I want to see inside my dishwasher!

[vacuumfreeeke]

Hello! I was playing with my dishwasher a few days ago and figured out how to trick the door lock mechanism so that it will run without the door being shut. If course I discovered this by accident while it was in the middle of a cycle and it sprayed water all over! I would love to watch my dishwasher work and see the sprays blasting away the grime. I've tried to find videos of this online, but there seems to just be one Hobart one that doesn't show very much at all. Do you think I could somehow find a piece of plexiglass to fit over the opening to seal the water in, but still provide viewing pleasure? I think I'm spoiled by front load washers, now I want a clear door on my dishwasher! I wouldn't want to leave it like that (I wouldn't want to move the detergent cups and control panel, and quite often I don't want to see what's in the machine waiting to be washed!), just to do it as an experiment a few times. Has anyone here done this before, or have any good advice? Thanks! If it helps the advice, my dishwasher is a GE Nautilas portable.

 

[rpm]

Not the perfect solution

I too wondered what went on inside.
I must admit I was nervous about getting a shock with the door open.
I have a portable also.
While it was filling I shut the taps off half way through so there wouldn't be so much water.
I stretched saran wrap a couple of times across the opening and watched it go.
Not the best solution but cured my curiousity for the time being.
Looking forward to the plexiglass ideas.
You need to keep a couple of towels handy.
I ran mine without dishes. Probably a bowl or pot in front would keep down some of the water.

 

[spankomatic]

I had 80's era G.E. dishwasher that was not cleaning in an condo I was renting. The G.E. dishwasher repairman did just that. He always carried a sheet of plexi glass to cover the front of the dishwasher so he could see what was really happening inside when they were broken. In this case he discovered that the wash "tower" was not erecting. Viagra was no cure. The dishwasher got replaced. He told me he got the plexi glass at Orchard Supply Hardware and was very in-expensive. Any glass shop should be able to cut plexi glass for you also.

Jim

 

[maytagbear]

A while back.....

Robert did this very thing. He had a Plexiglas cut to the exact opening of the tank, and he got a severe service wet light socket on a cord, and a severe service lightbulb.

I think it was to a Big Blue Wash Arm KitchenAid.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[Unimatic1140]

Yeah I sure did, back in 2004. But the thing to remember is that for most dishwashers you cannot just use a flat piece of plexiglass, it must be extruded outwards (just like the dishwasher door) otherwise the racks will hit it. See the thread on that...

http://www.automaticwasher.org/TD/ARCHIVE/VINTAGE/2004/283x39.htm

 

[Cybrvanr]

I am thinking for lighting, one could use some of those under-car neon-tubes for a really cool effect! LED's would work pretty good too! There are a wide variety of LED's avaliable that are weatherproof too.

For a "cheapie" route, some of those CCFT tubes for the inside of computer cases can be had under $15,and in a variety of colors. Most of these are in sealed plastic tubes. the ballast would be located outside the DW.

With a plexiglas door, and all sorts of LED's and CCFT's throughout, it would make for a really spetacular display watching all that water splashing about inside

In a similar application, I was at a custom van show a few years back, and a customzier made a plexiglas window to the "doghouse". It looked in on a chrome-covered big-block engine. I'd love to do that with my Astro, but the engine is way too dirty!