First Whirlpool dishwashers

[turquoisedude]

This one of those "always wondered but never knew the answer" questions...
When did Whirlpool start producing dishwashers? I was under the impression that is was fairly late in the 1950's, but that impression is strictly based on ads that I have seen from the era.
What was the evolution (built-ins first, then portables or were both types rolled out at the same time)?
Just curious and figured this would be the place to ask!!

 

[mrcleanjeans]

Whirlpool makes a better way to face a busy day

Believe it or not,it was 1914,a non-automatic impeller dishwasher and the first WP product. The first automatic dishwasher was 1935,a Hotpoint. The earliest automatic Whirlpools were the mid 50s,made by D and M,in fact just the same as The Crosley or The American Kitchens yet with two square racks that rolled out together like early Hotpoints and thus without the rotating upper rack. But in 1959,Whirlpool came out with a remarkably effective spray arm machine with "Jet Stream" washing,which blew EVERYONE else off the map,even KitchenAid in washing heavily soiled loads.

 

[scott55405]

Thanks Mrcleanjeans, I never knew any of that! My favorite Whirlpool d/w from the RCA Whirlpool days was made probably in the 1960s. Its cycles were identified with A, B, C, etc like some Kenmore washers, and like a number of Whirlpool dishwashers did into the 70s I think. This particular model's timer resembled a dial from a rotary telephone, and you selected the cycle by "dialing" your selection to the fingerstop.

 

[turquoisedude]

Great background info!

Thanks, mrcleanjeans! I had no idea the WP dishwasher went so far back! Perhaps Ms. Josephine Cochrane was an employee at the time (I have read articles crediting her with the invention of the dishwasher)...

 

[thomasortega]

pics???

 

[thomasortega]

talking about vintage dishwashers...
1) I don't know too much about dishwashers. The important to me is that is cleans, no matter what brand or if it's vintage or modern.

2) As we're talking about whirlpool dishwashers, there's something I really want to know. Here in Brazil we had the brastemp (whirlpool) 12 services dishwashers from late 70's to the late 80's. I'm not sure if it the model was exclusive for Brazilian market or if it was inspired on (or the same) the american models. If it's american, which brand it was?
(our maching washing machines and dryers from those years were the vintage lady kenmores)

I bought one when it was launched and it was a workhorse.

It was so strong that it was normal to hear glasses, cups and bugs "flying" and breaking.

 

[thomasortega]

moneyshot

...

 

[thomasortega]

99.999999999999999% of the few dishwashers in Brazil end like this one.

Used to store junk or hide the kitchen mess. (unless the owner of that dw on the picture decided to wash at the same time a lamp, a paint tray and a paintroll and some plastic bags)

 

[turquoisedude]

OMG!

That dishwasher is very similar to the one I got to use at a friend's house when we were living in Botucatu in 2007! I thought the Brastemp dishwashers were a lot like Whirlpools (actually almost identical to the short-lived Belanger dishwashers which were made by Inglis which is the Canadian version of Whirlpool). Confused yet?? lol

 

[thomasortega]

... more confused... LOL

 

[scott55405]

Thomas, that dishwasher is definitely a Whirlpool. Our Whirlpool dws had a similar appearance in the 70s. Any speculation as to why Brazilians don't like to use dishwashers, electing instead to store things inside?

 

[toggleswitch2]

Bottom line is many people like to play with water.

1- The (perceived) cost of energy.
2- Tradional stay-at-home houewives have time to do the dishes by hand. Do Brazilian women work outside the home in large numbers?
3- "New" technology usually takes a generation or two to catch on.

Mother's off-the-boat (newly-arrived immigrant) neighbors had a dryer in their house (it came with the house) and never used it..even in winter. [It was a Speed Queen with a very distinctive sound out of the vent.]

They had a new kitchen put in and I had to show them how to use it. Throught the grapvine I heard it wasn't even used on holidays.

My aunt got one finally in her 50's, ostensibly for holidays. She continued to wash dishes by hand because my uncle had "his" (favorite) knife "his" dish, "his" glass. Etc.
She was not comfortable stocking-up with too much kitchen STUFF, meaning enough to make a full DW load with a few pieces to spare.

I myself have Correlle dishes sits flatter; smaller pieces in height, stacks well) service for 12 (or was it 16?)in that I HATE having to pull stuff out of the DW to wash it by hand between loads; and I dont have a set of China.

 

[brasilianguy]

when dishwasher were launched in brazil, they wasn't so good, and u had to clean all the dishes b4 put in the dishwasher, so it created a wrong idea that if u need to clean the dishes b4 put in the machine, i can already wash them.... and have the problem of the eletricity that it spends..... here in brazil, almost no one house have central wather heather, so the dishes are washed in cold wather by hand, and use a dishwasher u have the spend of energy.... even more couse our dishwashers use the europian way to wash, they admit cold wather and heats it by itsenf, and as i said, the olders used too much energy, cousing a bad impression that no one brand can change and make dishwashers more usual.....

I have a dishwasher and use it everyday!!!!

