Identification from memory of a Dishwasher?

[volvoguy87]

This is a stab in the dark, but here goes nothing...

I am trying to identify the dishwasher in the house where I lived the 1st 5 years of my life. The house was built circa 1969 (I could be off by just a few years). I know the dishwasher was avocado green and fairly BOL. It likely was the original DW in the house. For whatever its worth, the range was also avocado and it was a Hardwick. There are no good pics of the DW or the range, and any that might exist are in VA with my folks and I am in OH.

The silverware basket in Turquoisedude's Westinghouse-made Viking DW looks exactly like the one from this mystery DW except that ours had no cover on the end compartment (I don't know if it broke off or just never had one). This silverware basket is VERY long and was saved when the DW was replaced. It lived on for many many years in a BOL Whirlpool. I loved the capacity of that extra long silverware basket. It almost made that Whirlpool tolerable (almost, but not quite).

Our old DW was a front loader, and I think it lacked an upper spray arm. It also had a sliding lever lock on the front. It had a difficult-to-describe flattened knob on the end of the lever. I know it had no buttons, but it had a knob. The lower spray arm had just 2 arms (no Hydrosweep here) and I think it was metal. I recall it breaking down, flooding water out the bottom, and getting replaced.

Anyone want to take a guess?
Dave

 

[toggleswitch2]

Where was the silverware basket originally located?

 

[combo52]

Dishwasher Guess

Most likely a basic westinghouse. WH was a good performer till they completely redesigned thier machines about 1970 or 71 the newer style had no wheels on either rack just plastic slides and no lid on the detergent dispenser. It also had a timer that could be turned either direction like a clothes dryer timer, and the main motor ran all the way through the dry cycle so they could say it forced air drying like KA. It used the motor cooling fan to pull some air out near the top of the tank to dry. This DW set a new low for durably and perfomace it was the last major appliance WH redesigned before they sold out to white industries. Does any one remember having one of these machines?

 

[appnut]

Where was the silverware basket originally located?

I agree with Tom about it probably being a Westinghouse. They had a very long silverware basket. However, Toggles question about its location could most likely end up being a mute point. Why? Many people simply put the basket horizontal across the front of the bottom rack (aka a KitchenAid) and that was despite the bottom rack had a wide-open space amongs the tines about 1/3 of the way across the bottom of the rack (r-l) which placed the basket perpendicular to the front (or parallel with plates running right-to-left).

 

[turquoisedude]

Maybe an early D&M rebadge

Dave, maybe it was one of those cookie-cutter D&M models made for Caloric, Hardwick, Admiral and others. It could have been one that matched a set of appliances that were included in the house when it was built. I know I had an early 70's Kelvinator that had the extra-long blue silverware basket like the Viking but it did a rotten job of dishes and the bugger leaked, so I sent it to dishwasher heaven...

 

[volvoguy87]

Basket.

The silverware basket was kept in the bottom rack across the front. I don't know if that is where it was intended to go, but that's where it was put in our house.

I am thinking Westinghouse because the Westinghouse-made Viking silverware rack is identical except for the top on the side compartment (Same color, same slightly wider end compartments, same shape).

Anyone have some pics of a Westinghouse from the late 1960s or early 1970s?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[laundromat]

DM--

made so many of the different brands of dishwashers to the buyer's specifications. For example,the Sears kenmores had the exclusive Roto-Rack,the Frigidaires had the exclusive"Super Surge wash system,The modernMaids could be built in under a cook center that was similar to the Frigidaire Flair design but had brackets to instal a dishwasher underneath or a storage cabinet.If the dishwasher had that silverware basket,it could have easily been genericaly made by DM for Hardwick.The DM's I saw that had no brand name could be easily identified by the white porcelain wash tub and the upper spray arm under the upper rack.

 

[appnut]

chuck, D&M dind't make those SuperSurge dishwashers. They were pure GM product.

 

[laundromat]

Appnut,
that was what I thought too but have been corrected here numerous times that DM actualy did make the Supersurge models as well as the Similar 24 and 30 inch Youngstown Kitchens front loading units which were real similar to the FRIGIDAIIRES from the early 60's that had the center tube wash system.I stand corrected if I'm wrong.I do remeber too that the MW Signatures were real similar but had both 150F and 160F sani buttons on their version of FRIGIDAIRE'S Custom Imperial model.The main wash arm had a smaller one that would revolve independantly and two fold down bars to rest your dainty little coffee cups on.the small items basket had the FRIGIDAIRE emblem on it on a few of the Ward's models we looked at and would show the salespeople how F'daire messed up a few times.The one for the MW was also blue but had no insignia at all on it.I was not that thrilled over the DWCI model I had. It was noisy and had to be serviced more than not because the door frame and the cutting board top would both buckle causing the door to go off track and leak.This model was their first of a generation of dishwashers with the pollypropaline inner door and tank as oposed to the original sprayed on liner and interior.Don't get me wrong,it did a real thorough job of getting the loads clean but left food particles on the upper rack load and you had to leave the room because it was real noisy.