Kitchenaid superba KDS-40 sst

[twisteddman]

I bought this stainless steel "electric sink" DW/sink combo. The cabinet is pretty rusty, but not on the front so its easily fixable with a little elbow grease and paint. The DW says its a KDS-40 model on the inside , but I cant find any info about it. The highest model number I find is KDS-20

Can someone shed some light on this. is it a different model number? Is it servicable? I connected a plug and hooked it up to a garden hose. It turns on, goes through a whole cycle, but I dont know a lot about DW's so I am not sure what to look for. It did not seem to get hot at all, the heat shut off switch was not activated.

The fact is I bought the thing cheap to replace an office sink/ cabinet in my shop that is the exact same dimentions. So I am trying to decide if salvaging the whole thing is worth it, using just the cabinet with a new dishwasher or just the SS top.

Any advice is welcome

 

[stevet]

Check further...

Kitchen Aid never had a model number series as you describe so I would say to check the actual data plate located on the left side of the dishwasher where the door goes into the tank. There will be a model and serial number there. Also, take a picture or two of the machine and post it here and we will be able to identify it.

 

[twisteddman]

I think the plate you are talking about is the one I got the KDS-40 from. I included a picture of it

 

[stevet]

KDS-20

Looks to be a 20 series which will fill and then preheat the water to 140 degrees and then continue the cycle. It will stop and heat but if the preheat thermostat is stuck in the closed position, it will delay for a few seconds and then advance to wash. That thermostat is located in the sump on the right side and has a connector under the machine that you can take apart and check the tstat with an ohmmeter. Like I said, it should be open showing no continuity when machine is at room temperature.If it shows continuity, it is bad and needs to be replaced.

Did you hook it up to cold water? What cycle did you try? Rinse and hold does not heat the water at all and the energy saver cycle may go right into the wash wiothout the poreheat. I would have to check the cycle charts or one of the other guys who have a 20 can confirm that as well.

Details on what you did would also help us help you diagnose the machine.

 

[twisteddman]

I hooked it up to cold water and ran it on heavy cycle.

I have also noticed that the rubber hose type thingy on the top rack is a tad saggy and seems to have pulled the plastic peice that it slides onto out of the black rubber grommet at the top of the inside of the machine. Is this normal? seems like I am missing something that would hold that hose up . but not sure.

Any Ideas why it says model 40 on there?

 

[danemodsandy]

Model Number:

KitchenAid model numbers depended on the dishwasher type. A dishwasher could have three or four different model numbers, depending on what style it was.

Here is an example. I own a 15-Series Superba VariCycle dishwasher from about 1966. Usually, the model number for this dishwasher was KDS-15. However, mine is a convertible/portable, so the model number on mine is KDS-55. The same dishwasher was available in the sink cabinet model, as a KDS-35. Same exact dishwasher in all three instances, just some added parts on a couple of models.

Since people do things that alter appliances, it's possible to find a KA that has a "funny" model plate. For instance, if someone converted a convertible/portable into an undercounter machine, then the model plate would seem unusual. Same if a sink cabinet model had its dishwasher removed for installation elsewhere.

Hope this helps.

 

[twisteddman]

Thanks for the help. stupid question, this hooks up to the cold water, correct

 

[danemodsandy]

Actually....

It hooks up to the hot. The heating feature is to boost the temperature above the 120-140 degree F settings commonly found on residential water heaters, for sanitizing purposes.

If you hook it up to cold water, the heater might eventually get the water up to a decent temperature, but you will have one helluva power bill.

 

[twisteddman]

so is there a way for me to determine if the heater in the DW is working, since I can only hook it up to cold water at the moment? Not sure if it is not working or if it is just that i have it hooked up to cold

 

[appnut]

You could connect the dishwasher to electricity.  Add 8 quarts of water manually.  Latch the door and select Heavy Wash.  The timer will advance to the "fill" section and have an increment period of 1.5 minutes.  The timer may then advance another increment.  But after the fill period the "Sani Heat" light should come on.  If the thermostat is properly working, the machine will sit there and heat the water until it reaches 140 degrees.  Then the timer will advance and the water will circulate for 1.5 or 3 minutes.  On Heavy Wash it will preheat the water for the prewash as well as the main wash.  It will not stop and thermostatically heat the water any other time before the dry cycle.  Only on Sani-Wash will it preheat the fial rinse water before spraying the water over the dishware.  The initial Sani Heat of the water could take 30 to 40 minutes until it reaches 140 degrees.  If San-Heat only heats the water for a minute or two and then begins spraying water over the load, then the thermostat isn't working properly.  Hope this helps.

 

[washer111]

I always had thought that the KDS-19 and above machines didn't actually do a thermostatic hold in the main-wash, rather they heated the Pre-Wash with the 1400w, then just had "supplementary" heating during the Main-Wash from the 700w heater to give a small boost to the washing temperature. 

 

An interesting point you note, Bob. 

 

[appnut]

U r correct.  On low energy & heavy wash--1 heat phase at prewash only. 

 

[Gilles8000]

The first fill of the 19 and 20 series heated the water tp 150 F not 140 F. My mom had a Custom KDC 20C and I remember that it said in the dishwasher manual that it heated the first fill to 150 on any Full Cycles.