Life with the GE Profile DW, 2016

[askolover]

Goldstar

used to build some of their microwaves and televisions in Huntsville, AL.  I worked on the TV line in my previous career before nursing.

 

[vacerator]

Greg,

For LG? You've really been around the block so to speak.
Chrysler had an electronics plant in Huntsville also.

 

[askolover]

Chrysler

I remember, wasn't it called Acustar or something like that?  I remember driving by it a few times.  One of my dad's friends worked there.  Yeah it was Goldstar back then, now LG....Lucky-Goldstar.  I've been around the block a few times but I've been a nurse for 20 years now.

 

[johnb300m]

Dirty loads

I ended up with a really full and dirty Profile load to run.
Had to share.
You know you like looking.

Heavy wash.
Steam
Temp Boost.
Cascade Platinum

 

[vacerator]

My Profile

also does a great job! I use liquid in the small dispenser, and a Finish tab with the red ball for the main wash.

 

[johnb300m]

Nice, vacerator!
Have you had any issues in the upper rack with washability and that x-arm?
It sometimes gives me sub par results; leaving grit in corner glassware or sometimes grit on the outside of glasses.

Last night's load was all clean except for a little spot of egg on my ceramic skillet.
The stainless pots were caked with dried pasta sauce. Powered clean by the reversing wash arm.

 

[Chetlaham]

Mechanism

How does this machine wash and drain? It it a separate drain motor with a single wash motor?

 

[johnb300m]

All of GE's current dishwashers, since aprox. 2012, are this new "filter cup" design with two pumps, turbidity sensor, and either a kinetic ball diverter, or the electronic diverter on the Profile line.

 

[murando531]

Is the electronic diverter a disc type system like the Whirlpool uses? I had no idea they used another type alongside the kinetic ball valves. I suppose though that the ball-type valve is only effective when you only need to direct water one of two ways, whereas your GE and my WP have three or four different zones it can switch to.

The diverter valve motor assembly on mine is the only thing I worry about as far as longevity. I only saw one person's video whose valve started pouring water from underneath, but that was enough to have me paranoid for life. From what John L. said, however, it has apparently only been an issue with machines that get very very hard water, and have users that use cheap detergent along with washing dishes before loading them. Apparently the mineralizing and overdose of detergent causes the valve shaft to wear, causing the leak. But on the bright side, my dishes are always filthy, I always use high quality detergent and rinse aid, and should a problem arise, the valve is only ~$40-50, so it's not a huge deal.

I decided to put a square sheet of newspaper from the Sunday color paper directly under the machine that I can check periodically to catch if any thing starts to leak. If water droplets fall onto the paper, the ink will run and the paper will warp, so even if it's a slow leak that dries pretty quickly, I'll still be able to tell that water WAS there.

 

[vacerator]

johnb300,

Mine is a 2011 model, with blue spray arms. Not a top of the line one, so it only washes both racks. No Smart dispense either.
We rinse dishes, and run it every other day.
The anti-bacterial cycle with added heat takes approx. 78 to 86 minutes, depending on our hot water usage, and the season, as it is on an outside wall.
It does have a steam option. I have used it only once, on the pots and pans cycle
for a lasagne' baking dish.

 

[mark_wpduet]

Steam -

I remember when I first heard of a steam option in a dishwasher, I thought that was so stupid, because they ALL have steam coming from them when you open the door when the cycle is over.....But when I used the steam sanitize on my Maytag, and when it was done and I opened the door, My God! I've never seen that much steam come from a dishwasher in my freaking life. So I took back the thought I had about it being stupid.

 

[vacerator]

Mark,

I know, right? The steam option on my GE is actually a pause to let water drip onto the heating element after the pre wash. It makes steam to help dissolve stuck or baked on foods.
The LG steam cycle, from what I understand actually heats water in a vessel and injects it into the tub.
I may be mistaken?
Take note, also I have no idea how it works in a Bosch, a Mile, or a Kitchen Aid.
Perhaps I will learn?

 

[johnb300m]

@andrew, I'm not completely sure at what actually does the diversion. It's a rather tall assembly with a pump input on the side, and 4 ports coming out of the top. I imagine there's some sort of rotating vane or disk that diverts water to 1 of the ports at a time, as it rotates through its switching cycle. Indeed you're right. I think they used an electronic diverter because yes, the Profile has 3 distinct water channels: the main arm 1, the main arm 2 and then the upper rack. The upper rack channel gets 2 conjoined ports, likely for engineering simplicity.
My parents' more plebeian GE has the mechanical diverter ball that flicks the pump power to manipulate it from switching to one of the 2 channels; upper or lower.
I think you're right, that the WP diverter has been mostly fixed? I have not heard anything about it in quite some time. And I'm thinking the GE one is a "self contained" unit with maybe no parts protruding out of the housing? Not sure. Never heard of an issue with those, period.

