The seller was slow to respond, but once he did, he couldn't have been nicer or more cooperative and I got it home yesterday and proceeded to examine it:
I think I'm going to like this dishwasher
- Thread starter bajaespuma
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I guess this machine is from 1993 which makes it a 20 year-old dishwasher. According to the seller he used it "a couple of times" but when I opened it up, it looks brand new:
[this post was last edited: 12/8/2012-08:35]
[this post was last edited: 12/8/2012-08:35]
I've never seen an appliance come with more literature than this one. Also, the guy was nice enough to remember to give me the fiberglass insulation "coat" that he had removed to store it, the auxiliary front panels and the hardware for the panel installation.
And you were right, Bob, the upper rack is adjustable. If this model isn't the TOL, I have to wonder what this one is missing?
The tub is virginal:
I was surprised to find out that the little small items basket actually belongs to this machine. I guess the KitchenAid purchase had already happened when this machine was offered. The mechanicals look untouched as well:
I'm going to finish installing it today, that is if the C*nt Goddess of Do-It-Yourselfers doesn't mess me up too much (she is such a bitch). I can't wait to run that first cycle. Thanks for all the encouragement.
Congratulations!
Yours is newer than mine. My model still has the porcelain tank and the detergent cups are on the left side, rather than the right side. They both have the same number of cycle & option buttons. I really like the WP sequence of a first fill with detergent to help work on proteins & starches before the really hot water hits them and the detergent in the first fill keeps grease from getting deposited in hidden places. It seems to have a slightly smaller capacity than my 18. Part of this is the way WP top racks taper in on the sides more so than the KA upper racks, but it holds what I put in it and washes and dries well.
I know that you will be happy with the performance of this machine. It is a very good dishwasher. I am so happy for you.
Yours is newer than mine. My model still has the porcelain tank and the detergent cups are on the left side, rather than the right side. They both have the same number of cycle & option buttons. I really like the WP sequence of a first fill with detergent to help work on proteins & starches before the really hot water hits them and the detergent in the first fill keeps grease from getting deposited in hidden places. It seems to have a slightly smaller capacity than my 18. Part of this is the way WP top racks taper in on the sides more so than the KA upper racks, but it holds what I put in it and washes and dries well.
I know that you will be happy with the performance of this machine. It is a very good dishwasher. I am so happy for you.
KM Ultra-Wash 2 DW
Great find Ken and I guarantee that you will love this DW or we will come and pick it up and refund your money LOL. The disposer in this DW is one of the most effective ever used in a DW, even foot long spaghetti noodles will disappear along with other odd slimy things that would be left lying in the bottom of MT, KA and GE dishwashers of this era.
We will await the pictures and results of the first Bob Loads.
Great find Ken and I guarantee that you will love this DW or we will come and pick it up and refund your money LOL. The disposer in this DW is one of the most effective ever used in a DW, even foot long spaghetti noodles will disappear along with other odd slimy things that would be left lying in the bottom of MT, KA and GE dishwashers of this era.
We will await the pictures and results of the first Bob Loads.
twintubber
Well-known member
Great Find.....
and amazing how clean and in great shape that unit is.
You will definitely enjoy this machine and boy, those machines really CLEAN the dishes!!!
and amazing how clean and in great shape that unit is.
You will definitely enjoy this machine and boy, those machines really CLEAN the dishes!!!
Great find!
Congrats on your new machine. John (& others) are correct. This is one of the best dishwashers you will ever own. Whirlpool got it right when they designed their power clean pumping system. A fairly simple, but very effective piece of engineering. You will love this machine! Those KA small items baskets pop up in many of the top of the line models all across Whirlpools dishwasher production. I have two in white & one in platinum! Enjoy!
Congrats on your new machine. John (& others) are correct. This is one of the best dishwashers you will ever own. Whirlpool got it right when they designed their power clean pumping system. A fairly simple, but very effective piece of engineering. You will love this machine! Those KA small items baskets pop up in many of the top of the line models all across Whirlpools dishwasher production. I have two in white & one in platinum! Enjoy!
The KitchenAid domestic line was purchased from Hobart by Whirlpool at a lunch meeting with a handshake in 1986, as the legend goes.
Those small items baskets are one of the best - small enough to fit almost anywhere in the machine and shaped well. Does it still have the short divider in the center?
I've not seen the blue trim on the panel - makes it look space-age for the new millennium!
Those small items baskets are one of the best - small enough to fit almost anywhere in the machine and shaped well. Does it still have the short divider in the center?
I've not seen the blue trim on the panel - makes it look space-age for the new millennium!
Nice machine! That one has the same cycle options my parents' old Ultrawash had. Only difference was theirs had electronic buttons and a digital countdown timer. Bought it in '95 so I'm wondering if theirs was the newer version of your model. Nonetheless, it should clean great. Simply scrape the large pieces of food into the trash or disposal, load it, and run normal wash or pots and pans cycle. IIRC correctly, Normal wash lasted about 66 min unless extra water heating was needed. No prewashing or rinsing whatsoever needed!
