Hotpoint Potwasher Dishwasher Wash Arm before and after

[maytaga806]

Here is my 20 year old dishwasher. The bottom wash arm VERY rusty. When i was little i thought the spray arm was supposed to be brown. But today i cleaned it. Here are some before and after pics for ya'll that are interested.

 

[maytaga806]

before^^

 

[maytaga806]

After

 

[dustin92]

We had a major hard water buildup in our Kenmore Ultra wash dishwasher when we moved into this house, I ran Dishwasher Magic dishwasher cleaner through a couple times, and we have been using Cascade Complete pacs, and Lemishine granules, just one pac in the detergent cup and about half a tablespoon of Lemishine on top of the pac, and in the 6 months we have lived here, it has come back to new. Try those products and see how things turn out. Ours was rusty like yours and crusty with hard water buildup.

 

[maytaga806]

well the deal with this dishwasher is we dont use it alot. we only use it about 3 times a year. Why? Because we have a septic and in our erea the water bill is VERY high.
at:dustin92:I was wondering if you could take a picture of the bottom of the dishwasher?

 

[maytaga806]

well the deal with this dishwasher is we dont use it alot. we only use it about 3 times a year. Why? Because we have a septic and in our erea the water bill is VERY high.
at:dustin92:I was wondering if you could take a picture of the bottom of the dishwasher?

 

[danemodsandy]

Daniel:

You know your own needs and usage best, but unless you're washing a very small number of dishes by hand, using the dishwasher will probably lower your water bill, not raise it.

Most people use much more water for washing a family's dishes than a dishwasher uses. Trust me, it's true!

 

[dustin92]

I will take a pic, but using the dishwasher, if it is working properly and you are running full loads, is typically more efficient than washing dishes by hand. For the most part, dishwashers reach temps that would scald human hands, and clean dishes better. We never use the heated dry though, and just open the door for a bit after the cycle ends.

 

[maytaga806]

Yes, i always leave the door cracked open after the heated dry cycle.

And at my house we cant use our dishwasher alot. we have a septic. a small septic.

 

[dustin92]

What I'm trying to say is that the dishwasher is actually using LESS water to wash dishes than hand washing the same amount of dishes. We had a septic at our old house, and ran the dishwasher pretty much daily, some days 2-3 loads, and never had trouble with the septic in 12 years. I havent forgotten to take a pic of the dishwasher, but it is running right now. I will snap a pic after it finishes!

 

[dustin92]

Here ya go... for some reason I couldnt get a good pic, but it is like new now. It was orangeish and crusty on every surface, the wash arms were even plugged with scale.

 

[maytaga806]

So what exactly is the black cap for? it shoots water up through the tower right? ANd atleast yours isnt as bad as mine!!!!!!!!

 

[dustin92]

Yes, the black cap is rubber and when the water pressurizes it, it presses up against the tower, feeding the top wash arm. It isnt bad at all now, but 6 months ago, it was worse than yours, and was so clogged up, it couldnt clean dishes that were already clean. Now it will pretty much gobble up anything.

 

[maytaga806]

WOW and i thought mine was bad! haha! So that black rubber car rises up to the rack to shoot water up the tower?

 

[dustin92]

Yes, when the machine is off it clears the bottom of the rack, but when it is pumping, it expands to meet the bottom of the tower.

 

[maytaga806]

So what makes the black rubber cap jump up to the rack/spray tower?
I want to get this right. The black rubber cap jumps up to the rack to shoot water up the tower right? ive always wanted to know this. So it doesnt just sit on the wash arm, it rises up right?

 

[akronman]

water pressure

The pump moves lots more water than can simply pour out that rubber hole, therefore it expands upward, makes contact with the white plastic, and holds the plastic tower in place as the entire arm assembly spins. Water pressure does it all.

Think of how your garden hose expands in your hand when the faucet is turned on.

 

[maytaga806]

Wow! Thats very interesting. I always got confuesed about if it stays on the wash arm or if it rises. So it complelty rises up from the wash arm?

 

[washer111]

Unless you can use around 500mL or .15 of a US Gallon to wash dishes by hand, use your dishwasher (thats with a full dishwasher, 50 pieces and using 30L of water). 

 

If your septic system is old, and the pipes are collapsing, as is happening to a close relative's home, then you may not wish to use the dishwasher, unless it drains straight into the sink, and isn't fighting against some blockage (their DishDrawer is un-used due to this - the sink takes around 5 minutes to drain, and ends up draining through the inspection point and rusted air-vent!)