Kenwood dishwasher a1212

[parnall_doug]

They were certainly made well into the mid 70s I think, as I remember my parents buying theirs new.
I seem to recall they were being sold as some kind of offer with something (hence probably the reason my grandparents also bought one at the same time). My folks are still about, and I shall ask them if they can remember any more details, when I next speak with them.

Doug

 

[ricky5050]

Hi thanks Doug and Al

I'd love to hear from anyone who used one regularly , I'm sure it would have been a boon if you'd never had one, coming from the other end having a modern ( even beko ) machine I may struggle to use this solely as my only dishwasher. As I love to put everything that stands still in mine. But I think I'll play with it for a while. I cannot imagine hanging this on a wall! It's a heavy beast when empty , never mind full and running with water , I'd be frightened it dislodged the bricks and mortar ! If (when ha ha ) I get rich I'd love a large kitchen so I can fit in a few dishwashers and washing machines already to go. That would be useful after a party etc using different machines for different crockery.

Cheers Richard

 

[vacbear58]

Which 1965

I have posted up a Which Report from 1965 where this dishwasher is tested, it was probably just launched.

Its on the link

http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?48811_8~1

 

[vacbear58]

Built In

Here is the Kenwood Dishwasher built in, this is from 1968.

Curiously enough, if I remember correctly from another thread, the built in oven is a predecessor model to the one Richard's parents bought in the 1970s.

And yes, the English Electric washer and drier stack that you can see on the right are based on Westinghouse designs - actually the second time that happened

The complete booklet that this picture come from is on the link



http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?32564

 

[vacbear58]

More trivia

My head must be stuffed with the most useless junk, because I could remember seeing a picture of actress Diana Rigg's kitchen in the mid 1960s - which featured the same dishwasher. I would have been about 9 years old at the time ........

Anyway, a quick google search brought up this from 1967. The picture is actually from the Ideal Home Exhibition from that year, but this display was apparently a replica of her own kitchen. The woman with her is the model Twiggy.

The dishwasher is in the back right. The hotplates on the counter are Creda "Quick Discs" which were solid hotplates (not popular in the UK at the time) which were mounted individually into the counter top in whatever configuration and number you wanted. The electric kettle is a Russell Hobbs K2R which is something of a style icon in its own right - almost de rigeur for a UK collector to have

Al

Al

 

[ricky5050]

Your head may be stuffed but..

At least you find it , I don't always! I like the idea of a dishwasher higher up but perhaps not best next to the oven? You might come back to your casserole washed out rather than cooked! I must find some old kitchen photos and I've a lovely brochure with kitchens in and the kenwood. I think the manufacture must have recommended them as it was the same kitchen as the one where I got my kenwood in Rochdale

Richard

 

[ricky5050]

Dainty maid kitchens

This is like the one we had , but that's not my mam!

 

[chestermikeuk]

Dream Scheme Kitchens

Oh blast form the past there boys, the only split level kitchens I ever saw was my Aunts (Servis MK3, Hotpoint Purple 1828) red and cream kitchen with all stainless steel Tricity Oven fridge and freezer, AND the showcase kitchen I got the Bendix Giromat from - they had a Wrighton dark green kitchen with all black tricity built in Oven Fridge & Freezer..

Glad you got it all working Richard, pity about the sound , I guess you could insulate the sides back and top but its the single frame door that would be the issue, a great nostalgia trip though!!

 

[turquoisedude]

Wow! What a great find!! Despite having UK roots, I don't think any of my rellies over there had a dishwasher until the 70s or 80s (usually acquired after visiting my late mother here....LOL) so I did not get to see many of the earlier models.

Thanks for sharing your Kenwood find and may it provide you with many more years of fun!!

 

[ricky5050]

A proper which style test !!

I hope you're not getting bored of this thread! But Friday nights have gone from trolling around bars to doing dishwasher tests ( sometimes! ) so I thought I'd do a proper full test on the kenwood.I borrowed an old dinner service from my mam ( my ikea set didn't really fit and my vintage table ware isn't dishwasher safe ) so I created some "dirt" by mixing gravy granules , veg oil and dried rosemary to make a sauce that covered all the dishes, plates and cutlery. I used tomatoe sauce on the inside and bottoms of cups, saucers and glasses. I stacked everything to cover both sides and let them sit for 30 mins ( to re create the after dinner time where chit chat about mortgages , the new maxi, and the price of food at liptons may have taken place in true 70s style! ) I stacked the machine and let them sit another 40 minutes before starting. The machine holds 6 place settings with room for a few extras. I didn't. Pre rinse or scrape anything from crockery

 

[ricky5050]

Dirty

.

