Got a hands-on look at the new Maytag DW

[murando531]

I have to say I'm very impressed. It puts its WP/KA sisters to shame. The stainless steel wash arms feel solid, and though I couldn't really get into the shroud under the bottom arm (because the salesperson seemed grumpy and I didn't want to cause him to come interrogating) I noticed some interesting things. The wash system seems derived from the WP resource saver, but instead of a filter you can see a crescent shaped mesh screen (in one of the pictures attached) which is the accumulator just like the previous Point Voyager models have. I had wondered how it caught the bits that were pulverized by the grinder but that answered that. I'm excited to hear how they perform, because for the first time in actual YEARS I'm pleased with something new haha.

 

[logixx]

Thanks for the pictures. Hm, that upper spray arm reminds me of Miele's lower spray arm: looks cool from the top but once you look underneath... :-/ Question: how large are the holes in the bottom of the tub? Judging from the pictures, it looks like the four-blade grinder is utterly useless as not even a pea could pass through the screen... The holes in your Whirlpool's screen seem two to almost four times larger.

 

[murando531]

I thought the same about the upper arm, but I suppose the less volume that has to fill the body of the arm, the less water the machine as a whole has to use. The holes are bigger in person than pictures make it seem. The larger ones were about the same shape and size as my pinky nail, so I imagine that as far as soft foods, the soaking of hot water and baffling of the water rushing past may soften it enough to slip through.

I was afraid of the same thing before getting my Maytag, because the grate at the bottom has much smaller openings compared to the sister PV Whirlpools, but in almost a year I've yet to have a single piece of food remaining. I attached a picture below, but excuse the dirty tub; there weren't enough dishes tonight to warrant running a load, but this is actually cleaner than most times with as nasty as our dishes go in.

 

[murando531]

Pictures being compressed

I also just noticed that the picture files my phone creates are gigantic and the photo wizard here on the site is compressing them way down, so if anyone wants me to repost the pictures for more detail I can use the old link one at a time.

 

[tolivac]

"Most powerful motor on the market" Just how powerful is it?Don't think the dishwasher "blender blade" grinders are going to compare to a disposer.

 

[combo52]

NEW? Maytag Dishwasher

This is just a slightly changed version of WPs Tall Tub DW that they have been selling since around 2000. We sell a lot of these, WP original built all these with a two bladed grinder, then they came out with s four bladed grinder, they are interchangeable and whether it has 2 or 4 blades it makes little difference. In any event the grinder is very effective, all circulating water must past through the SS sizing plate behind the grinder blade, so there is no possibility of clogged wash arms with these DWs.

The motors on these DWs were originally labeled 1/5 HP, they are now labeled .24HP so I believe they are claiming 1/4 HP either of these would certainly be about the most powerful motor in a home DW today. Originally these motors were Emerson, they also used a lot of LG motors and many are also made in China, they all are completely interchangeable and I have seen no difference in failure rate among them.

These are among the best DWs you can buy today if you either don't want to ever mess with a slime covered stinky filter screen sitting in a sump of water in the bottom of your DW or be picking all sorts of little bits of food that did not get scraped off dishes..

 

[murando531]

They're new in the sense that they now use the Whirlpool Resource Saver's wash system; it's no longer a Point Voyager. HOWEVER, Maytag has chosen to modify it so that it works as closely to a PV as possible.

1. The diffuser plate shown in WP schematics is missing on the Maytag, which means the water is supplied to all three arms simultaneously, as a dishwasher should be.

2. In place of the dreaded filter and course strainer plate, there is now an accumulator with a fine screen on top. I took the bottom arm off and sure enough, there is a jet positioned to spray right over it.

3. The feed tubes are now more narrow, which is not surprising these days. I imagine to keep a balance of features like the chopper blades and wash arms running at the same time, but also meet water requirements, they had to compromise by how much water is having to fill arms and pipes. I do understand why they decided to use basically the same motor from the previous gen though; that puny new WP/KA motor wouldn't stand a chance using this system.

I assume that there is a centrifugal separator built in behind the chopper blade, along with some way for a portion of the water to be pushed through to the accumulator. Hopefully there will be more demo videos or the like added to the website so it will be more clear. I loved the demos they had recently because they seem to have no problem with showing what happens under the hood unlike most manufacturers, so I'm excited for new ones to post.

