GE Wonder Kitchen Center dishwasher

[sqrly]

I acquired what I believe is a 55 or 56 GE kitchen center with the pull out dishwasher. I can not find a data tag on the kitchen center it self, but there is a data tag on the dishwasher. But some searches and I still don't find much info. Inside the center cabinet (under sink and dishwasher) there is an ink stamp date of 04-28-1955 which I assume is the day that cabinet was manufactured. I do not know if the dishwasher works but am hopeful it does. I'm sure it will need a good tune up.

I am trying to find the user manual and repair manual and parts list. Along with the same for the rest of my kitchen center.

Dishwasher data plate: Model No. ISS60M5G Serial No. 55205873
Kitchen center includes:
Sink with MOEN faucet (needs rebuilding)
Garbage disposal (removed and not going to use)
Cooktop (worked when removed from house)
Dishwasher
Wall mount double oven (Like new)
A few extra cabinets

I also got a 1953 GE Combination refrigerator with lazy Susan shelves. (Works)
All of this is about to be installed in my new construction home. I have never explored vintage appliances before now, so here we go, down the rabbit hole.

 

[pulltostart]

Justin,

Congratulations on acquiring all your equipment/toys!  It appears that you have the makings for a complete vintage kitchen.  There's lots of talent and information available here to help you complete your project.  If your kitchen center is a 1955 or 1956, the double wall oven is a little newer; without doing some reading I'd say 1961 or 1962-ish.  And, in the event your Combination refrigerator needs help, one of the best refrigeration people in the US is not far away from you.

 

Looking forward to seeing more photos as your kitchen comes together!

 

lawrence

 

[turquoisedude]

Congratulations, fellow Wonder Kitchen owner!

Justin, your dishwasher and the main part of the Wonder Kitchen is one of the first from 1955!  The date code "M" in the dishwasher model tag is GE's code for the year 1955.  

I could write a thesis about these dishwashers... I have a standalone 1955 model as well as the 1956 model in my Wonder Kitchen.    The main drive motor will probably start right up (those GE motors are pretty tough) but you may run into trouble with the drain pump or timer.   If the drain pump is troublesome, it's not that difficult to swap in one from a more recent dishwasher - I had to replace mine a couple of years ago and was able to use a modern Frigidaire dishwasher pump successfully.    If the timer does not advance when the machine is running, that means the timer motor has failed (a very common issue with machines of this age) BUT there are replacement motors that can be adapted.  

I'm jealous that you have the original GE Load Center in yours... mine had been stripped out a LOOOONG time ago.  

I recently scanned a copy of the 1955 Kitchen Centre Service Manual and installation instructions for another collector.  If you'd like a copy, please let me know.  I do not wish to publish my email address here but I can be reached through FB.  

 

 

[newvista58]

Congrats....I Love Love Love that Oven...

I have one, but with Stainless Doors. I NEED Turquoise ones.
If I had them, it would prob go in my kitchen, but I am planning on using my 1955 yellow GE oven.
I did a Wonder Kitchen in my first house, Yellow and Turquoise. Left it there when I moved. I wish I could find another one.

Good Luck with yours. You'll love it!!!

 

[sqrly]

Pulltostart, maybe the oven was replaced for some reason. This is the data plate for the oven, I will get better info this weekend. And yes, pretty much have the whole kitchen. Wonder kitchen and extra cabinets are from a lake house in Maryland that a doctor built. The fridge is from Chicago that was the sellers grandmothers and was in continuous use till a couple weeks before I got it. Also have the kitchen lighting and exhaust fan from the lake house. Then found NOS 50s tile from a long closed tile store that was being cleared. Got enough to do a nice backsplash in white and pink with a turquoise border.

Turquoisedude, yes, I will have my wife find you on FB, that would be fantastic to have any info I can get. I have spent years in the antique bicycle hobby, but this is my first in appliances. Lol I have read many of your posts and have been learning a lot from you and many others. Thank you.

 

[akronman]

and that wall sconce

in pic 6, I have 2 installed above my kitchen sink!

 

[sqrly]

Oven data plate
Model No. U D24W1BC (the "U" may belong to another data specification)
Serial No. XW001866
Looks like it is from 1963 so must have been changed for some reason.

