Just Brought Home from Connersville, IN - 1952 American Kitchens Electric Sink

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

Help Support AutomaticWasher.org:

Mike what power of water in that dishwasher, nice video and beautiful work !
I have the Briva promotion dvd i would like to send it to you if you would like, just E-mail me.

Darren k.
 
Very nice Mike. I too had visions of the upper tray spinning a bit faster, but probably very good since the tray isn't nearly as deep as much later generations of round racks--so taller things ocduld have been flung out maybe if rotated too much. but, I have to wonder, was that a proper complete fill? I had imagined more of a rotating wall of water when fully running. (Like on the Frigidaire D&M top loading portable).
 
You guys did a nice job

with the first repairs and the video. I continue to be amazed how loud these machines were compared to today's dishwashers. How much water do you think this machine used. You mentioned a pilot light? I assumed that was what illuminates the dial on the bottom. Of course, dummy me, was thinking of a gas line lol. While viewing this video, I was thinking you would not have been able to put Tupperware or any other kind of soft plastic items in this dishwasher because of the force of the water and the heat of the heating coil.
John
 
Wow, Mike!

What a fantastic machine and video! It really is impressive how much water flow is generated by the wash impeller - thank you for sharing this view of the cascades of water from a 'front load' perspective. You found yet another treasure - congratulations!!
Question: is the roto-rack motor driven or is it the force of the water spray that makes it rotate?? Does it really 'clean dishes three times better than if washed by hand' like the old American Kitchens ad said?? LOL
 
Dave (volvoguy87): I have a guy locally who refinishes bathtubs – he redid mine a few years ago – and I will likely phone him for at least a quote on refinishing the sink bowl.

Keith (westingman123): Glad you liked the video. Yes, the drainboard is in remarkable condition considering how awful shape the sink is in. Do stay tuned for July.

Peter (peteski50): Thank you, glad you liked the video. Yes, look forward to talking to you again soon.

Robert (Unimatic1140): I certainly agree that all dishwashers should have windows to satisfy a boy’s curiosity – case in point: James and Youngstown. Thanks – glad you liked the video. When the impeller first started up, there was a whoosh of water that I was not expecting. I love these little surprises, and my ’Oh! ’ reaction, caught on tape. I also like the turning of the Roto-Tray - I really expected it to turn counter-clockwise, in other words, in the same direction that the impeller turns, but no, the Roto-Tray contra-rotated (opposite) in a clockwise direction. Makes me wonder now, if there are no plates or other dishes in the bottom rack – which direction will the Roto-Tray turn? More testing needs to be done, but first, I need to rethink the way I fit the Plexiglas so that it fits better and isn’t such a pain to seal water in.

Jim (autowasherfreak): Thanks Jim. Yes, I am fascinated by the water action inside of a dishwasher.

Kevin (customline): Thanks. I’m anxious to see the cabinet cleaned up with a fresh coat of paint myself. Your 1957 Westinghouse and Kenmore dishwashers sound really cool. Do you have pictures?

Ben (swestoyz): Thanks. Yes, now we know how fast this particular Roto-Tray turns. But we have to remember that it’s turning solely by the water action from the impeller, unlike the newer, ie: Kenmore, roto-rack dishwashers with the dedicated spray tube. They turned much faster than this machine.

Darren (aldspinboy): Thanks. I’m glad you enjoyed the video. I really appreciate your generosity and your experiences. It was good to talk to you too.

Bob (appnut): Yes, I’m glad that the top rack does not turn very fast. You were wondering about the amount of water. If you look at the video again, right when the motor/impeller stops, I think it is at about 6:11. If you look closely, you can see the water line is right about at the top of the sunken part of the tub that surrounds the impeller - I’ve roughly measuring that the water level would have been about 2” to 2 ½” deep above the bottom of the impeller. And gauging the amount of water that was in the bucket from the Wash pump out – it measured about 1 ½ gallons. In addition, the dishwasher has a pressure switch that is connected by a rubber hose to the sump - and I am pretty certain that it was working and cut the water valve off. Thanks for your comments.

John (Spiceman1957): Thanks. Glad you liked the video. Yes all of these dishwashers are loud, in my opinion, due to several things: impellers throw water more forcefully than spray arms; no use of insulation; tub sides – as in the early portables like the GE Mobile Maid, were actually the outside of the dishwasher; top loading dishwasher lids such as the Homart, the early GE machines, and others, were the top of the cabinet. Actually, for me personally, as a kid, I don’t think I would have been nearly as enamored with the G.E. Electric Sink Dishwasher had it not been for the loud sounds that it made washing. As stated above, each wash or rinse uses about 1 ½ gallons of water. Yes, the pilot light that I was referring to is the bulb behind the dial, and when the bottom panel is put back on, there is only a small hole for the light to shine through to give more of a point of light behind the dial. Tupperwear – Yes I didn’t think of that but you are right – those early cereal bowl, tumblers, and especially lids, would have warped significantly in the super heated wash water. Melmac and other molded dinnerware.

