GE Postscrubber 1200

[kenmoreguy64]

My first 1200 had the ivory color racks too. I think both your current machine Gary and mine were late models, though John told me that my later one (the first one) didn't have the heavy duty door springs this one has, as well the upper rack didn't have the wheels in the back that roll on the tub roof, which stabilize the rolling of the rack. I'm half tempted to knock on my old door and ask the owners if they'd like my Tall Tub free of charge in trade for the 1200 (if it's still there).

As for the cup rack, this machine came with it, I took it out right away, which I did in my last 1200 too. For me it just gets in the way. My 2200 didn't have one, nor did Mom's 900s, and I preferred mine that way.

I'm with Bob on the limited use of the upper rack's left side. I usually managed to fill it, and I did yesterday, but just as Bob said, you have to improvize sometimes and put stuff there that you ordinarily wouldn't. Out of curiosity Bob, what happened to your machine? Does your Mom still have hers?

Oh yeah - Darren, if for some reason you accidentally close the detergent cup lid, just start a cycle and cancel it immediately, the timer will rapid advance all the way around and release the cup.

Gordon

 

[peteski50]

1200 and 2800 dispenser!

I never did like that circular dispenser.I dont know anyones else feelings on the matter.

 

[kenmoreguy64]

Circular dispenser

GE still makes models with that same detergent cup. I never had any objections to it, but it sure lets you know when it opens!

Gordon

 

[peteski50]

Circular dispenser

Yes it sure does let you know when it opens. I thought it was startling at times. I had the BOL years back. Also it sometimes jammed but I was able to get around it but a few people I knew that werent appliance people seemed to have a harder time getting it to stay closed. We should start a thread on which dispensers were better or worse!

 

[MaytagA710]

Very nice! Excellent thread too.

With the Multi-Orbit arms, I always thought the power tower didn't move in an oscillating pattern with the arm?

Its neat to see how different the cycle charts are from Canadian versions. My Medallion 850 misses a third rinse after the main wash on the normal cycle. The Potscrubber and Heavy Wash cycles are for the most part the same. My Normal Wash goes: Prewash - Rinse - Wash - Quick Rinse - Rinse & Water Heating - Dry/Off. I really love GE DWs, I love how they sound.

Here is a picture of my racks, I don't have the fence, and my shelf is on the far left side, not out in the middle of the rack like the 1200 or 2200. The difference between Canadian and US machines is VERY interesting.

 

[appnut]

An observation

Peter, I find it difficult to believe to believe this was a later version of this machine than my 1987.  The reason being it uses more water than comparable cycles in the guide Gordon scanned and there is no mention of the temeprature sensor 120 system being available to extended wash times, other than PotScrubber cycle having extended main wash time, all rather counter to what was going on at the time as the year progressed--using less water and more std. water heating so households could turn down their water heaters to 120 degrees.  This reminds me more of what would have been on this model when it was first introduced as a PotScrubber III (with Debbie Reynolds in a magazine ad we've seen).  This was when the 1200 was the TOL before the 2800 arrived on the scene.  Also, there is no real difference between Normal wash and Energy Saver wash, which as far as I'm concerned is a real joke at trying to pass it off as an Energy Saver cycle. 

 

[appnut]

kevin, I saw the type of top rack your machine has toward the end of these Super Racks as we knew them.  I think I saw them on a "high-end" Hotpoint and maybe a mol GE.  In fact, I now remember where I saw it--had some friends that lived here and fell in love with my dishwasher.  When they moved back to lexington, KY and built a new house, they specified a GE 1200 (this was like in late 1991 or early 1992 and by then they had come out with the Quiet Power line.  I was actually kinda jealous of the top rack in that new 1200 because it was far more flexible than what Gordon and mine had.  Incidentally, when I returned home from visiting my friends there in KY about 1993 or 1994, the next time I used my dishwasher, something happened to the cam mechanism on the cycle buttons and the button no longer stayed pushed in when you started the dishwasher, it just popped back out when you released it from holding it down to start the cycle.  The heated dry buttons still worked properly. 

 

[appnut]

just start a cycle and cancel it immediately, the timer will

Actually Gordon, you can start a cancel/drain cycle from the off position and it will go all the way around.  You don't have to start one cycle and then simply push the cancel button. 

 

[peteski50]

1200 vs 1200s

The 1200 uses 11.9 gallons and the 1200s uses 10.3 gallons in normal cycle
I am almost sure this one was introduced to get a better rating in terms of energy. All these models did have the ability to use 120 water temp.
Does anyone else want to chime in!