Newvista58, we are so excited to have this in our new house. It is so beautiful. We found this by accedent, my wife was looking for turquoise cabinets and this popped up.

Now we are "keeping an eye out" for a 50s-60s era washer and dryer set that is cosmetically great shape. Not searching hard yet, need to finish the house first, but it has to handle a family of 4 and would prefer turquoise or pink.

The load center is not going to be used, but I'm thinking I will put it and the garbage disposal behind the lazy Susan cabinet as an Easter egg if somebody ever removes the kitchen.

Is the special griddle plug used only for GE griddles? Is the griddle worth searching for?

Also, is the chrome strips at the top of the center and left base cabinets available? Why is it on some but not all the cabinets? Seems to be the same for every kitchen center photo I have seen.

 

[rinso]

My in-laws had a GE sink and dishwasher combination. I think they called it an "Electric Sink." Anyway, I was always fascinated by the timer which was driven by the main motor. It was basically a cam and followers system.

 

[sqrly]

Turquoisedude, thank you for the service manual! It is a wealth of information. No more guessing what goes where when digging in the bucket of bolts and brackets I got with the set.

 

[turquoisedude]

Glad I could help, Justin!  I got the manual a couple of years after I installed mine and I made more than a few boo-boos ....  BUT the 56 Wonder Kitchen is still functional after all this years and mishaps!!  

 

[sqrly]

Should I proactively replace the timer and pump motors? If one or the other fails at the right time, could that cause a water overflow condition? I am planing to replace the top gasket before I try to use it. Kinda scared to ruin a brand new floor (that I get to install).

Also, is there or was there ever a matching stainless (don't think it was Monel) counter top for the extra base cabinets?

 

[circlew]

Countertops

Tops for the other cabinets would have been custom fabricated to fit the space. If you want stainless steel countertops for your cabinets, you can have them fabricated by companies such as Elkay or Just Mfg. Co. I don't know who made the stainless sinktop for GE originally, but the cabinets are Republic Steel.

 

[sqrly]

I will look into Republic Steel. I have found very little searching for GE cabinets.

Can anybody tell me if the heat shield under the cooktop (over the cabinet drawer) is supposed to be color matched, white or black? I somehow am missing mine, must have been inadvertently left behind at the lake house of which has been demolished. I am intending to make one.

 

[sqrly]

Can anybody give me the mounting bracket locations for the wall mount refrigerator? I haven't drywalled yet, so now would be a great time to reinforce the wall in case I ever find one in the future.

 

[turquoisedude]

Wall refrigerator installation

Justin, a copy of the GE Wall Refrigerator installation instructions is on its way to you!

 

I would recommend that you do at least a couple of cycle tests with the dishwasher before installing it, with and without water.   If the timer failed, the machine will simply not advance through cycles - when started up, this style of dishwasher runs a "preheat" phase for a few minutes - the impeller motor runs and the calrod heater heats up to compensate for cool incoming water in the pre-rinse fill.  If the timer motor is not running, it will never advance to the first fill.    If the water pump was to fail, there is a pressure switch in the drain chamber before the pump motor - if this switch is 'on', the water valve will not power on and let it more water.  You'd be washing and rinsing with the same water already in the machine.   It would not be a bad idea to get a spare drain pump, as a precaution...

 

 

[bat111]

Service manual

Hi sqrly and turquoisedude! Is there anyway I can get a copy of the service manuals for the kitchen center and wall mounted fridge/freezer? We have an *almost* fully working GE Wonder Kitchen. Two of the burners are malfunctioning (one doesn’t work and one is perpetually on). Also need to work on the faucet (Moen/GE Hotpoint—like the Wonderflo). Also trying to get our wall mounted fridge/freezer up and running again. Any advice or manuals would be incredibly helpful!

 

[sqrly]

Here is what I have for the faucet, it is screen shots from another thread on this site (sorry I don't know the thread title or the poster name)

 

[sarahperdue]

Wall fridge manuals

Both the user and service manuals for the wall fridge are available on automatic ephemera.

 

Sarah