Delux dishmobile worth saving/using as daily driver?

[dragonlady]

I'm 31, a mom of two kids under 3, and the wife of a husband who is thoroughly fed up with my obsession with old things largely due to the fact that we're finishing our new 2 story house ourselves and I've insisted on salvaging and refinishing old flooring, craftsman trim, vintage light fixtures, metal cabinets, and obviously, appliances.
I've fallen for the KA Hobart dishwashers and actually bought one only to find that the tub was rusted through when I finally tested it. They looked like junkies so I didn't really have high hopes anyway.
So I got to thinking about this relic that's been living on my 3 season porch for the last 40 years. My great grandma hated change but my great grandpa loved all things new and shiny. This resulted in a dishwasher that was virtually never used and, therefore, retired.
Here's what I need to know:
Was it ever a good dishwasher?
If so, once revived, what are the odds it can hold up to 2 loads a day for the next 10 years?
If likely, what should I check before even hooking it up and seeing what the damage is?

Thanks in advance!!

 

[steved]

Wow-rare!

That’s a 1965 Deluxe model with the washout detergent dispenser. I suppose if it ran ok, it would be better than nothing. I think I have the owners manual if you need a copy. Take the usual advise about pouring hot water in and letting it sit for a while. It has the wash tower so you can really load it up. Wear earplugs! Congrats!

 

[steved]

doctrine

I went ahead and scanned for you. Enjoy! BTW, it has a single 7 minute wash followed by 4 rinses and dry

 

[dragonlady]

Better than nothing?

Thank you for the manual!!!!
Oh boy, "better than nothing" doesn't sound too promising plus I have to convert it. Is it rare because it's so old or because they were junk?
I suppose curiosity is gonna get the best of me no matter what and I'm probably gonna have to try her.

 

[steved]

Oh sorry.

“Better than nothing” was a little harsh. It’s just a little tricky to load, makes a lot of noise, and requires a decent powder to work in a 7 minute wash. I always got good results, but I’m a little crazy about my dishwashers. It just requires a little more attention to detail. I’d use it in a heartbeat!

 

[dragonlady]

Silent dishwashing

I use powdered finish tabs, that okay? Also we'll have soft water.

Perhaps you have not read your own manual,
"Dishwashing's now practically silent!"

What's the procedure to convert this to an under-counter type OR would you prefer I make sure it even works before going into that?

 

[rp2813]

Tabs and any other forms of modern dishwasher detergent are not designed to work on such short wash cycles as your machine has.  You'll need to get regular powder and supplement it with a phosphate additive, or buy institutional dishwasher powder that already has phosphates, such as Cascade Boil-Out.

 

I would test the machine first before making any attempt to convert it to a built-in.  As was stated above, pour very hot water into the bottom of the machine to soften up the rubber seal/gasket.  It might leak at first, but the hot water treatment often helps to restore the seal.

 

[steved]

try it first

It would be easier to roll it in the kitchen and pour some water in to see if there are any leaks. If it passes the no leak test, then I'd try turning it on, with the drain hose over the sink. If you don't have a faucet adapter, just fill a bucket with hot water and dump it in. Refer to the cycle chart attached for the cycle sequence. Note that each cycle starts with a drain. I can search for conversion instructions if you want to build it in.

 

[easy]

Leave it on the porch

I had the built in version of this dishwasher in an apartment during the 1970's.

If anything blocks the non-detergent dispenser, you will be left with a baked on
cake of detergent that you get to dig out before rewashing the load. Unless your
hot water heater is set VERY high, the cold interior and cold load will reduce the water temp during the SHORT wash period to less than ideal.

I'm not positive, but I seem to recall that this machine had a GE type plastic
coated interior which didn't hold up and caused a leak. The building owner replaced it with a BOL GE that was so noisy that you had to leave the apartment once you started it. But it did have a real detergent dispenser and a double wash cycle, so it performed much better.

 

[coldspot66]

If it works well enough and doesn't leak, I would use it as a portable. Frigidaire never made a good dishwasher. I would hold out for a better brand to build in.

 

[steved]

“I would use it as a portable”

That’s sound advice. Even if you decided to build it in sometime in the future, at least you would know how well it works for you. Plus you would gain 4 sq ft on your porch!
Or you could just send it to Upstate New York....

 

[dragonlady]

Wow, you guys are great!

I'll keep you posted.

How hot we talking, Steved?

 

[steved]

How hot?

Hot from the faucet hot is what I’d use. Then let it sit in there for 30 minutes or so.

 

[combo52]

Early FD Wash-Arm DW

These were fairly quiet DWs for the time period, and the new DW detergent tablets work very well in older DWs, in coming hot water temperatures from 120-140 should work very well.

 

For very dirty dishes or dried on soil if results are not good enough you can run it through the first wash and rinse or two and then put in another tablet or dose of detergent and let it go through the full cycle.

 

These were not real durable DWs so I would not go through a lot of trouble building it in, but try it out and have fun.

 

John L.

 

[dragonlady]

No leaks..oh wait

It leaks a little. But it drains so that's fun! But nothing else. I can't seem to get it to go ahead and wash (I'm adding plenty of water after it turns to "wash"I think) It proceeds through the cycle on the dial but it starts to smell hot so I shut it off about halfway through the "wash".

I didn't have the right faucet adaptor for the sink hook-up so I'm adding all the water manually.

Also the top is GROSS and probably stained WAY beyond repair.

 

[steved]

Oh boy...

Sounds like maybe the motor isn't reversing. Perhaps a bad relay? I think you have some major issues that you may or may not be able to resolve on your own.

You might get the top to clean up by laying an old towel on it, pouring some bleach and let it set overnight. That and scrubbing with some BonAmi.
I'd be tempted to part it out, junk the rest and keep looking.

PhilR?

 

[tomturbomatic]

Be sure and save the "unicouple" faucet adapter if it is not broken. Those are not easy to find.

 

[frigilux]

OK, I’m going to be that guy: While GM-era Frigidaire nailed it when it came to ranges, refrigerators and washing machines, their dishwashers are average at best. Don’t spend another minute contemplating the possibility of using this dishwasher as your daily driver. There are many far better vintage machines out there waiting to be taken home by DragonLady.

 

[tomturbomatic]

They are more curiosities than solid performers. There was a Frigidaire dealership outside of Cleveland that did kitchen remodeling. General Motors allowed them to sell KitchenAid dishwashers because they knew that people going for a high end kitchen would want a KitchenAid dw over a Frigidaire.