KitchenAid KDS 18 Ready For Install

[retro-man]

You can have any picture you want blow up to usually a 9 x 11. Then take the photo to a company that does copying and printing of blue prints. They have computers that can make copies of the 9 x 11 into 3' x 4'or pretty much any size you want smaller than this and then you just cut to fit. A plexiglass cover would protect it. I had this done last year with a picture and had it made into a large print. I was impressed with how good this came out. If I remember correctly the price was around 60 or 70 dollars. I am going to mount mine on a shadow box frame and back light it over the back of the bed in the new house. For the beginning picture enlargement I went to a Kinko's copy shop only 3 or 5 dollars there. Hope this helps your creative skills.
Jon

 

[gansky1]

NOW its' ready!

I've made a few more adjustments in the restoration process. I tried the sani-cycle the other day and it never progressed beyond the heating stage in the final rinse. Upon investigation, I found that someone had replaced the thermostats incorrectly. From the factory, there are two thermostats (pictured below) that control the 180F sani-temperature (left side) and the 196F high-limit thermostat (right side). The sani-thermo was there, but apparently not functioning properly and the high-limit one had been replaced with a 165F. This caused the machine to heat the water to approx. 165 and then turn off the heater, effectively making the cycle stuck in this loop indefinitely. I replaced both thermostats, a new 180 for the sani temp and I only had a 185 for the over-limit replacement, but it works just fine and will hold it until I can get another from Grainger, Johnstone, etc. Fortunately, these thermostats are readily available, just be sure to get the correct temp ratings.

 

[gansky1]

Here is the load I "sani-cycle" washed today. A few of these dishes were still in the machine from the small load the other day, but I added quite a few more that had been waiting patiently since Wednesday for their turn in the KitchenAid. Not a Bob-Load, but they were pretty nasty...

 

[gansky1]

Yes, there is water pooled in the ridge of the Mixmaster bowl ;-)

 

[stevet]

An Arm and a Leg!

Gansky, I see that your machine has the larger upper washarm already. Did you change the racks or did it come like that for you?
I am not surprised at the tstats being wrong.Some guys just don't see what they are looking at when they install parts. Maybe the lack of progress thru the cycle because of the error caused the owner to get rid of the machine!
One thing I see in the picture though is the "87" on the right hand stat.. that was the factory designation on those hi limit tstats. The sani stat was "86". They had used these same designations all thru the years for those stats. Maybe you do have the correct one at 185 degrees as they did have range associated with them. And yes, they can be gotten at Johnstone's but it is hard to find them with the locating pin on the back to lock into the spring clip on the assembly as seen in your pictures. Those are items I always scrounge off of any machine I run across or decide to toss.
Looks in perfect condition. Does it have the old or the new style constant spray on top? And I do see that there is CLEAN
water in the mixer bowl..testament to the filtration system maybe and the constant rinse?
These pics are making me itchy to fix up the 18 I got from my pals in Orange City, FL in December.
Needs some major parts which I have hanging around so I might just tackle it tomorrow.
Will keep you and everyone informed of that machine's progress

 

[spankomatic]

Greg,
KDS-18 is my all time favorite. We had one for years in our house in the late 70's. I think we got in May of 1979. I would trade my 2 hour cycle Bosch for one in a second! One of the things I always liked about it was it's flexability in loading. Can't beat it. Sani cycle and best drying you can get all in about 1 hour. I also like the silverware basket and mini basket for small items. We had 8 people living in our house back then and the KDS-18 was used 2-3 times daily. Never had any repairs. Next wash in you have can I do the dishes?

Jim

 

[peteski50]

KitchenAid!

The KitchenAids were my favorate also. I always loved the loading pattern better than any other. I wish they would have made a tall tub with the well built hobart style.
Peter

 

[gansky1]

I did switch out the top rack for the longer wash arm that I scavenged from a 19 series a long time ago. I've been lucky finding racks for these still in good shape, even have a 17 series set NIB. The 180 t-stat is a replacement I bought several years ago for my other 18 I had in my old kitchen, but it seems to stay in place pretty well. I may use some electrical tape to secure the whole assembly together before installing it in the cabinet just to be sure though.

Do you remember the commercials with people slamming the doors of their KitchenAid dishwashers "for the sound of quality" -- or something like that? Also, the commercials with the tag line "next time buy a KitchenAid"...

 

[sudsmaster]

Black Beauty

I'll be picking up a black beauty of a KDS-18 in a few days. Thanks to this thread, I pounced on it and can see that it's just about the best DW that KA ever made. Heated forced air dry with separate air heater, water heating element deep in sump to heat the water and not the dishes, upper wash arm, sanitize feature... good enuff to boot the Bosch.

 

[launderess]

Long Cycle Times

Of today's dishwashers are mainly the result of machines having to do more with less in terms of water and energy use. Same as with washing machines.

Many vintage dishwashers had multiple fills,purges, wash and even rinse cycles on the "Normal" cycle. Today one is hard pressed to get more than "wash - rinse" on most machines, or if they do multiple cycles, the amount of water used is not enough to really get a good powerful stream of water going. Suppose dishwasher makers could use more powerful motors and or pumps, but that costs money. Difference is sort of like comparing cleaning the drive with a water hose versus a pressure washer.

L.

 

[peteski50]

KitchenAid!

I agree today's dishwashers are more of a hassel and not made half as well as a KitchenAid. This new water usage issue is such stupidity also. The fact that the new machines run so long is wasting energy. About 15 years ago they were making dishwashers to use less water and energy and were very sucessful. At that point most manufactures omited one water change and created better filtering systems. In most cases this was very sucessful and the machines did very well. But now it's been taken to a extreme. And the whole point is defeated. We don't have control over anything anymore. We are living in a dictatorship. And it's getting worse everyday.
Peter

 

[appnut]

Y'all keep bitching about longer cycle times in today's dishwashers, you are not thinking that todays motors are a heck of a lot less power draw as well as the heaters. GEEZ

 

[sudsmaster]

Oh, I don't know.

The Kitchenaid KD-2P has a pre-wash purge, then a full wash, then two rinses. All told, about 4 fills. My late 90's Frigidaire had mutliple fills/pre-rinses, wash, and then multiple rinses. My 2003 Bosch has multiple pre-wash rinses, wash, and then multiple rinses. It varies somewhat depending on soil level. But each fill uses significantly less water than either the KD-2P or the POS Frigidaire. So, while the more modern machine may use less water overall, it does have multiple fills - and perhaps more of them than many vintage machines. It's similar in that respect to modern front loaders vs. older top loaders. Less water per fill, but more fills (mainly rinses) than a traditional toploader.