Well, I just ran her through her test run and she hit all the marks; I could hear the detergent dispenser slap itself open and, most importantly, there were no droplets of water visible on all the paper towels I put on the floor underneath it. The damage to the floor you see was months of water leaking through the tiny gasket around the detergent dispenser release tab on the Maytag and dripping down to the subflooring, beneath the tile. I only noticed the damage after the 55 year old vinyl-asbestos tiles began to bubble up and off. I couldn't identify the source until I took the door of the Maytag apart and followed the water damage trail to the detergent dispenser assembly. Somehow, the rubber gasket had started to deteriorate. Must have been something I ate.
Anyway, now that she's proven herself I'm going to complete the installation, level her and screw the top tabs into the bottom of the counter and call it a day. Nice to have an automatic dishwasher back in service after a month of hand washing. Later on, I'm going to paint a couple of those auxilairy panels to match the cabinetry, go the to supermarket and buy us a half-pint of "Jet Dry" and she will be completely integrated. She is a little noisier than the Maytag, but it doesn't bother me and because there is no drain solenoid, it's just a motor reversal, she's a little quieter during the part that I find the most annoying. It's interesting to me how some dishwashers, like the old GE's kept the motor running pretty much non-stop during the fills and the active parts of the cycles. Then there were the machines like the Jet Cleans that only activated their motors for washing and draining. This one is like the GE's, but thankfully nowhere near as noisy.
Bob-load to come. I'll scan all the literature and send it to Robert for the Ephemera library if it's usable and not copy-written.
I'm such a sucker for blue vinyl.
Bob-load to come. I'll scan all the literature and send it to Robert for the Ephemera library if it's usable and not copy-written.
I'm such a sucker for blue vinyl.
That is a fantastic dishwasher! You will not be disappointed. I bought one of that design in 1997 and it's still going strong at my brother's house. I personally have one from 2002 without the center tower in the lower rack and it is also fantastic.
John, have you noticed any discernable difference in the cleaning ability between the ones that shot the water up into the upper rack spray arm through the tower and the later design that sent this water up a tube at th back of the tub? I certainly makes loading the lower rack easier!
John, have you noticed any discernable difference in the cleaning ability between the ones that shot the water up into the upper rack spray arm through the tower and the later design that sent this water up a tube at th back of the tub? I certainly makes loading the lower rack easier!
I like the sub interval switch in the timer that starts it filling about 5 seconds before the motor starts for each wash or rinse period after the first one.
mikepaquette
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2004
- Messages
- 338
What about the GE Mobile Maid
Very nice machine BUT I am still stuck on your latest bowtie impeller Mobile Maid. Love the realy old dishwashers. Congrats.. Michael [email protected]
Very nice machine BUT I am still stuck on your latest bowtie impeller Mobile Maid. Love the realy old dishwashers. Congrats.. Michael [email protected]
Very Nice dishwasher
Wow it looks barely used. It is fine design. Congrats!
Wow it looks barely used. It is fine design. Congrats!
I have a similar dishwasher to this, except it's an Inglis and has electronic controls. I restored it after it had been sitting in a barn for many years. Had to unseize the motor and eventually rebuild the pump, but it works pretty good now. The only complaint I have with it is the upper rack-I find it doesn't wash as good as it should, and it leaves particles of food on stuff, especially my cereal bowls. The lower rack cleans anything I throw at it, but the upper rack suffers the consequences. I've had some improvement by adding salt into the detergent dispensers with the detergent, which softens my very hard water, but I'm wondering the same thing that Kenmore71 is in that if more water would get to the upper rack if it weren't for the center tower distribution system. I do use rinse agent and my water is hot enough I think (even if I use the heated water cycles, it doesn't seem to make a difference).
Greg, the small items basket is almost identical to a very old KA sample I've had for years. The center divider is slightly taller on the old one and it has the brand in raised relief on top. They look like they were molded in the same factory.
Mike, the best of both worlds. I'm still looking for a proper unicouple for the GE. The hoses on the OEM unicouple were so brittle that the rubber was flaking off in big hunks and the connector was the old style that needed an old sink connector. This one may work, but the hoses are like 12 feet too long. It came off of an old Jet Clean Convertible.
I intend to use the Kenmore as my daily driver and the Mobile Maid as a utility/spare unit for washing tools and big stuff. The only complaint I have so far with the Kenmore is that the retaining clips for the upper rack are thin plastic and a bitch to remove and a bigger bitch to reinsert so I'm not planning on removing the upper rack for washing big pans, refrigerator shelves and the like.
I intend to use the Kenmore as my daily driver and the Mobile Maid as a utility/spare unit for washing tools and big stuff. The only complaint I have so far with the Kenmore is that the retaining clips for the upper rack are thin plastic and a bitch to remove and a bigger bitch to reinsert so I'm not planning on removing the upper rack for washing big pans, refrigerator shelves and the like.
