ISE CL SUPREME Model 42167 Excitement!/Help!

[kc]

Hi y'all! Katie here- new to the forum!

My husband and I just bought our first home-- an amazing, enormous, sturdy 1961 condo in a co-op in West LA. We'll be the first "new owners", as the unit belonged to the man who was the original sales agent for the co-op and a long time board president. Just... cool beyond belief. We feel super lucky. Anyway--

It looks like they did a big remodel of the kitchen sometime in the mid-late 80s, and the wall oven and dishwasher are the last remaining appliances from that era. So here I am, geeking out about how to care for and get the most out of these awesome new friends. We haven't had a dishwasher in a decade, so... this, in particular, is a pretty major score.

I've done a lot of digging on the forum, but I'm a bit overwhelmed with our move and all the work we're doing and, you know, a pandemic, so I'm hoping y'all might be willing to help me with finding:

-The KA model number?
-A manual?

I'd also love any hot tips for bringing her up to speed with care-- Any favorite detergents? Powder vs liquid? Pods work ok or steer clear? I read a bit about a hot water treatment since this babe has been sitting for a couple of years, and has also been used well and lovingly, to avoid any cracking of various seals.

Thanks so much. I'll try to add more interior pics when we can get back in this weekend.

TLDR: First time homeowner with major overwhelm has a dope new (old) dishwasher and wants to learn everything there is to know!

 

[stevet]

Long story behind this machine

To answer your main question, this would be almost identical to the KitchenAid KD-20 series machines. ISE was allowed to keep building them after KA came out with the 21 series as part of the deal when Hobart sold KitchenAid to Whirlpool.

A Use and care guide for the 20 series should be available in the Ephemera section of this forum for a nominal price.

I would use a powdered detergent and stay away from the pods or tablets, but you may want to experiment with buying a small pack of one brand or other and see how they work for you. Wash cycles will be much shorter than most of the modern machines so your results may vary.
Good Luck. You do have yourself a great machine there.

BTW, you may have different colored door panels hidden behind the white one currently in use. You can change them or customize them to match your cabinets. Your machine had the vari-front package as standard as evidenced by the stainless trim along the panel edges.

 

[kc]

Thanks so much, this helps tremendously. Just got the parts catalog and manual. I’m excited to explore a bit (the panels especially) once we move into the place.

I’m almost sure I grew up pouring Cascade into the maybe... decade later?... version of these- or possibly my grand parents had one... either way, big sense memory of the smell and sound of being allowed to add the powder.

Some folks on this forums seem to encourage a rinse aid, as well. I’ll look into that.

Thanks again! Next up— “what’s this oven??”

 

[rp2813]

Hi Katie, and Welcome!

I had the early '90s version of the Classic Supreme.  I think the ISE badged dishwashers were more handsome than their KitchenAid counterparts, which, when your Classic Supreme was manufactured were still sporting fake burl wood control panels that look super dated.

 

As was mentioned by Steve, the cycles on these vintage dishwashers are much shorter than on today's machines.  Detergents currently on the market are formulated for much longer wash periods than your Classic Supreme has, so there's a chance for mixed results depending on water hardness and temperature.   A number of members here who own vintage dishwashers swear by Cascade's "fryer boil-out" powdered detergent.  It's formulated like old school powders and is designed to work on the shorter wash cycles.  You can find it at industrial/janitorial supply retailers and I think Smart & Final (not S&F "Extra" though).

 

I recommend using a rinse additive.  Again, if your water is hard (the DWP can advise on this), a rinse additive will help to eliminate or reduce spotting on glassware.  We have fairly hard water where I live and I never had a problem with spotting as long as I used a rinse aid.  Any of the name brands will do, such as Cascade, Finish, Lemishine or Jet-Dry.

 

Definitely post some pictures of the interior when you have a chance, and congratulations on your new condo!  I lived in West L.A.  (Mar Vista) and Santa Monica (11th & Washington) when I worked at MGM and you can't beat the weather in that part of town.

 

Ralph

 

 

 

[askolover]

Most powders sold in stores these days are nothing like the ones we grew up with.  Even Cascade with the power of Clorox doesn't have chlorine in it...misleading advertising. 

 

[rapidry1000]

I have the exact same ISE Supreme dishwasher purchased in 1988. Cycles are short but does an excellent job with Cascade detergent. Everything is dried with the circulating blower.

 

[kc]

Y’all rock!

Thank you all so much for the tips! I’m super excited to give it a spin. I’ll check out Smart & Final for the excellent Cascade and a rinsing agent. Will update!

 

[kc]

Update and Rinse Aid Question

Hi folks! We are now almost 3 years into home ownership and our dishwasher is still going strong (unsurprisingly, this thing is a beast!). I love it! I wonder if anyone might be able to tell me:

-how much rinse aid do y'all use to fill the reservoir? I hesitated to put the whole bottle of rinse aid in at once, but maybe there's plenty of room for that?

-how do you know that it's low/out (other than how I figured it out, when our dishes didn't look great all of a sudden...)?

Thanks and hope you're all well!

 

[jamiel]

Fill the rinse aid until you see it at the bottom of the port. Newer dishwashers have a sight-glass or something like that to help see if it's empty.

If it overflows, sop it up with a dish cloth (as it can be a bit sudsy).

Depending on use, there are probably 20-30 uses in the reservoir, so you can fill it roughly once a month (or wait until there are some spotty dishes).

 

[gelaundry4ever]

rinse aid

Does this have a rinse aid dispenser? I always use Finish products. I find Finish ultimate works best in mine I do use the corresponding rinse aid. If you have to, use the whole bottle of rinse aid or untill you see liquid overflowing.