 

[appnut]

Well Peter, I"m gonna be the devil's advocate so to speak and split hairs with you.  You cannot simply go by "label" of cycle, you have to look at comporable sequences.  As I have stated before in discussing these differences, what was Normal on my model later became Heavy Soil and that's a comparable comparison.  What was Light Wash on my model later became Normal Cycle.  Except for China-Crystal, all comparable cycles used more water on the S version than others, including rinse & hold.  You look at essential sequence, not label.  (It's kinda like some people on here bitch because their Duet doesn't have a cycle called Permanent Press on it, but the manual clearly states the Normal/Casual cycle is intended for, including, wrinkle free and permanent press items).    Another way of looking at this is the layout of the buttons.  From left to right, each ensuing button was for a lower performing/lower soil requirement.  They simply dumbed down in a way the terms, trading Normal for LIght, and Heavy for Normal.  (Kinda like that last of the PlwerCleans, Normal started with the main wash phase, no "prewash", so you had to use "heavy wash" if you wanted to have dual detergent washes.  It's simply manipulating terms again to satisfy some government requirement.  But then again, I look inside the covers rather than simply accept what the cov er of the books says.  It's also kind of like on the new Maytag Maxima's, default normal soil is the equivalent of heavy soil (and time length of cycle) on the cmparable Duet model.  Just like I stated above, I habitually used Light Soil because it was simply the equivalent cycle (in terms of sequence of events) for what many other brands at the time had as normal (prewash, rinse, heated main wash, and two post wash rinses).  And my energy saver cycle was the equivalent of most light soil cycles--maybe a prewawsh but then a shortened main wash (probably without temp boost) and two rinses, which si what my energy sagver cycle was.  I used it for light soil or for soil that haedn't sat for more than aday or if I was doing some cooking and baking and that was the perfect cycle for stuff that hadn't become encrusted.  And as I've said before, I knew my Normal Cycle was the equivalent of most other's heavy soil cycle and I didn't reaklly use it, if I felt I needed better performance over the Light Soil (which gleefully took care of cooked on oatmeal and other starches which had sat for several days), I jsut simply went straight to PotScrubber.  Even with dinner guests of 10 & 12 and just tableware put in there, Light Soil was more than adequate. 

[this post was last edited: 9/18/2011-22:50]

 

[mrcleanjeans]

The original "Debbie Reynolds" Potscrubber III dishwasher debuted in 1978 and did not have the ability to use 120 degree water,unless you used the Potscrubber cycle. It wasn't until 1979.when KitchenAid told America, with the 19 series that "now you can turn down your water heaters to 120 degrees and save 10% on your energy costs" that other manufacturers followed. Of course a handful offered this feature as far back as the Apex, Youngstown Kitchens, Sears but it became widespread soon after KA acted like they "debuted" it!

 

[peteski50]

potscrubber3

yes you are right after kitchenaid started it they all seemed to follow!
But some took more time than others.

 

[mrcleanjeans]

Exactly! It wasn't right away,but the ball started rolling with KitchenAid!

 

[gadgetgary]

GE1200 in New Haven, Ct

$50

 

 

http://newhaven.craigslist.org/app/2605500056.html

 

[combo52]

120 DEGREE INCOMING WATER

By the early 1980s all DWs were required to be able to operate on 120 water, as they still are.  Remember the silly MT BD DW that didn't even have a heater in the late 1970s, that machine went away in the early 1980s.

 

[whirlykenmore78]

multiple pattern jet tower

I had a 1999 Maytag Intelliclean 9000 series DW with the 22 jet tower which changed patterns with every revolution of the lower Jetclean wash arm. That tower combined with the full size wash arm in the top of the machine washed the top rack as well as Mom's KA KDP-20 with the SS upper wash arm. The triple filtration and hard food disposer completed the package. I'd love to have an Intelliclean and a Hobart built KA on either side of the sink. These machines could challenge eachother on who cleans the best. (We all know the Hobart was best built.) My 17 years in the foodservice biz can confirm that.

 

[kenmoreguy64]

Getting re-accustomed to the 1200

Just as I had learned to let go of my gripes about the TallTub and to load it using it's racks instead of fighting them trying to load like I loaded the old 1200, now I'm re-learning my old usage patterns.

I LOVE the power of this dishwasher. Already, the colander that is seen in the top rack picture has far more shine on it than it did before. There was stuck-on starch from spaghetti noodles, which never came off in the TT. I just assumed it was tarnished. One run through the 1200 with a Finish Powerball Tab and the chrome shine is back. Sitting in front of the machine, you can hear the multi-orbit wash arm spraying the door in different patterns, which sounds like a pressure washer, vs. a spray bottle that my TT reminded me of.

So far I've used the Potscrubber cycle to run the Affresh tablet that I 'flushed' the machine with, and I've run the Normal Wash twice. Next will be to test the Light Soil cycle, which is what I usually used on my last 1200. I've tried the Rinse/Hold as well.

The sound of the new-style GE replacement pump/motor takes some getting used to as compared to the old motor, but overall, what a machine!

Gordon