 

[murando531]

Figured I'd revive an old thread rather than start a new one for the same subject.

Back about 8 months ago, my mother-in-law's fiance had a house built, and the appliances they installed were stainless steel Whirlpool's, the dishwasher being a MOL model with the slate plastic tub, and of course the filter. They couldn't get the thing to produce clean dishes no matter what they did (a lot was indeed user error, but I had to give them a 101 lesson on loading a dishwasher. They would put a handful of silverware FACE DOWN in a single compartment, and then complain that there was food stuck between them. I told them there's a reason for the little stemware dividers lol.) After about 4-5 months, literally nothing would work, despite my loading advice, showing them to run the hot water before starting, and to use a heavier cycle and hi temp options when they had more soiled dishes. Even after almost 4 hour cycles, the dishes would have a grimy feeling, and food bits would still be on many items. They complained and finally were offered a replacement through the appliance dealer, so I advised them to get one of the newly-released Maytags.

Here it's been about 3-4 months since the exchange, and every time I'm over, they rave about how well the machine performs. I still have to give them little tidbits of dos and don'ts, but other than that, they haven't complained. The machine is dead quiet, almost too quiet for my taste, despite having the large motor and disposal blades. The cycles are much longer than my Voyager Maytag, but they don't seem concerned because the only way to know it is actually running is to put your ear against it, or of course look at the timer. When the door is opened, there is a shower of water falling, and both wash arms will be coasting to a stop. If I didn't have two beautiful machines in perfect condition at the moment, I'd almost be tempted to buy one!!

 

[joeypete]

Beautiful washer! Very shiny

 

[askolover]

I almost got one

I was looking for a stainless interior a few months ago when these first came out.  There's one at our local Lowes that has already fallen apart inside, I'm sure by shoppers looking and feeling their way around in it...then I found this site and decided to just find a good KA and lucked out by finding a brand new '94 model like my mother's.  After reading other sites posts by owners complaining about how dark it is inside a stainless machine I'm glad my KA is white.  These do look nice though, hope they are reliable...meaning longer than 5 years use.

 

[logixx]

Dark interior

So true! Our old microwave had a white enamel interior, while the new speed oven is stainless... and "so dark" inside. And if you think that stainless dishwashers are dark inside, wait until you get one that also has dark grey racks!

 

[washerdude]

Heres A Fun Fact

The sumps that are used in the Maytags, are the same sumps used in the Whilrpool filter dishwashers. This means you could swap out the motors for on or the other as long as its the motor used in the newer maytags.

 

[murando531]

askolover, logixx - I completely agree. Stainless steel to me has always been more of a gimmick. In machines that use condenser drying, they can be useful, but aside from that, it markets towards the people that think that if something is shiny, it will be better. The SS interiors are very dark too, even the models with interior lighting. My favorite dishwasher interiors have been the light grey plastic tubs Whirlpool used in the later model PowerCleans and in the Voyagers. Paired with the light grey racks and blue accents such as the latches and brackets on the racks and silverware basket, they had a very clean and modern look. The slate tubs they use now are so dark when coupled with the dark racks. My Maytag has this style interior.

To me, it seems SS requires much beefier insulation. Metal is a conductor of heat, plastic is an insulator. Plastic works great for drying if you're like me and prop the door open a little after the cycle is finished. The steam and moisture vent out while the inside stays warm and continues to evaporate the moisture left over on the dishes and the tub itself. My grandparents' Kenmore Elite with the SS interior cools off much too quickly.

I think these Maytags are built well enough that they should last, with proper care and common sense from their owners. Dishwashers are much more simple machines than washers. So long as one takes care to make sure no damaging particles could enter, and make sure not to slam their dishes in and jerk the racks in and out, and open/close the door with care (all things that are my biggest pet peeves, seriously), a dishwasher even these days should last longer than 5 years. Given that the owner hasn't thrown it out the back door if they don't have the power or water to clean properly!

 

[mark_wpduet]

Just read this thread

So the NEW Maytag's aren't point voyager anymore? Sigh! I LOVE my Maytag dishwasher!!! From what I read, it sounds like the new motor isn't as powerful as the one I currently have, but it's still better than wp/ka? I wonder why WP is making the Maytag dishwashers better than the actual WP/KA's? Makes NO sense...I hope this dishwasher I have lasts at least 10 years or more! I love it.