Help! I Want - no, NEED - A Portable Kitchenaid Dishwasher!

[ovrphil]

2 others KDC-21AD Kitchen-aid dishwasher - $25 (san rafael)

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/app/5437015342.html

" Perfectly Good, yet Older Dishwasher - $25 (san rafael)"

Not a portable - but at this price, if good, maybe you can do as Ralph suggested above?

OR ....OR.....this one:

2) 1971 stainless steel Kitchenaid Superba KDS-17A dishwasher - $100 (alameda) - http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/atq/5430641539.html

Sorry they're not already portables.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/app/5437015342.html

 

[rp2813]

I found a thread with the name of the IKEA enclosure.  It's called "Varde."

 

Here's a picture of Nate's Varde.  He has since put a platform on the bottom and added casters. 

 

Logistics prevent a revolving door.  ;-)

 

 

[ovrphil]

Portable Dishwasher (Maytag) -- very good condition - $50

Just in case you were considering ...but it's probably too far

http://santamaria.craigslist.org/app/5417441205.html

 

[delaneymeegan]

I wish I had a better way of taking advantage of you.

Perhaps looking at the free section for any brand/age portable dws. Just use them until they no longer work.

My experience has shown, portable dws go QUICK. There are not a lot of them.

Where as there is a plethora of free built-in dws.

Well, good luck finding someone to screw you over. I have a couple of portable 1980s dws I could sell for $500-600 each, but I'm too far from you for the mutual masochistic relationship to work. :-(>>

 

[ovrphil]

Just for the rest of us who don't have the same experience with portables...what makes the portable dishwasher such a poor prospect or comparatively money-wasting?

I'd also like to hear from others who have portables - did your portable die before your built-ins? I'm curious, from an engineering standpoint, what makes a built-in inherently weaker and less desirable than a builtin?

 

[turquoisedude]

Phil, I'd have to say that I prefer portables as collection items 'cuz it's a heck of a lot easier to swap them in and out of the kitchen(s) for use.  That being said, most of 'em are buried in the garage anyway...  LOL

 

I've said this before but I'm old... The area where I grew up had smallish kitchens with badly thought-out plumbing (most houses had a 4-foot run of drain pipe running through the base cupboards from the sink to the wall where the main stack was) and this made most built-in installations difficult to say the least.  Portables were the only way most folks could have a dishwasher without doing major remodeling.    

 

[ovrphil]

Paul - and that's where my logic points when I think of portables, but also they're fun. I couldn't care less about their durability and there are plenty of good KA portables out there. But where. other than maybe in the water connections, would a good KA portable fail sooner than its identical model built-in/installed?

BTW - My parents had such a small home, my mom refused a portable and there wsa no room for anything like another drawer, let alone a built-in dishwasher.

 

[ibuzzard]

Update and Question

First of all, another thanks for the "above and beyond" help of members.

Again, zero response - again - from the party in Roseville ( KA ), and I amawaiting a call from the Maytag owner in Santa Maria when he returns from travel That one would need to be put back to original configuration with I guess a new hose, as it was altered to fit at the end of an island.

I did not check into the other Maytag down south, as it is a bit too far for a machine I really only have a passing interest in as a stopgap measure till I find a KA.

Now my question: What all needs to be done to make a built -in work as a portable once mounted in that Ikea cabinet? Is it a hassle? There happens to be an unused cabinet for sale on my local C.L., and I do have a KDS 21 sitting in the garage. I understand that these cabinets are not sold anymore, and would possibly be interested if converting one if its relatively pain free.

Any advice/suggestions?

Steve

 

[tinkr]

built in to portable this was how we were going to do it

My Jet clean is a semi builtin. I had to adapt the hoses to make it fill and drain into a sink. And add an extension cord to plug into an outlet.
before we got a cabinet for it... tipping was the issue.
All the hoses and faucet adaptor were purchased at big box hardware store.
My 1st plan was to use it as a portable

To use it in a portable way. We would have removed the leveling feet and built a rolling platform, Using castors. Attached the dishwasher to it and found a 20-30 lb. weight to place in the rear of the machine. No tipping. Place the cabinet over it secure the cabinet to the platform. Straight metal brackets and screws. Run the electrical splicing thru a metal box. (Attached to the side of the cabinet.)


If your washer has really died see what can be used it's castors and see if there is a way to use the hoses or at least adapt the fill and drain all in one connection at the sink. And see what was used as a counter weight. I would think there is something.

The pic is just an idea for a platform. If your handy it can be done successfully.