 

[thomasortega]

by the way, i have mine too and I use it every day too..
(and we're probably the only two brazilians that do that. hahahahahhahaha)

 

[appliguy]

The first Whirlpool dishwasher ever made

was made in 1959. Whirlpool started out making washers as the Upton Machine Corp. In the mid teens Lou Upton and the President of Sears Roebuck came to the agreement that Upton would make wringer washers for Sears. They sealed this agreement with a handshake. In the 1920's Upton Machine Corp and 1900 Corp. merged and starting about 1930 the Whirlpool name was used as a model name. After the second world war 1900 Corp. introduced its first automatic as the 1947 Kenmore. The next year the introduced their own version under the Whirlpool name. In 1950, 1900 Corp. was rechristened Whirlpool Corp. For a brief time in the mid 50's the Company was known as Whirlpool-Seeger Corp. after Whirlpool had bought the Seeger Refrigeration Company. All Whirpool appliances form 1956 to 1967 were marketed as RCA Whirlpool. The First Automatic Dishwashers were made in the 1920's by the Walker Brothers and they designed a fill valve and direct drive system that is still used today on some GE and Hotpoint Dishwashers (GE bought the Walker Brothers in 1920's). The first Dishewasher with the GE logo appeared in 1932. The 1936 Hotpoint was the first front loading dishwasher ever made and the inaugural model only had one rack. Hotpoint added the second rack in 1939 Calrod heating units and pumps in the late 1940's. GE stayed exclusively with the toploading dishwashers until the early 50's (Dishwashercrazy correct me if I am wrong). GE introduced the First Portable dishwasher in 1949 but it was a PIA to use becasue it took a lot of different steps to run it. With dishwasher sales in the indusrty as a whole lagging behind other appliances Appliance Park introduced the Mobile Maid Dishwasher in 1954. According to my book on Appliance Park a manager at the Park decided to give the green light on this project unbeknownst to the GE Brass in Bridgeport. Luckily for him sales took off and the Mobile Maid was the Dishwasher Darling of 1954. When I find my book about the History of Appliance Park I can give you more definate dates for these milestones...PAT COFFEY

 

[mrcleanjeans]

I had an instruction book for an RCA Whirlpool automatic dishwasher from 1956.It had an impeller,two racks that rolled out together like the early Hotpoints and was made by D & M.
It was the exact same dishwasher as the American Kitchens Roto-Tray and the Crosley Swirl Clean tray machine sans the round rack. I've seen pictures of the 1914 dishwasher in an old magazine .It was made by the
Whirlpool corp., known then as the 1900 Corp., not yet Whirpool. It's true that the first Hotpoint had one rack,but it came out in 1935. Those 1920s Walkers were not automatic. For sure the Hotpoint was the first automatic dishwasher made in 1935 and released in 1936. 1959 WAS the year that Whirpool started making their own dishwashers instead of D & M.The new Jet Stream system with R-W-R-W-R-R,dry swept the industry to new standards. Most others, even KitchenAid still had one wash,two rinses,some brands had a little more than that.

 

[appliguy]

Mr. Cleanjeans...

If you have a 1956 RCA Whirlpool Dishwasher owners manual then the people who told me that 1959 was the first year for RCA Whirlpool dishwasher were obviously wrong. According to my book on Appliance Park GE introduced an automatic dishwasher in 1932. I would love to know what source that you have seen says Hotpoint. I do not mean that I do not believe you or anything because I realize my info maybe erronious, that is why I am intrested to know where you got your info and if that source might be available to me as well. I don't know about you but when it comes to the history of anyhting it always ticks me off when somebody screws it up. As for its roots, Whirlpool traces them back to the Upton Machine Company. THAT I know for sure because the info I stated before about Lou Upton and the hand shake agreement he had with the President of Sears in 1916 was gotten off the Whirlpool site a couple of years ago and it was also mentioned on the Sears history web site as well as at the link below. 1900 Washing machine Company did not come into the picture until 1929, and when it did merge with Upton the new company was christened 1900 Corp. If you go to the link below it will give you the whole histroy of Whirlpool even the fact that Lou Upton was president of the company until 1949 when Elisha "Bud" Gray succeeded him . Again I do not mean to come off as arrogant and I hope we both can share info becasue it sounds like you are a very well veresed person about these things and I always love to get the opportunity to learn more about my favorite topics......PAT COFFEY

http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Whirlpool-Corporation-Company-History.html

 

[retro-man]

Years ago I would babysit for a family that had an RCA Whirlpool dishwasher in their kitchen. It was an impeller design. Two seperate racks. It was a built in. Timer was down on the bottom right. One cycle, in yellow. Big handle on the front to lock door. left was to open and right was for locking and running. Impeller ran for washing and drying the dishes. One place to put detergent. An indentation in the door. The woman stated she got this in 1956 after her 3rd son was born. It ran until the mid 70's when the motor went on it. So I don't know who is right in this, when the 1st came out.
Jon

 

[appliguy]

I believe that you just confirmed what Mr Cleanjeans had sta

The first RCA Whirlpool dishwasher was built in 1956 as the owners manual he had came from that year