KitchenAid KUDI23OBO Dishwasher Leaves Food On Dishes

[vintagelove]

After consulting with the wonderful people here, I bought this dishwasher. I finally got it mostly installed (need a bracket) and ran it a couple of times.

1. Do I need a loop in the discharge hose? There is no air gap.

And:

2. It seems to redepoisit food on the dishes. Internet says clean the filters but I don't see a way to do that. I can't figure out how to remove the spray arm on the bottom.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[yogitunes]

that spray arm should lift right off.....

 

[vintagelove]

Tried that. It didn't work.

 

[DADoES]

 
There's no bolt, screw, or any such that holds the arm down, it's just stuck.

 

[awooff]

Filters

Something isnt right for food redepositing on dishes. As far as a drain loop - you certainly dont want water siphoning out but this isnt usually an issue unless your drain is under the machine or in basement. Can you raise the drain hose above the discharge point to prevent siphoning?

Also, directly under the lower spray arm is the SELF cleaning mesh filter but im wondering if the top rack spray arm is having issues? -as ive seen the feed tube to the top wash arm disintegrate. -its usually the part attached to the upper rack that will disintegrate..

Any particular location on dish placement where your seeing food bits?

 

[vintagelove]

I haven't used it much. I just got it in place.

The food bits were everywhere, top & bottom rack. I'm making sure there isn't any food on the dishes right now.

I searched & popular opinion is filter is dirty which is why I'm asking.

I do add TSP to the detergent. Maybe I should try another brand?

 

[askolover]

My KUDI23OBO dishwasher owner's manual says to have a drain loop, but that isn't what's causing food to be on your dishes.  Since my drain connection is in the floor directly in the middle/back of the cabinet I used CPVC pipe and made a loop fastened to the wall.  Works like a charm.  But a loop in the hose would work fine.  These KA's are known for leaving yibbles on the bottoms of inverted cups and glasses because it doesn't have a constant rinse sprayer in the top of the tub anymore like the old ones did.  Mine does it occasionally too.  I wish I could fit a full-sized arm from the roof of an old Maytag in there...that would take care of it!

 

[DADoES]

 
TSP (trisodium phosphate) is the wrong additive for dishwashers.  It generates a precipitate (basically dust particles in the water) when combining with minerals in hard water, which is not a desired effect for the dishwasher/dishware environment.

STPP (sodium tripolyphosphate) is the correct additive.  It is non-precipitating.

 

[ultralux88]

Our Whirlpool PowerClean has a rinse sprayer at the top of the tub, but until I switched back to a good detergent (Bubble Bandit and Cascade fryer boil) it left yibbles on things too. Adding TSP helped, but didn’t solve the problem. Now with the STPP detergent I don’t have this issue, and I load the dishes with plenty of food chunks still on them.

 

[superba1]

I have a 23 series also. The washarm should just pull straight up and off. After that you will see how to remove the filter for cleaning and check for anything else in the tub. Maybe yours has never been cleaned? As far as the air gap is concerned, just google "high loop". The 23 is a good dishwasher but mine only has ONE final rinse and the drying isn't the best. I definitely prefer the KDS-18 over the 23.

 

[vintagelove]

Thank y'all so much! I didn't know I need STPP, not TSP. Looks like I'll have to order the stuff off the internet.

If the top sprayer tube is bad, can I replace it?

 

[ultralux88]

I’d recommend getting a detergent like Bubble Bandit or Cascade fryer boil that had the STPP already in it, by the time you buy detergent and STPP.

 

[rp2813]

Yes, you can replace the top wash arm's supply tube (the flat portion attached to the rack bottom) if that part is still available.  KA used it for many years, so maybe it won't be tough to find a replacement.   If the tube is cracked, that decreases the amount of water going to the spray arm, and that could be the source of the trouble.

 

Another suspect is the check valve underneath the machine.  It's located where the drain hose connects to the pump.  There's a little rubber flap inside the plastic housing that serves as the valve, and if it's stuck in the open position, not all of the water that's being pumped to the wash arms is making it there.  When this valve is stuck open, while the machine is running you'll hear an "urping" sound from either the air gap on the top of the sink or if there's no air gap, from the sink drain that the dishwasher empties into.

 

There's a GE valve that fits if you need a new one, but I don't know the part number off hand.  I tossed a lot of my KA-related notes after I got rid of all of my vintage dishwashers when I moved 18 months ago.

 

[DADoES]

 
I have a note that the GE substitute is WD1X1486 which subs now to WD01X10175.

 

[toploader55]

I have one or two of those upper feed tubes if you need one.

Look at the bottom. That's usually where they rot.

 

[stevet]

No check valve!

This is a whirlpool power clean based pump system. There isn't the classic blue check valve, mentioned above, that was used on the 21 and 22 series machines. The Power clean setup used a check ball inside the drain adapter screwed into the base of the pump under the machine.
As good as the Power clean module was, it can still get clogged up if there is simply too much debris for it to handle. It has no real filters to clean except the aforementioned fine filter located under the wash arm.

I have to ask if the lower arm actually turns since you say you cannot lift it off.
Also, that top hose that everyone is mentioning is important too, so make sure it is there and not cracked. If the arm doesn't turn, you wont get any real washing action and will likely get the results you are talking about.

Once you get everything right, you will like the way this machine will clean. At least Whirlpool finally added the wash temp delay so that the timer stops until the wash temp hits a target temperature. Something Hobart did not see a reason to add to their designs.

That alone was the reason I did not take my pristine KDS-18 to our new house. I took my KA tall tub and installed that in place of the builders grade Frigidaire machine that came with the house. I can be sure that the machine will always reach the right temperature to get the enzymes working regardless of the incoming temperature at the machine. Wonderful Florida living with piping under the slab and kitchens far from the water heater almost guarantees that the machine will fill with cool water. Unless you stand there when it drains and refills and run the tap at the sink, the water will not be hot. Makes for longer cycles, but everything comes out clean!

So get that wash arm off and see what is going on down below. You can find videos of how to disassemble a power clean module and make sure nothing is inside it to make for mayhem and poor washing results.

 

[appnut]

Steve, the pipes are in my slab too.  So I full well understand what you are saying and what y'all experience at your house.  

 

[vintagelove]

My house was built in 1958, I think, and the pipes are galvanized metal that run through the attic. The drain pipes are cast iron & are in the slab.

The lower arm does spin easily by hand so I assume it spins when running. The upper arm blue "tube" thingee looks ok when I used my selfie camera to look at it. It feels a little rough but I can't see any deteration or cracks.

I'm unable to pry the arm off but I'm not able to apply much pressure to anything. My friend is down right now from an infection in his arm from the ambulance i.v. so no help there. May need to get my son to see if he can pull the arm up.

I'll check YouTube for the check ball to see if that's an issue.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Also, what would y'all consider to be the Holy Grail of vintage/antique dishwashers? In case I happen to run across one. Again, thanks!

 

[askolover]

Pull straight up on the black center hub, not any of the arms when you try to remove the hydrosweep spray arm in the bottom.  I wouldn't try to pry it off.  The whole black round thing under the arm will come off with the spray arm.