Just got a FREE KUDS22

[ezlivin81]

Long time lurker here so hello everone! Here is my first post about me picking up a FREE KA KUDS220T0. This baby was worth the 10 hour round trip from Maine to Western Massachusetts. The older gentlemen owner replaced it with a SS Bosch Dishwasher and I didn't have it in me to tell him that he was making a mistake lol. He had bought the DW brand new and I have the the receipt ($650 brand new in November of 1990) and original manual he included too! I cannot wait to get this baby installed (I cannot get over how sexy it is considering I've only seen pictures of them on here - Lot's of Chrome!!). The racks have some rust but I bought some ReRack and will put it on tomorrow which hopefully does the trick. There's also a little bit of rust stains from the rinse aid dispenser which I need to address. My only concern is how the heck do I install the lower access panel??? The owner gave me one screw but lost the other one so off to Lowe's to find a replacement. It has a black metal kickplate and the shinny onyx black outer panel (which is beautiful finish btw). Any suggestions anyone?

 

[joeypete]

Wow very nice!!! Congrats! Go to the Kitchenaid website and you can download the manual and install instructions...they will show how to put the lower kick panel on. It's really not that hard...it basically slides up and then is screwed at the bottom.

Mine is a Hobart build machine from 1985 so it doesn't have the beefed up sound insulation that yours does. I added quite a bit though and it's fairly quiet now. It's a beast for cleaning...I'm very happy with it.

Keep us posted!

 

[joeypete]

I emailed you the manual, parts list, and install guide.

 

[mayken4now]

Welcome, nice machine and great find.  

 

[ezlivin81]

Joe thanks for the e-mail! That manual has a better description on how to install the lower plates better than mine. And I've also seen your KA on here from all the time lurking here lol. These are great machines from what this website has taught me and I hope to get many years of service from this tank. I'm so used to waiting 2.5 hours for my dishwasher to complete a cycle with meh results. This DW for a normal cycle I think was 78 minutes! Gotta love the power of Craigslist for these well built machines!

Thanks Mayken!

 

[whirlykenmore78]

Welcome and Nice dishwasher:

I agree 100% about the styling.  These are great dishwashers.  Mine is a KUDS-23 (Whirlpool Powerclean pump) but otherwise similar and I love it.  Welcome to the club.

WK78

 

[ezlivin81]

I agree Whirly! I've only seen pics of them from this website and was blown away when i saw it in person! It had no funky smells and the mesh metal filter had zero debris on it. I truly think I found a gem other than the racks rusting out. Hopefully the ReRack will take care of the problem. Other than that, it looks mint.

 

[toploader55]

Congrats.

You can always look for replacement racks on FleaPay or CL.

And some members part out machines from time to time.

 

[joeypete]

You're very welcome! Looks like yours has that extra Quick Glass cycle...mine does not. I was lucky too with mine. It was very lightly used. No rust anywhere. The woman I bought mine from just used it on the holidays LOL.

What I love about these machines is that you don't have to be too picky with how you load it. As long as everything has exposure to the water, it will get clean. You can really stuff these full.

 

[joeypete]

One thing I've experienced with my machine anyway is that using STPP or a detergent with phosphorus seems to work best with these old guys. When I was using new detergent alone my machine would make a loud groan when it drained. I now put in about 1/2 teaspoon of STPP in each cup when I run it. It stopped the noise...and it keeps the inside very clean. I imagine the Cascade Fryer Boil Out would do similar...just to keep in mind.

 

[ezlivin81]

Joe thanks for the wonderful tips again! I read online as well using STPP powder to give the cleaning that extra muscle for cleaning. I found it on Amazon and I think it was under $10 for 4lbs which 1/2 teaspoon should last a very long time. Another great tip you mentioned is that as long as you can fit the dishes in they will come out clean. The Frigidaire that is being replaced would never come out 100% clean and would take 2.5 hours from start to finish....no longer now though lol! Considering how old the DW is, is it ok to use the newer pods or stick to the tried and true powder detergents? I read on here that Finish Powerball is a great detergent. Any recommendations??

Ryan

 

[moparwash]

You'll love it. A Modern Classic for all time

 

[ezlivin81]

Yes Mopar I love it. It for sure will add to some flair to my kitchen. All I need know is to find a early 90's Jenn Air electric range and Kitchenaid double door refrigerator that matches the dishwasher. It will be great to have clean dishes again without the long wait.

 

[joeypete]

The powders work best. Cascade Complete is my favorite. The pacs/tabs do work but you have to be careful of them. Some get too frothy for the extra water that these machines use. I'm currently using regular Cascade pacs and they seem ok. I use 2 though, not 1. I throw one in the tub at the beginning and one in the main wash cup. I used the Platinum pacs and found they got too sudsy. The Sams pacs are good too. I haven't tried the Finish tabs.

 

[askolover]

I prefer to use gel in my KUDI23 that has a knob instead of all those buttons but still a Whirlpool built KA inside. I have zero complaints about the wash-ability of mine with gel.

 

[joeypete]

Forgot about gels! I haven't used them in like forevers. haha

 

[bigalsf]

Racks

Hi, and congratulations on your "new" machine.  As everyone has mentioned you will really enjoy it!

 

If you are interested I do have a set of racks that are in very good condition.  If you want them let me know; you'll just need to pay for packing and shipping.

 

Regarding detergent if you have soft to medium hardness water you should try the Kirkland packs.  They do a very good job in these water conditions and do not froth up like Finish tabs (in my experience Finish tabs cause quite a bit of suds formation in soft water with KA machines).   

 

Again, enjoy your machine!  

 

[toploader55]

FYI...

I have found that a Flat Screen TV Box (Can't remember what size... maybe 42") is great and just the right height for shipping 2 KA dish racks.

 

[ezlivin81]

The DW hasn't been installed yet, I just ordered the mounting brackets that installs under the cabinet as mine didn't come with any which is odd. Ugh, I wanna get this baby fired up ASAP.