definitely go with the KUDS25 if it’s in good enough condition.
I refurbed a KUDS25 almost a year ago and it’s been wonderful.
 

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