It came with the new house so....

[turquoisedude]

Yes folks, it's time once again for one of those 'Turquoisedude Torture Tests' involving a vintage dishwasher.  Cover the kiddie's ears and send Granny to bed, just in case the language gets colourful... 

 

So, while it wasn't a key factor in our decision to purchase the house in St-Liboire, I thought it was kinda interesting that the kitchen included a Maytag Jet-Clean dishwasher and on our second visit, I determined it was indeed a reverse-rack model.  

 

It's a model WU404 and the serial number is 202018 BW.  There may have been another marking between the '8' and the 'B' in the serial number - something may have been scratched off but I can't be sure. 

 

It's pretty basic - the pushbutton seems to simply toggle the heating element on and off for washing and drying. The dial is self-explanatory - no push/pull functionality.  I had initially thought this was one of the models where the drying heater was controlled that way but nope.  

 

Before we moved in, I tried out the machine sans vaisselle to see if it worked and all seemed normal for the most part.  We'll come to my initial observation in a moment... 

 

[turquoisedude]

We've been in the house three days and I figured I'd batch up the dishes, glasses, cups, pots, and pans for the 'maiden wash'.   I briefly owned a Maytag RR dishwasher back in the early days of Ogden so I remembered a little bit about how to load it.   It held more than I remembered!!

 

The dishes were good and dirty, so I used the Pots and Pans dial setting and pressed the Sani Wash/Power

Dry button. 

 

Oh, and I didn't think to take a 'before' shot of that Corningware dish but it had been used to bake a tuna casserole (with Flair, of course).  It wasn't that bad, though. 

 

[turquoisedude]

And here's where the wheels fell off....

I was pretty well expecting this...  The detergent dispenser didn't trip in the main wash; this was what I had observed in the water test I did about a week and a half ago.  I flipped the lid manually and let the 'Tag do its thing for the rest of the cycle. 

 

Overall, though, I observed no issues with leaks or funny noises.  Timer runs smoothly and the machine is pretty darn quiet.  I was a wee bit disappointed that there's no heated-air dry... 

 

[turquoisedude]

BUT....

And for once it's a good 'but'!!  

 

The wash results are what I would call TD-Rated - everything came out pretty darn clean.  I found out this week that the water here is nice and hard (and a bit smelly, too) so despite that and with dried-on goo on the dishes, the 'Tag did a good job.  

 

So, now I'll be having a look-see at how to fix that darned dispenser.  I think I actually still have the one from the WU901 I sent to Kia a few years back and if I can find it, I'll see if I can swap it out.    Are there any pitfalls associated with these dispensers or any 'dear heaven above DON'T do this...' tips that I should be aware of?

 

Now, I do have the '62 KDS54 in the new kitchen as well, so I don't have to rush, but I'd rather not run my lovely KA until I get a water-treatment system installed here.  Yeah, I know... 

 

 

[toploader55]

I always have wanted a RR to play with.

 

Looks good Paul. Maybe a field trip in the fall after the restaurant closes. We'll see who I can roust up around here ???

 

[mjg0619]

Looks like new! Always loved those Maytag JetClean models.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Is that a speck of shmutz on the side of the Corning pan?

 

[nmassman44]

Paul there is a heated dry on this dishwasher, it has to be selected and it will also give you heat in all portions of the wash and rinse cycles too. If I had a choice between my Miele dishwasher and a Maytag Reverse rack machine, I would take the Maytag since it cleans well and is quick.

 

[yogitunes]

very nice machine, definitely a keeper.....

congrats on the new house as well......but didn't they do a water test before you purchased it?, most times those water issues must be addressed....at least around here they do, if the water is too hard or has a bad taste/odor....a system to correct must be installed by the seller...

keep us posted as to how you make out with that dispenser repair

 

[philr]

Martin, I know they did a water test as I drove Paul to the lab for the water analysis before the sale was concluded. I don't think any seller has to address issues with water or sewage systems here, it's the buyer's responsibility to check that and fix that (and adjust it's purchase price accordingly!). Most banks will require any serious issues with water (non drinkable or no septic system) to be fixed so the buyer can get a loan and municipalities often that the purchaser of a house with a septic system that's not respecting the current norms will update it but they rarely ask long time owners who bought or built their homes when septic tanks weren't even required unless their sewage water causes nuisance to neighbors or to a lake or river nearby.