Paul (turquoisedude): Thanks, glad you liked the video. Yes, I really like the water action. And it is great to see an impeller dishwasher from a side view perspective. Yes, the Roto-Tray is turned only by the force of the water from the impeller. As for cleaning 3 times better, of course – with the hotter water than hands can stand, and the 10 minute wash period. Problem is, there were little bits of crud stuck up inside of the glasses at the end of the wash – this could have been residue leftover from the cleaning I did. I needs to be run a couple more times, and then I will be able to tell if the stuff still sticks up in the glasses. Adding Jet Dry or other products might help with the final rinse clearing the stuff as well. Come back in July and see for yourself, whether it cleans better or not!

These photos were taken before I did any cleaning underneath the wash tub. Photo shows the original Dole water valve. One can see the pump connected to the end of the sump leading from the bottom of the tank. The pressure switch can be seen mounted on the frame and attached to the sump via the hose. And the back of the sink shows the inlet water gap on the right, and the drain air gap on the left.

dishwashercrazy++3-12-2010-19-53-13.jpg
 
Fired-on Porcelain

Mike, for the most durable, authentic finish, you'll want a true fired on porcelain enamel. Most porcelain refinishing is a cured paint-like product. There are several companies that do the fired on process; many times advertised as stove refinishers. The one below does appliance refinishing. It is located in Independence,MO.

http://www.ipe-porcelain.com
 
wow

i am really envious of this whole unit , it must have seemed the height of modernity back then, can i ask a question of all you impellor dishwasher owners ? how far up the impellor do they fill , i ask this as mine is a time fill so it depends on incoming pressure etc i set mine to fill up to the top of the drain cover as it has an overflow hole. Mine needs a new impellor but still not got around to buying one yet. Hence the poor wash perfomance, but what a good idea a roto rack is. Well done on your find

Richard



ricky5050++3-13-2010-03-27-55.jpg
 
Tom (CircleW): Thank you for the link for Porcelain refinishing.

Richard (Ricky5050): My D&M Repair-Master Dishwasher repair manual shows the water level just about half way up the impeller when at rest. Likely this translates to about 1 to 1 and 1/2 gallons of water (4-6 l). It looks like you are getting good water action in your Kenwood machine.
 
mike i just watched your video

on you tube and i really like it! that plexiglass is great!

you know i have a very similiar machine, the modern maid impeller dishwasher with roto rack. it is basically identical to your electric sink dishwasher. since the tub door is square in the corners i have often thought of how easy it would be to put plexiglass on it. after watching your video i am definately going to do the same thing with mine!

i'll have to figure a way to clamp the plexiglass to the tub opening at various points to prevent leaks but it will be a lot of fun to see this machine in action like you are doing with yours!

i was surprised your roto rack was moving so slow and leisurely! it is a good pace, like you said in your video!

anyway, thanks for a very entertaining and informative video. one of these days i'll ask you to help me get set up to put movies on you tube and this site. i have windows movie maker on my computer, i think i need to buy a peice of hardware to make it work. but i'll talk to you personally about that later. again thanks for another great video!
 
Mike & Todd

Way nice video there, I really like your cycle overlays too! Must remember that tip.

What a cool machine, a "bendix" dishwasher would have looked like that. I love the way the top panels slope up and out to the counter, you don't see that in modern appliances much!

It looks like you have a real nice appliance studio there, the glass in the background opens it up to gales of sunlight. Did you rehab a garage?
Jon & Artey
 
Pete (rollermatic): Thanks Pete. Glad you enjoyed the video. Yes, it will be interesting if you fit a piece of Plexiglas to your Modern Maid dishwasher – would like to compare the speed of the roto-tray in yours. Clamping the Plexiglas to the tub is difficult – I am still trying to figure out how I can improve it.

Re – recording video: The camera that I am using is a Sony Cyber-Shot model DSC-H7. It is mainly a point and shoot camera with video capability. Movies are recorded on a Memory Stick. I can either move the memory stick to my laptop, or connect the camera to the computer via a USB cord. After the video is transferred, I use Microsoft’s Movie Maker, which came with my laptop. Movie Maker allows me to segment the video as many times as I need, so that I can separate out the portions of the video I want to include in the movie, and which portions I want to discard. Then it is a matter of dragging the desired clips to a timeline; inserting transitions; adding text overlays; and tweaking until I’m satisfied.


Jon (Jetcone): Thanks. Glad you like the overlays. Yes, I keep thinking of ways to improve my videos and I felt that was an important thing to include this time, especially since I had to edit out 25 minutes from the entire cycle. Yes, I too like the design of the sink cabinet.

My “test shop” is really a 3-seasons, southern facing, sun room – which I call my Solarium (see photo). It was added onto the house several years prior to me buying this house in 2005.

Mike

dishwashercrazy++3-15-2010-09-12-41.jpg
 
Back
Top