I'm the visionary LOL Hubs is Really the genius, He said the portable would work. But no space in my make shift kitchen.
I know the experienced individuals on the form will probably poo poo this but is only my idea. For what its worth.
And desperate times call for Where theses a will theres a way.

 

[vacbear58]

Ikea Varde

Steve

I have had a look through the old threads and I think this one may help as it refers to Nate's (Roto204) use of a Varde Cabinet.

I have also posted a couple of photos, the first showing the unit without platform and the second with a platform. Seems to me that you will need something like the platform which Cheryl has shown above to mount the whole thing on - I think the Varde cabinet should be heavy enough so that you do not need to but a counterbalance weight at the back of the machine. I would NOT use plastic wheels if your are planning on moving this regularly.

Being a Brit I am guessing that you will need to get an electrical cord and a unicouple fitting with fill & drain hoses. I think I recall reading that extra long versions of these hoses are available - would these perhaps assist so that you could use the KA (inside the Varde cabinet) without moving it from its storage location?

Finally, have you considered a top loading KA as an alternative portable unit?

Good luck

Al

It's here!

Yay!

www.automaticwasher.org

 

[roto204]

Al

Look at you, curating those pics! :-D

Thank you for posting those. That Varde cabinet was great--we added the rolling base when we moved to a place where I could no longer cheat with a long unicouple.

I did encounter a few considerations:

As you'll note, I designed the base such that I moved the front casters slightly out forward; this addressed the tipping issue. It never tipped, not even a bit.

The cabinet is so heavy that you likely will not have a problem with tipping, anyhow. Plus, you'll build biceps, because even with good casters, the whole assembly is not light, and will not roll particularly easily--at least, not compared to a true portable.

Oh, and about that--get the best-grade casters you can. The urethane ones from Harbor Freight worked a treat. Dinkier or even standard ones will wear from the weight, and fail fairly quickly. This is especially true if your enclosure is housing a heavy vintage machine, like a Frigidaire spin-tube or older KitchenAid.

Make sure the base is sturdy--if it bows, you'll have problems with the machine binding in the enclosure. I used solid wood, 1" thick on mine.

Also make sure the bottom is strong, flat, and smooth--it will improve the ease of installing a new machine should your tastes change (or, like me, you find something new to play with every few months).

I mounted the bottom out a bit by adding rails beneath the Varde's legs, then attached the bottom to the rails. This allows taller machines to fit. Don't be stuck with an enclosure that won't accommodate your machine! Oh, and save the cute toe-kick Ikea includes in the kit. On some machines, you'll need it; on some, you won't, or it may not fit. But when it does fit, it looks really smart.

Do yourself a favor--sand and finish the top with polyurethane. Don't let Ikea imply that mineral oil is good enough. (The stray piece of mail that lands on it will thank you.)

Lastly, you'll need to devise a place to store your unicouple. I built a cubby on the back with 1/4" plywood to do just this.

All that notwithstanding, this was the best investment we ever made--it opened up a world of possibilities for dishwashers, and liberated us from having to seek out portables. They are often limited in selection and command a premium anywhere, but in the Bay Area--with its plethora of dishwasherless and cramped quarters--especially so.

 

[vacbear58]

Roto204

Nate,

My pleasure

And what a great information you have added - shame that IKEA don't seem to do that cabinet any more. I was amazed when I first visited the US that the majority of dishwashers did not have sides and top - virtually all the dishwashers we get in Europe have side and top panels (so like portables but without wheels).

Al

 

[pulltostart]

Kitchenaid Portable

Good News:  Here you go, a vintage Kitchenaid portable.

 

Bad News:  Located in Washington State, a tad pricey.

 

lawrence

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[delaneymeegan]

What is your situation? Then we can advise you.

Specifically:
Are you a handy person? plumbing, electric, wood working?

Does the dishwasher have to be moved, OTHER THAN to connect it to the sink?
In other words, if the dishwasher worked in the spot you ususally park it when its not connected, would that work for you?
If so, you need not worry about adding wheels or even an inclosure. All you'd need is to get extended hoses and cord. You may be able to use the connections on your dying dw for that.

We need to know.

 

[ibuzzard]

Going to stick with a portable . . .

. . . vs. putting a built - in within an Ikea cabinet. I would love to find the portable version of a KDS 21, but will consider other top quality vintage machines .

Converting a built-in is too much work, and my wife would be unhappy moving such a heavy machine. Also, a top-load machine would not please her, or me, for that matter. So, the search continues . . .

Steve

 

[tomturbomatic]

A classic Amana Microwave placed on top of the freestanding/portable dishwasher that you create will stabilize it against tipping. Just something to have for future reference.