KA Rust....Should I be concerned???

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Gary -

Depending on the what model Superba you have, those machines should have a 25 year warranty on the tub. Mine is a 1995 model and has that feature to its warranty. It doesn't say that its only warranted to the original owner. Your serial number should give the year it was made (though I don't know how to read those). You can download the use and care manual from KitchenAid's site and you should find the warranty either on the back page of the manual or as a separate attachment. But that looks bad enough where it will rust through and pretty quickly destroy the motor. Maybe plug her into a GFCI outlet to prevent water damage??

I hope that helps. They do still have those tubs available, at least on Repair Clinic, but you could also remove the motor and pump and use bonding compound to fix it. Mine us rusting from underneath the rinse aid dispenser cap, though not as badly as yours.
 
Andrew...

Here is the warranty from the back of the manual. I do not see a 25 yr warranty on the tub.
Perhaps I need to phone KitchenAid(yeah, like that will get me somewhere!!!).
 
Gary -

Yours is only 10 years on the tub. Mine has the full 25 years, but it's a later model. Those tubs run close to $500 for a new one, but that rust is certainly repairable. Robert has done restorations where tub rust through was an issue, and I'm sure can give you the procedures and compounds to use to do the repair, if you're comfortable tackling that job. It probably involves removing the pump and motor assembly, and probably the heating element. I don't know of a way to fix that with everything in place, though maybe some of the folks on here have an idea?? It looks like it will eventually eat through there.

If you look under the machine, do you see any kind of water seepage around the pump area or from where the heating element connects through the tub, or does the rust appear to have started to eat through the sump from the bottom? If you see any signs of seepage, stop using the machine to prevent damage to the motor. I don't know what other advice I can offer, but my old Waste King rotted right through the interior around the sump, and dripped right into the motor. I only knew it was leaking because a water spot appeared on the ceiling below the dishwasher....took about two weeks to destroy the machine. Didn't catch it in time.

btw, my superba has rack rust in the exact same place as yours does...lower rack is fine, but the upper rack rails are rusted like yours. I know there is a kit you can buy to repair that, or at least seal it so it doesn't get worse, available at Sears or Homo Depot...about $8.
 
Actually, Gary, KA has one of the better customer service departments you'll encounter these days. Best of luck with whatever steps you need to take.
 
Hoping for something better

Perhaps its a chunk of rusted metal from the upper dishrack that is lodged in the crevice between the pump seal and tub.
 
Gary:

What I've done with sump rust is to find a donor machine- I did this with a GE. It took a while, but eventually a machine with other problems turned up; it had a good tub. A few hours of fussin' and cussin' later, I had banged together one good machine out of two that were of little use to anyone.

Note to GE: That Perma-Tuf coating is a long way from being perma, and it sure as shootin' ain't tuff. I finally gave up on GE/Hottie DW's because of tub liner problems. If it's not the sump, it's the door.
 
You are correct Bob in your assumption

L@@K what Steve did with the toggleswitches to help turn the power off to the Neptune (and the TL) so that the light would not remain on in the drum. There are little button lights over each plug to let me know that the power is on to each machine.
 
Farting sideways and flat tires.

I am the last person at all who should tell others how to behave, since I am guilty of so many sins here, but I'd like to reiterate what has been said before....

Chad, baby, we all adore you to pieces, but the general rule is if one is not contributing to the content of the thread, please hold back.

I do. So can you.

No offense please. But if everyone who read every post said yay or nay, we'd be mess!

We know you mean well.
 
I think that you will find that what you think is rust is just the color of the sealant around the heating element terminals. Most every KA with a heating element and any use looks like that, but actual rust is very rare because under the white speckeled porcelain is the black porcelain and you have to go through that to get to steel that will rust. I would not worry about this as a site that will develop a water leak. I am not saying it can't be rust, but it would be very rare if it were.

It is a shame that the rails for the upper rack in that series were not prepared properly so that the coating would adhere and prevent rust, but they all suffered that problem.
 
Tom

Thank you so much for those words of encouragement.
"I think that you will find that what you think is rust is just the color of the sealant around the heating element terminals."

I asked Steve to help me check for water leaks the next time I ran the dw. I have not seen any water leaking on the ceiling below, and, the dw performs flawlessly(as the Vintage KA's did).

That 'rust' has been present for quite some time, but, I thought it would be good to take a pic and get some advice.
I feel much better now that it should not be a major concern for me.

Gary
 
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