@vacerator, I'm jealous! Those were my favorite GEs ever. I think they clean exceptionally well. My parents used to have the old GSD6660, which was one notch below the Profile line in 2003. It cleaned fantastic every day of all those years. Minimal maintenance. I did clean out the XtraFine filter and little filter cup a couple times, more to get rid of years of lint. Otherwise it was great. Economical, easy to load, washed fast, dried great.
My parents were rather pissed when it died and they still haven't warmed to the 'new' GE GDF540 with the upper and lower silverware baskets.

-On Steam.
I think you're both right. The steam function on my Profile acts just as your machines seem to. It 'agitates' by spraying for several seconds and pausing, which it does for 5min or so. Then it'll just sit for 5-10min and I can hear the water dripping and sizzling on the heater rod.
IDK if it really makes much a difference...but I do use it if I want an extra "soaking" period which does seem to work with the tougher soils.
GE's logic was to introduce a soaking steam option for people to use with caked on dishes that have sat for days, opposed to letting them have access to a Rinse/Hold cycle.

 

[johnb300m]

Soap clogging filter?

So about two weeks ago I ran out of cascade complete action packs. So I reverted back to my leftover box of seventh generation.
And if you remember much further up thread, I was having issues with my extra fine filter not really cleaning itself. Especially compared to Andrews pristine whirlpool.
But I have been subconsciously noticing that since going back to the seventh generation, which is working much better with Soft water, I have not had to clean the filter as much.
Well I really pushed it over the edge this time. I had an absolutely filthy pan of baked falafel.
I decided to put it right in on heavy wash with steam and Sani rinse.
It didn't come completely clean as you can see. But it was pretty damn impressive. What was much more surprising was how clean the filter actually was after that disgusting load.

I'm trying to think of variables but so far the only thing that has changed has been the soap situation from cascade to seventh generation.
I'm wondering if it has had an effect and if cascade maybe films the screen up for more.
I'm almost ready for a new box of soap so I'm thinking of trying a box of Finish powder, which this little family grocery store by me actually sells.

 

[joeypete]

Yeah not bad! Falafel is pretty hard when it bakes/dries so yes impressive. I think the Cascade would have gotten it all clean though haha. I bought a small bag of the Platinum pacs and they work very well. I put them in the prewash though because they create an incredible amount of suds...especially with my "Hurricane in a Box"! lol. In the main wash with just the one rinse after, it wasn't rinsing completely away. I found the Cascade Complete powder 125oz at a local discount store for only $5.99 a box! So I bought 2. I"m going to stick with that for now.

I used Finish all the time (in the powder) and it worked great. I didn't really notice any difference from the tablets...but it had been a while since I compared. I think you'll like it. It's fairly easy for me to find here too...though only a couple stores carry it. And yes, they are local chains..kinda weird that other places don't have it.

Let us know how you like it.

 

[mark_wpduet]

@ John

I do wonder to myself if that would have completely clean had you used the Cascade or even Finish, as opposed to the Seventh Generation.

 

[murando531]

I think that's what John was meaning, that using Cascade pacs was leaving the filter grimy while the 7th Gen. detergent seemed to leave it cleaner.

John, what is your rinse aid dispenser set to? If it isn't already, maybe try turning it down and see if that makes any difference when using the Cascade? Since you have your water softener worked out, it could be that the excess rinse aid is causing the filter to get more of a "slime" that is locking in some of the dirt? Perhaps because the 7th Gen detergent is more basic, it's keeping the water from being softened so much that it can now effectively flush some of the debris away.

 

[johnb300m]

Hmmm.
All good recommendations. I have my rinse aid dispenser set on the middle setting because any less and I was still getting some spotting. Even though the salt system makes the water very nicely soft. It's still leave some salty spots though not nearly as bad as hard water spots. But I could try turning it down a little. It's possible a combination of The cascade with the heavy dose of rinse aid was gumming up the works.
I wonder if it's something specific with the action packs. Because my parents use regular cascade powder and their GE filter is almost perfectly clean even after a month. Although they have harder Chicago water.
There are just so many variables.

I'll play with the rinse aid dispenser a little bit and then I'll try out the finish powder first in about a week.
Then I'll try cascade complete powder.
I just like the idea of powder boxes better because then it's easier to divide dosages especially when running half loads. It's silly to dump a whole cascade platinum pack when I'm doing just an upper rack wash ha ha!

 

[joeypete]

I imagine the Cascade pacs have some sort of rinse aid in them too...I know the Platinums do. Just have to experiment and see

 

[gelaundry4ever]

cascade complete

Cascade Complete has rinse aid in it too.