 

I know people who just can't drink the water from their well and can't find adequate treatment for it. I did drink Paul's water when we moved the appliances and he warned me about the taste and odor (and so did Chris later!) but I could barely smell or taste anything wrong!   I have extremely hard water at the garage where I store my appliances, I drink it too (it doesn't have any taste or odor but it's very hard and a single drop will leave a white deposit).

 

Mike, I think Paul was hoping his Maytag dishwasher had forced air drying like his Kitchen Aid.

 

 

Were there ever Maytag reverse rack dishwashers made with this feature?

 

[appnut]

I thought RRs did have forced air drying

 

[bwoods]

yes, they have forced air drying

All the RR's have forced air drying. Even when set for energy saver drying, the fan provides forced air flow for the drying portion of the cycle without the heating element.

The fan is in the lower right rear of the unit as you face it from the from. It is a small squirrel cage fan that blows up into a hood that you can see in the lower right portion of the tub. I can think of three possibilities if you are not getting forced air: 1.) blower wheel jammed with something (dead mouse, etc.) 2.) wire off of the motor 3.) motor burned out, which is very unlikely since its a shaded pole motor (but not impossible.) Most likely the bearings are dry and you have rotor lock. Just lubricate them with a penetrating oil until the fan wheel rotates freely.

 

[philr]

I guess I haven't looked closely enough at mine!

 

I still can find blowers.

 

 

Where are they exactly??

 

 

 

 

Two almost-twin dishwashers!

Today, I picked up a dishwasher that I wanted for a long time. At the same time, I gave a similar one to a friend of mine who just got the GE fridge in the other thread. Can you see the difference?

www.automaticwasher.org

 

[bwoods]

too early a model

Phil, I think yours must be one of the first of the RR's from the late sixties (69)or early seventies I think. Apparently they do not have a blower. If it did you would see it in the lower right corner fo the tub.

I don't believe your unit is a belt drive is it? I have never seen the original RR's. But all the newer models, with the control panel like Travis's, have the forced air convection drying. Even the BOL the line models have it, the belt drive as well as the later direct drives as well.

 

[philr]

They are WU600 series 2 and a WU601, TOL models with the rapid advance timers. 

 

The WU600 is from August of 1973 and it's a direct drive and the WU601 is from May of 1976 and it's a belt drive. 

 

I never looked much at newer series! 

 

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[bwoods]

forced air outlet

Here is a picture from someone's link, you can see the vent or hood in the right corner.

 

[bwoods]

love your machines, Phil

Despite the lack of blower fan, I would love to have one of your units, Phil. I believe you have three final rinses, instead of two like the newer RR's. Is that correct?

BTW, a little trivia, in the last season of "Bewitched" Samantha had your model RR. In an episode where George and Martha Washington are brought to the future, Sam is demonstrating the dishwasher to Martha, much to Martha's astonishment!

 

[gansky1]

Forced air drying didn't come until the mid-70's. My WU-601 does not have it, just like Phil's. Maytag's system used the element in the tank and blew room-temp air into the tank whereas the KitchenAid used an external air heater outside the tank. The blower in the Maytag helped, but KA still had the better system overall.

Check the belt on your machine, Paul. The dispenser circuit is wired through a switch in the motor and until the motor has sufficient load, it will not complete this circuit. If the belt is loose and not lubed properly, it will cause this failure. Also check the water valve and ensure the machine is getting sufficient charge of water as this can cause the dispenser to not open in the main wash, too.

 

[bwoods]

cleanability

Phil, have you noticed any difference in washability between the direct drive and the belt drive?