 

[ricky5050]

Upper rack

Dirty

 

[ricky5050]

Lower rack

Dirty

 

[ricky5050]

Finish detergent

I used program I

I've timed it. This is the longest wash cycle but I thought it would be longer. It's just an extra wash to program II that's lasts 3 min longer.
Here are the timings.

0 start machine fill and heat no action
12 wash starts
19 wash finishes and empties
20 fill and heat no action
32 rinse starts
36 rinse finishes and empties
37 fill and heat no action
49 rinse
50 rinse finishes and empties
51 fill and heat no action
63 rinse
64 rinse finishes and empties
65 dry impeller starts with empty machine to dry dishes
69 program finishes.

So you can see wash with detergent is on 7 min long cycle, 4 min medium or 1 min short.

 

[ricky5050]

All loaded

Before wash

 

[ricky5050]

After

As door opens

 

[ricky5050]

Rosemary

Left in door

 

[ricky5050]

All dishes

Spotlessly clean!

 

[ricky5050]

And dishes

Too

 

[ricky5050]

Top rack

All clean , the rosemary was a challenge as impeller machines have no filter so things like that get re deposited ( the reason I used it) it had deposited on out side of glasses and bowl.

 

[ricky5050]

Cups clean

,

 

[ricky5050]

Rosemary on outside of glasses

.

 

[ricky5050]

And bowl too

In conclusion in very impressed this little machine cleans well and quickly and without lots of water. I was sceptical that the top rack would clean without upper rotor arm but with careful loading in lower rack they all clean. As long as your meals aren't loaded with dried herbs!

If any dishes had been pre rinsed I think they would have been spotless. The cutlery was gleaming too I was a little unsure as a 6 place setting seemed cramped. I sneaked a look as the main wash cycle drained , all the detergent had dissolved and everything looked clean , the subsequent rinses just add the gleam!

I'm going to try a pots n pans wash next !

Thanks for all your interest !

Richard

 

[turquoisedude]

Well, that's pretty impressive!! I think it's a "keeper"!! I like the pauses to heat the wash and rinse water.

As an impeller-wash lover, I guess I take extra precautions with 'bitty' foods like herbs or pepper flakes. I used to be a manic pre-rinser, but now I'll just give plates or utensils a quick scrape and all turns out fine.

Is the solid version of a rinse agent like Jet-Dry available in the UK? If so, give that a try - I find that it helps with the yibblet accumulation on the top rack items.

 

[parnall_doug]

Great results Richard!
I know our Kenwood always cleaned the dishes very well.

Incidentally, my 'job' to help out, as a kid at the time, was to take the cutlery rack out at the end of the wash, and put all the knives and forks etc back in their respective places!

Loving the 'Dream Scheme' link, and the other colour photos of kitchen layouts, as those are the exact model of Hygena kitchen units we had, so the Kenwood looks very 'at home' there! Also, in the first of the scroll down pics on Hygena layouts, I spot the exact model of Moffat cooker (model E110) that we had too!

Getting back to the Kenwood, you may remember I mentioned previously that I recalled my grandparents (and subsequently my parents) got their machines through some kind of offer.
Well I popped in on my parents today, and they were very interested to hear of your machine!
My mother said that my grandparents bought us our machine through an offer that the sugar company (Tate & Lyle I guess) must have been running in conjunction with Kenwood at the time. Details are vague of course, but I guess you got so many vouchers or coupons each time you bought sugar. Now my grandmother bought LOTS of sugar, as she was always making jams and baking etc (I always remember her larder shelves being full to the brim with jars of jam!).
So I guess once my grandparents got their Kenwood, they continued to save up the coupons, and bought us our machine in the same fashion!

So there you have it. A little of our history with the lovely A1212 Kenwood!

I shall show my parents your photos of your machine, next time they pop over!

Doug

 

[ricky5050]

Hi Doug !

Thanks. I bet in those days as these machines weren't as cheap as they are now it must have been a lot of sugar ! I'll see how it goes as an everyday machine ( prob down to what it will hold ) when I'm back offmy holiday. !

Thanks again

Richard.