KDC-14 Questions

[skulybros]

Hello, I have a KitchenAid KDC-14 unit that I must add a electric drain pump to. We remodeled our plumbing in our house and we can no longed drain thru the floor and must pump into the disposer.

Has anyone done this? If so where would I connect the two wires so they engergize when draining is taking place? I would assume some where on the drain open-close solenoid?

I would assume once the solenoid lets the valve open that would be when the pump needs to go.

I am using a GE WD26X10039 pump which is basically a modern universal 110v pump.

Thoughts?

 

[jetcone]

I have used that pump

to great success on my Youngstown DW. It should do the trick.

 

 

 

[stevet]

Not an easy fix...

But nothing is really impossible!

All the motors came ready to accept the factory drain pump that was attached to the bottom of the motor and included the infamous water trap so the machine would have overflow protection. Pump Drain models monitored the water level in the tub with a pressure switch and that drain tank. Any excess water would automatically be pumped out while the motor was running and when the drain solenoid denergized, the drain pump pumped all the water out.

Since it is not an electric pump, there were no connection on the timer to accommodate an electric pump.
What you can do is connect your pump to a relay that prevents current from flowing to the pump while the drain solenoid is energized and then switches the power to your drain pump when the valve deenergizes and allows your pump to drain the water out. Your power supply for your drain pump will have to come from the dishwasher pump motor because it will run until the cycle ends and should evacuate all the water.
Unless you have the water trap, you will have no overflow protection at all.

I am willing to bet that there are members here who will have a complete wash pump and drain assembly still all connected that may want to sell to you. It will need to have the pressure switch too.

One other suggestion might be to purchase a condensate pump that you can mount under the machine and wire it independently to an outlet and it will pump out the water at a preset level and should work fine when the drain dumps its water into the condensate pump. Look around, there are units like that around. Most were used when washers were used in basements with above floor drains.

The condensate pump may also offer some level of overfill protection since it will be plugged in all the time and ready to drain any water that accumulates in the reservoir.

 

[tomturbomatic]

The thing about which you will have to careful is the temperature limit of the water the pump can handle. Most condensate is much cooler than dishwasher drain water.

 

[skulybros]

I like both the ideas(condensate and a factory pump). Is there somewhere on this website to ask for parts? or someone specific to ask about the factory drain pump?

 

[gansky1]

I did this with my KDC-14. I wired mine into the motor so it ran constantly, just like the original factory pump would have done, necessary for the overflow system of the machine. I simply connected the flange for the drain directly to the inlet of the pump with a direct-drive washer tub to pump corrugated hose and the overflow from the tank drain through the existing machine plumbing and now directly to the pump. The GE (clothes washer) pump added a nominal amount of "hum" to the overall noise of the machine while it was running, but it was fine.

My KDS-14P had the sump-tank on it but of course, it leaked so I pulled it off and pitched it. Unnecessary other than for protection of small items getting to and damaging the pump but the screen and strainer in the machine is still there and I've never had an incident. My 14 pump model never had a pressure switch of any kind, nor,IIRC, any wiring to indicate it might have been missing/removed. Was this an early or late addition?