GE PDT750 Takes John's (combo52) Peanut Butter Test

[frigilux]

I recalled a post in which John Lefever (combo52) mentioned a good test for a dishwasher's ability to clean in the upper rack was to smear peanut butter inside glassware. It took one week, two loads, and an accidentally deleted photo to complete the deed---but here it is.

First Load: I was on my own Christmas Eve and decided to add a couple of tall, peanut butter-smeared glasses to the load in the upper rack (Photo 1). One was placed in the back right corner of the rack and one over the bottle-washing sprayer. They are my 7" tall iced tea glasses (Photo 2). I selected the Normal Cycle with Temp Boost and the Bottle Wash option (Photo 3).

Results: The glass over the bottle sprayer, unsurprisingly, emerged spotlessly clean. The glass in the back corner was only partially cleaned, with five spots of peanut butter ranging from the size of a dime to the size of a fifty-cent piece remaining. I took a photo, but must have deleted it. At any rate, the back right corner of the rack definitely flunked the test.

Second Load: New Year's Eve day my interest in posting results of the test returned. This time I used three glasses: One in the back right corner (to replicate test #1), one in the middle of the left side, and a shorter glass in the back left corner. I wanted to know if the GE could handle a shorter glass in the corner, as the tall glass proved beyond its capability. (Photo 4). I selected the Normal Cycle with Temp Boost, placed a Cascade Platinum pac in the dispenser and pressed start (Photo 5).

Result: I pulled everything but the glasses from the top rack, expecting to see deposits on the tall glass in the back right corner (Photos 6 & 7). In what can only be described as a bewildering WTF moment, the glass was clean, save for a small spot. The glasses on the left side of the rack were completely cleaned. I have absolutely no explanation for why the glass in the back right corner emerged cleaner in the second load. Both racks were more fully loaded in load #2, which should have made it the more challenging test.

Final Analysis: Inconsistent cleaning in corners of upper rack.

 

[mamapinky]

Frig, I am going to try this test today in my old Frigidaire. Cheryl

 

[logixx]

Thanks for another issue of FrigiLux Reports. I have to wonder, though: what's so difficult about removing peanut butter? Won't it just melt from the heat?

 

[mark_wpduet]

Two things

for my dishwasher are dried peanut butter or miracle whip on butter knives. Not always, but once in a while, there will be a knife that comes out of the dishwasher with residual left on it.....but not always.....but if the peanut butter or miracle whip is on an actual dish, it comes clean! Dunno why

 

[murando531]

Peanut butter is something that has always given dishwashers trouble since the removal of phosphates. Before the exile, you could but a knife slathered in pb goop, and afterwards not a trace or smell was left. Detergents now, while full of enzymes and very well improved since the start of the removal, still can't quite handle pb because it's such a dense fatty protein. With both the PowerClean and the Maytag-Voyager, if ever there were a knife with peanut butter left on, they would always come out with little spots of dark brown, almost rust-like, that can only be removed with soaking in hot water and soap and then scrubbing the crap out of them. It seems more common on silverware and butter knives, especially those with serrated edges. It may have something to do with how it sticks to metal. Glass never seems to have a problem letting the stuff go. And plus, even if there is no peanut butter to be seen, there is always the smell. Blegh. I love pb but it's kinda like fish; smells good when eating, but is kinda off-putting afterward.

Egg and avocado are some other things that I've yet to find successfully removed by any dishwasher. Again, complex proteins that just don't break down or dissolve easily enough. And egg is by far worse than anything because it will "coat" everything with an invisible layer of "wet dog" odor.

 

[washman]

Frig

how long was the cycle start to finish including dry time?

 

[frigilux]

Ben-- I didn't clock the cycle time, but it usually comes in close to the estimated time shown on the screen when washing a full, fairly heavily-soiled load. I never use the Power Dry option, but it would have added 65 minutes to the cycle time.

Rationale: The same little 2-watt fan runs for 65 minutes when the Clean light comes on when Power Dry hasn't been selected. It shuts off when you open the door. The PDT750 is not a stellar drier and I find the quickest, most effective drying method is to open the door soon after the Clean light comes on.

I tried the Power Dry option when I first got the machine and found no real difference in drying performance. I'd rather not wait the extra 65 minutes before washing subsequent loads on heavy cooking days.

