Kitchenaid imperial 21 questions

[mike_g2]

Hello.

I have a kitchenaid imperial 21 DW, model no. KUDI21DSO. It has worked fine, especially since I switched to dry dish soap.

Anyway, I have two questions:

1. How do I know if the water heating function is working? I have my water heater up at 150 or so, and would like to turn it down to 130 or so .

2. The rinse cycle doesn't appear to work during a wash - it clicks and hums , and then bypasses it.

Thoughts?

 

[bobbyderegis]

Mike,
you will know your heater is working if you hear "sizzling" at the end of the first fill. Mine will heat for about 7-9 minutes before the wash starts. It only heats to 140, so if your tank is set at 150, it may not heat at all. Try lowering the tank to 130 and see if you get a "sizzle". For the rinse question, is it rinsing at all, or is it bypassing the sani portion of the rinse? It will bypass the sani portion unless you use the sani cycle. If not, there may be a fault in the timer.
Bobby in Boston

 

[peteski50]

KitchenAid!

Actually on the 19 and 20 series the water heater boosted the 1st water fill to 150. It wasn't until the 21 series that they went to 140 in the 1st fill. Even if the temperature is very hot going in the machine it may still heat for a few minutes anyway because the tank is initially cold. Also I always thought they should have had this heating in the main wash instead of the 1st fill. The main wash is heated at a lower watage to maintain the heat. It was 1400 wats for the 1st fill and 700 watts for circulating water in the main wash.
Peter

 

[mike_g2]

Thanks for the replies. I will need to turn down the water heater and give it a whirl...

As far as the sani- cycle, I don't quite know what that means. Our SOP for dishes is to push the "pots pans" wash button, and "no heat dry". We have been doing this for about 7 years now, but it has only been "skipping" the rinse cycle for about 6 months. Our usual remedy is to cancel the cycle when it gets to "dry", and then do a "rinse & hold" step.

My fear is that it is something in the timer.

A couple more questions, on another note: 1. Anyone have a source for wheels and axles for the lower rack?
2. We have a bit of corrosion on the lower rack, I think we lost one tine due to corrosion. Any thoughts on a repair coating, or a place to find a replacement rack? If I recall, the dealer price for a rack was like 75.00, but my memory could be wrong...

 

[DADoES]

Would a 21 series Imperial have Sani-Rinse?

 

[bobbyderegis]

Sorry Mike. I was thinking Superba. But doesn't the Imperial have a Sani rinse as well? Your model has the timer dial. What do you mean it hums and then bypasses the rinse?
Bobby in Boston

 

[mike_g2]

Going from memory, I have 4 wash buttons: Normal, Pots & Pans, China, Rinse & Hold I think I have 2 other buttons on the right side: No heat dry, Cancel. I am quite certain there is no "sani" button.

No dials, just push buttons. As far as the humming, when the cycle advances to the point where the "rinse" light turns on, it fills with water, and then I hear a click and a hum (not sure what order - it lasts about 3 seconds), and then it pumps out the water and starts the dry cycle.

 

[DADoES]

An Imperial with rapid-advance timer. Does the final rinse get skipped on all cycles - Normal, Pots & Pans, and China? Could be a glitch on the button array, or the timer ... either one causing the rapid-advance motor to trigger when it shouldn't ... maybe getting crossed-up somehow with the Rinse Hold sequence.

 

[andrewinorlando]

A 21 series Imperial didn't have a rapid advance timer, did it? That was dial control. I thought only the Superbas were rapid advance models. In any case, this sounds like the timer is going bad. But try it on the normal cycle or light and see what it does. The timer can be rebuilt.

See www.repairclinic.com for parts availability.

 

[stevet]

surprise, surprise!

Mike you have one of the later models of the 21 series, especially with that model number. Definitely a Whirlpool rework of the more classic unit with the dial. This machine was basically the same as the ISE Classic 3000 model machines which had the buttonless control panel and the action indicator lites. Probably cheaper to just make one design and change the control panels on the assembly line. These units also had the large round element above the sump area and you would not hear the sizzling sounds as the unit would heat the water as it fell over the element. By that time, They had a temp limiting thermostat secured under the tank to monitor the 140 degree temp and would stop heating when it got there. I vaguely remember the ISE manual saying it would delay progress of the wash portion until the 140 was reached and then continue. I would assume that the Kitchenaids would do the same.

Mike, you may want to check the wiring diagram and see if that thermostat is a normally open or closed tstat or if they had even put two of them down there one which would delay the cycle until it got hot and another one which would advance the timer at the proper temperature. My manuals cover the Hobart style design which also came in different iterations.

These units also had a feature where they would go thru the cycle and rinses and then after the final rinse,they would go thru a final drain period to get all the water out of the tank. But what you may want to do it remove the control panel and looka t the timer itself in action. Most of them had a function chart around the stem of the timer(didnt come thru the front of the machine) and a detent on that stem which would indicate what portion of any cycle the timer was in. You will see the prewash and wash and rinse fills as well as the detergent cup(s)and rinse dispeser and purges and dry portions all around the timer stem. Remember, your light can say rinse but cant tell you if it is the first or second rinse or what drain it is! If you observe this action, you may determine that the machine is actually operating properly. If not them it could be the timer or could also be the program buttons.
they do wear out. You can try using the normal cycle and see if that makes a difference. If it does it on all the cycles, you may have to try a timer. Maybe send that one out to be rebuilt which would be the cheapest alternative as some of them were hundreds of dollars when new. There will be a part number printed on it too so you can let us know it and maybe someone has one!
As far as the wheels and racks, I have wheels and racks and should have something to suit you. let me know and I will photoraph them for you and email them. If I come across a machine at the curb and there are decent parts like that on them, I would surely take them and keep then for the future.
. Let us know how you make out.
Steve