Kitchen Aid series 17 portable

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fltcoils

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May 5, 2016
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Location
South Bend, Indiana
I'm thinking of getting a portable series 17 kitchen aid dishwasher I saw for sale.

Is it really an advantage to have the full lower rack, compared to the series 18 with the split lower rack but with upper spray arm?

How noisy is noisy? Currently I have to leave the kitchen when our 1980s whirlpool portable is running. sounds like a water spitting locomotive.

My whirlpool also can be set to wash/rinse/rinse, taking 22 minutes to get a load done. 17 minutes if you skip the 2nd rinse. Do I understand correctly that after the model 17 the kitchen aid machines pause to heat the water? And that the heating can sometimes be too hot for modern enzyme detergents to work?

Is the series 17 superba a hardworking model? Would I need a new pump seal, door seal and water valve to get it going dependably? or what?

-------
I was wanting a maytag belt drive machine, saw one years ago and was impressed with the extra room and quiet operation. But elsewhere I've read that the earlier separate pump machine was even quieter. Where does one old portable maytag units, and how do they compare similar kitchen aid units?

thanks

thanks
 
Saw Dishwasher

superba series 17

The dishwasher had a couple of problems, I'd like your opinion.

The door latch needs to be fiddled with a bit or it won't start running?

The leftmost cycle button sticks in, so when finished with the cycle one must manually pull it out to get the rapid advance mechanism to zero the timer.

The lower rack has 1 tine which is missing a 1/2" of rubber, and is thus rusted.

not much else.

Are any of these difficult things to repair on a 34 year old machine?

also, if I decide I'd rather have a series 18 or 20, can I transplant a built in unit into this case?

thanks

6-7-2008-20-29-21--fltcoils.jpg
 
I bought it

It's now at home! KDS-17

It ran well. It is a lot quieter than the BOL Whirlpool portable from '92 that we've been using.

I need some help, a couple of little things.

I need to repair the lower dishrack. This one has 3 spots which are rusted. Floor runner wire is missing 1/2" and rusted, RR wheel mtg loop is missing rubber and is rusted. What is the best way to repair it?

Or I could buy a new one I suppose, however I blanch at spending $100 on a new one. Does anybody have a used lower dishrack, one of the older ones where the large plates are down the middle of the rack instead of the side?

How do you get the spray bar loose on these? Anyone have advice or a scan of a manual page? I pull up on it and it moves 3", but that can't be right.

I'm thinking of adding a SW to cutout the air blowdry heating element, like the one on the 17A. Or I could install a 17-A panel. any of those around looking for a home?

Thanks again.
 
Congratulations on your dishwasher! I received a KDC20A portable dishwasher last week. Even though it's still in the garage, I've taken off the ugly guide bar and resanded the butcher block top. I'm still waiting for my friends to come over and move it into the house.
 
I also spent yesterday cleaning out the filter. I found a huge chunk of glass, hair, and something plastic that had melted. I also had to remove a huge piece of plastic from the upper wash arm! God only knows how it got in there!
 
not filtered

Congratulations on getting a vintage machine.

So, there are series 20 portables out there? Do you have a picture of your machine?

I've read that the series 20 and 21 are the zenith of KA machines. STill made by Hobart, non-reversing motors, upper spray arm, Mild water heating for washing etc. etc. etc. In a way I'm imagining I'd prefer one of those. But how can I say that when I haven't lived with my series 17 yet?

I thought I read in a thread that the flow to the upper wash arm is not run thru the fine filter element like the lower arms flow is. So anything that can get into the drain sump will end up going to the upper arm during wash. But I'm no expert.

You must be good at disassembling these. Might I ask how one removes the lower spray arm?

The cosmetic difficulty with avocado green will need some work. I'm just not sure of my painting ability for such a large box.
 
The lower spray arm just lifts right off and so does the filter. Very simple. The top finish was a bit old looking, so I just grabbed some sand paper and went to work. It does look a little bit better, but I need some kind of sealer for it. I also switched the panels from almond to white and I'll just wash the sides once it's upstairs. No new pics yet, but here's the seller's original link.

 
Got spray arm off

Your machine looks nice, I see why you removed the pull around handle.

After removing the spray arm and filter I reflected on what interesting archealogy digging into these 34 yr old things can be....Nuts, a grape cluster stem, a barcode label, human hair.

But the screen is clean now.

Next I need to put on a new plug or replace the power cord.

The door panel is a wrap around kind, doesn't slide out for replacement. Changing from green to white may take some committment.
 
Congrats on your new best-friend in the kitchen! You will love that 17 Superba once you get used to it. There is a bit of a learning curve to loading correctly so everything gets spray from that lower arm, but having plates down the middle of the lower rack and the angle of the upper rack helps a lot. Watch on eBay for a lower rack - they come up now and then. Until a replacement can be located, grab one of the rack repair kits at the appliance parts store near you. The rubber tips for the tops of rusted tines and the paint-on repair liquid is invaluable for preserving old dishwasher racks. I wish there was a place we could send these to have them re-dipped but I don't think anyone has located one yet.
 
Gansky1

And I found it in your home town. Ann Arbor

I guess the grad students are moving out from U of M. This machine saw a LOT of students in married student housing over 34 years.

.....
But now I'm looking at a superba 22 over in grand rapids...can it be transplanted into this superba17's body? Is it worth it or would it be a crime against nature?
 
I have a superba KDS 18 that I am parting out. I still have most of the parts including the lower dishrack which you said needed to repair. Since you travelled to Ann Arbor for your machine, maybe you get out to Metro Detroit where I live. I won't be holding on to the machine much longer, so let me know mark
 
Power cord

My KA KDS17 needs a new power cord. The original is hard enough that it no longer wraps around the takeup spool inside the machine. it also has been trampled on about 1/3 way along the length and has a broken sheath.

Anyone use a utility cord for this? Or is there some 12 ft replacement cords which can carry the 1400+ watts and still wrap around the 3" takeup reel drum?
 
Oh yeah!!

The jet dry could be the problem for sure. Run the machine without it for a few cycles and make sure your water is hot.
And if your water is on the soft side it will make the sudsing worse. Also, you could be washing off all the residual soap that may have been deposited on the tank surfaces before you got it.

If you want a rinse agent dispenser for it, they are easy to install and I have a few of them hanging around

If you use a good detergent like Cascade complete, you may not even need the rinse agent at all. make sure it is the powdered and not gel soap too.
 

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