Photo 1: Normal Cycle + Temp Boost (no Power Dry)
Photo 2: Normal Cycle + Temp Boost with Power Dry

 

[mamapinky]

I did try this today..I used 4 tall glasses and smeared the inside bottom and inside sides well with peanut butter and put them in the D/W all on top rack..one in far back right corner one far left back corner one center and one right front. I let them sit several hours until dinner was done and D/W loaded..than I added Cascade gel with chlorine bleach and STPP which is what I normally add...all traces of peanut butter was gone. I know this wasn't a fair test using STPP but that's a normal addition for me. Not bad for a 21year old BOL Frigidaire. Cheryl

 

[earthling177]

Eugene:

Thank you for (a) running the test and (b) an honest report. It's good to know about not so good results, and it's even better to know about how repeatable it is, so props to you!

And the good thing about you running the test twice and getting conflicting results is that I can explain that one very easily: it's the same reason that a lot of people complain about bad results from dishwashers -- the larger load, which is more likely to be dirtier, made the dishwasher select one or both of a longer cycle or a stronger spray pressure/pattern.

I've seen plenty of cases of people who pre-rinse everything, then the dishwasher uses a shorter cycle and leaves things still dirty. The same dishwasher with scraped dishes, larger loads or dirtier loads leaves everything clean.

Cheers,
-- Paulo.

 

[washdaddy]

When you add STPP to the dishwasher are you putting into the dispenser or a particular point in the cycle?

How much should one be using in a modern day machine that only likes using minimal amounts of water?

 

 

[logixx]

Thanks for the explanation. I guess I can't do this test because our DW detergents still contain 30% phosphate.

 

[johnb300m]

I'm not totally surprised by these results.....aren't the upper corners the least reliable location? Especially for tall items?
Don't mean to be snarky, but I never put tall items in the corners. Seems pointless.
The spray arm on my PDT720 only has one angled jet for the far corners, which seems like not enough.

How many corner jets does WP cover the corners with?

Side note; on the X-arm GE dws, it's my understanding that the center of the lower rack is the real Power Zone in these machines. When the lower arm reverses, it sprays through less jets at higher velocity.
Would be very interesting to test out with some NASTY cookware!

 

[henene4]

I really have to try something simmilar in our slimline Bosch one. The upper racks are more rectengular due to the slimmer tub, which shortens the spray arms and thus makes the verry front and back middle of both racks harder to reach.

BSH slimlines have 2 small spray arms under the top rack now, which in theory makes for better coverage. Wonder if that really impacts the performance.

 

[washer111]

I've yet to try this...*

It should give me something to do soon once I have run of the house for a short while soon. 

 

I agree with John (reply #11), however, that putting tall, thin items in the corners is pointless because the DW spray is concentrated around the centre of the machine more (look at any wash arm and this will be revealed) - obviously where the bulk of the DIRTIEST items are likely to reside. 

 

What will be cleaning them on more powerful machines is spray from the bottom rack (where fitted).

 

My experience is, without using copious amounts of rinse agent, the glasses in the corner are most likely to collect "yibblets" due to the heavier nature of that furry/sand-like stuff that accumulates.

Larger items, like coffee mugs don't suffer this issue, and thus get the corner positions with priority for me/us. Tall items in the middle glass area, or with the plates elsewhere for best performance. 

 

*That said, there was my performance test of "glue" mixture in January 2013 that Frigilux and I posted on

 

[murando531]

The new Whirlpool has a jet on each end, though unlike the PowerClean and Voyager, and more like your GE, they're angled to the side, so I wonder how much water is actually making in and up to the bottom of the glass. I haven't had anything come out with grit or leftover soil, but there is never anything stuck on in our cups anyway. Perhaps I'll try the peanut butter test just for S&G and post results.

 

[norgeway]

Try the PB test

Using a one armed wonder Kitchen Aid....NO DETERGENT, I guarantee it will come out clean...

 

[appnut]

It won't come out clean if I load said one-arm wonder full of bowls, pots, pans essentially blocking all the water in the bottom rack getting very far up to the top rack.  And I had plenty loads this last week with lots of pots, pans, mixing bowls, and other cooking utensils.  I just load dirty said items packed into the machine and go about visiting with my company while the machine does my work for me.   

 

[logixx]

Okay, I bought some crunchy peanut butter, got the tallest glass I could find and smeared some PB in it. Using my everyday cycle will roughly give me: 15 min. heated prewash, 30 min. wash, 3 min. heated rinse, 15 min. final rinse and 10 min dry. Detergent is a finish tab.

 

[logixx]

Now, lets wait for the results of the results...

http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFoRH-VtFO4