KM Ultra-Wash 2 DW
Glad you got it running Ken, Yay
Mark I have never noticed any difference between the direct feed for the upper arm and the center tower, if anything the center tower is better as it is actually more direct.
Barcoboy, Make sure that your DW is getting enough water each time it fills, you may have a bad inlet valve, you can test this by adding an extra gallon of hot water each time the DW fills through the cycle, if this solves the cleaning problem then check into a new inlet valve. PS adding salt will not help anything and may make the glasses look even worse.
Glad you got it running Ken, Yay
Mark I have never noticed any difference between the direct feed for the upper arm and the center tower, if anything the center tower is better as it is actually more direct.
Barcoboy, Make sure that your DW is getting enough water each time it fills, you may have a bad inlet valve, you can test this by adding an extra gallon of hot water each time the DW fills through the cycle, if this solves the cleaning problem then check into a new inlet valve. PS adding salt will not help anything and may make the glasses look even worse.
Barcoboy, I would bet that your fill valve needs either demineraling or replacing. If these machines don't get the full two gallon fill, wash performance suffers. Open it once it has filled and see what the water level is in relation to the wash arm. Then drain the water and manually pour in 2 gallons and see if the water level is higher.
Ken, nice panels.
Ken, nice panels.
Ken, nice work on the panel color.
dustin92
Well-known member
We have a newer version of Ultrawash, it always gets everything clean. I would say 85% of the time I run it on the normal cycle, water heat on, heated dry off. If I put any nasty pots or pans in, I select that cycle. I only scrape off leftovers, anything under about 1/2" usually goes in. peas, rice, beans, mashed potatoes, grease. The only thing I somewhat rinse is pancake batter, it somehow gets through the filter and makes the dishes look filmy. If I need to wash a large roasting pan, or furnace filter plates, I take out the tower from the lower rack. It comes out easily, but you lose spray to the top wash arm. You are going to love it!
Ultra Wash!
Ken this is really a Great find. Nothing will out clean this machine. I still miss my WP power clean I gave up 12 years ago. (It was a bad decision at the time). I also miss the great sounds of this DW!
Keep us posted.
Best Wishes,
Peter
Ken this is really a Great find. Nothing will out clean this machine. I still miss my WP power clean I gave up 12 years ago. (It was a bad decision at the time). I also miss the great sounds of this DW!
Keep us posted.
Best Wishes,
Peter
Sorry, forgot to say that I changed the fill valve as part of the restoration, as the old one didn't look to be in very good shape and I didn't trust it. My water pressure is good and the dishwasher is getting I believe more than 2 gallons per fill as the water level is over the highest level of the pump cover (can be best seen in this thread, reply #4... water will fill over the 8 torx screws that hold down the pump cover).
magic_clean
Well-known member
Barcoboy
another area to consider for the upper rack cleaning is:
*does the upper wash are turn freely? Sometimes the bearing surface the arm rides on can cause drag that can slow or stop proper rotation. This can be hard to detect, because it may seem o.k. when you manually rotate the arm. Can you take a picture of your upper wash arm & feed tube.
*model & serial # ??
L.P.
another area to consider for the upper rack cleaning is:
*does the upper wash are turn freely? Sometimes the bearing surface the arm rides on can cause drag that can slow or stop proper rotation. This can be hard to detect, because it may seem o.k. when you manually rotate the arm. Can you take a picture of your upper wash arm & feed tube.
*model & serial # ??
L.P.
twintubber
Well-known member
Really, really NICE machine!!!
And a great job with the paint job and colour.
Lots of fun you'll have with that as your daily driver.
BTW, was your Maytag a reverse rack loader or the newer style with that useless "JetWash22" Tower?
I've had the reverse rack Maytag and Whirlpool/Kenmores like your style.
However, I had the "In-The-Door" sliverware basket in my Whirlpool and my Kenmore machine and I much prefer it to the Kenmore in the rack style.
Also, I found it to be way too large a silverware basket and takes up way too much valuable space in the lower rack-even with the bullnose rack.
Never understood what they were thinking there-who has THAT much silverware in one cycle anyway?
As for cleaning ability between the tower-feed and the direct-feed I found no real difference in the cleaning ability, but I do prefer the direct-feed. It makes the racks 100% useable (as they should be) and is a more reliable and thorough.
And a great job with the paint job and colour.
Lots of fun you'll have with that as your daily driver.
BTW, was your Maytag a reverse rack loader or the newer style with that useless "JetWash22" Tower?
I've had the reverse rack Maytag and Whirlpool/Kenmores like your style.
However, I had the "In-The-Door" sliverware basket in my Whirlpool and my Kenmore machine and I much prefer it to the Kenmore in the rack style.
Also, I found it to be way too large a silverware basket and takes up way too much valuable space in the lower rack-even with the bullnose rack.
Never understood what they were thinking there-who has THAT much silverware in one cycle anyway?
As for cleaning ability between the tower-feed and the direct-feed I found no real difference in the cleaning ability, but I do prefer the direct-feed. It makes the racks 100% useable (as they should be) and is a more reliable and thorough.
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