GE Mobile Maid SM200DS

[thomasortega]

Hi folks, yesterday I was lucky to find a GE mobile Maid Dishwasher. Now I need some info, please.

1) when was it made? Model is SM200DS and serial number is DD70250
2) I still didn't investigate it too much, but I know the fill valve is defective. Is it timed fill or it somehow senses the water level?) I didn't see a float switch, but I notice it has a plastic panel in the tub (front).
3) the control panel printing is long gone, so I don't know what the buttons do, except the first to open the lid and the last that activates the rinse aid dispenser. Can anybody tell me what are each of the four buttons?

I ran a test filling it manually, no leaks, pump works great for both wash and drain, heating element also works great.

Those pictures are BEFORE cleaning it. Except for tons of grease on top and panel, and the missing printing on control panel, everything looks pristine. It's visible it wasn't used very much because the racks are immaculate. No rust or bent tines at all.

 

[launderess]

Have model just before yours IIRC. Cycles are pretty much same I think.

It's late and owners manual is put away but think from left to right four buttons are "Pots and Pans", "Normal", "China and Crystal" and "No Heat Dry", or words to those effects.

Pots and Pans is full cycle of W-R-W-R-R-D

Normal skips first wash (you have to move timer to proper position)

China and Crystal also skips first wash but also (again IIRC as never used) either skips one rinse but certainly does not engage heating element for full drying cycle.

My machine is timer fill. No float or anything like that. Being that water pressure is rather powerful here machine fills with quite a bit of water during allotted time. You may want to search archives as one *thinks* there maybe some sort of feedback or system to prevent dishwasher from filling if timer does not engage to stop.

Unless changed by your model year thermostat is more to maintain hot water temp. Only comes on during main wash (and again for drying) but timer remains on during entire wash period until timer clicks it off. There isn't any sort of temperature feedback/thermometer. Long as MM DW timer is in heating phase it will continue to do so. If your hot water is already hot (say 140F or above) this can result in some very hot washes. More to point if you stop washer and reset for another main wash when timer again reaches point to switch on heater, it will do so. Thus by end of second main wash you'll likely have some very scalding hot water.

One rarely used drying function. FWIU it's better for racks, especially lower ones not to expose them to heat of that drying coil often.

Tub liner is GE's famous Plastisol. One dropped knife or sharp object can cause a nick with may prove fatal to tub liner. Mine had a rust hole eaten through which was patched up by *Moi*

Am here to tell you these Mobile Maid DWs move quite a lot of water. Mines shimmies back and forth a bit from force of water hitting sides of tub.

If using full cycle you want to turn knob just until machine begins filling. If timer is moved too far there is risk of short cycling/not filling with enough water. Again these dishwashers are pretty basic, no float or other fill feedback and everything pretty much driven off timer. When timer says it's time to do "X", that is what machine will do.

https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?54735

https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?29445

 

[launderess]

As for pristine state one assumes many simply grew weary of constantly having to shift stuff off then back onto lid of these top loading dishwashers.

Three or four meals per day means unless thing was left without anything on top having to haul things off to open lid, then put everything back when lid was closed.

 

[repairguy]

Looks like it was built in February of 1966.

 

[rinso]

IIRC, this dishwasher is very easy to use, but has no soil separator. (food particle filter) This means it has a tendency to re-deposit food particles on the items it is washing.

 

[launderess]

Yibbles

Compared to previous Kenmore (made by Frigidaire) 18" dw the MM leaves things comparatively spotless and yibble free..

Long as things are well scraped before going in and use of a good detergent (in my case Cascade powder loaded with phosphates) have never had a problem. This even with third upper rack (glassware).

Then again this dw has about five changes of water with some of the rinse cycles rather short. That is quite a lot of energy, time, effort and water which does a good job in blasting off soils and sending them down drain.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Thomas, I don't know if you plan to use this machine, but on the off chance that you do not have the operating instructions, I want to tell you that glasses are loaded in the top rack leaning against the tall pins in each row so that the bases of the glasses drain and do not collect solid soil (yibblets). Glasses are not to be loaded over the tall pins.

 

[thomasortega]

Thanks for the advice... although quite obvious hahaha.

 

[thomasortega]

HEEEEEELP

I need ideas.

How can I clean the rinse-aid dispenser?

I'm afraid to take it apart because... well, just because.. you know the golden rule, it's old and if it's not broken, don't touch it.

But anyways, it is nasty. It has a dry blue thing in it, and I want to clean it... ideas?

By the way, it works beautifully.

My first idea was simply bleach the blue thing, it wouldn't remove it completely but at least it would look "less bad", but again... bleach and old plastic.... no bueno, so I pass.

Take it apart.... super afraid of doing that.

 

[tomturbomatic]

I deeply regret offering help.