Long Live the BOL (bottom of the line) Whirlpool Portable Dish Washer

[volvoguy87]

WP DW

I grew up with the built-in version of that model circa 1986.  Ours had a silverware rack in the lower rack with no place to mount it on the door.  It was the 1st DW I encountered with an upper wash arm.  My mother never washed pots and mixing bowls in the DW, so the lower rack's tower wasn't a problem.  The lack of heated water was a problem, but it was all we knew, so we didn't realize it was an issue.  It held a fair bit, but the MT from the later 1990s that replaced it held more and washed better.  The BOL WP didn't do the best job on silverware and was known to leave some yibbles on the tops of glasses.  Toward the end, the mechanism was fine, but the detergent dispenser latch failed and the wheels broke off of the lower rack.

 

I'm enjoying the memories of which this post has reminded me,

Dave

 

[mickeyd]

You guys got me goin' good. Thank you.

When Mike said he could fit it more dishes, something pinged in my memory bank, and I couldn't get it forward, but wait; it finally came.

Mike, that's all I had after scouting the house and the property. I was amazed: one load after a big party, never before. What luck. This again, was part of the joy. Normally, I'm a total Bob-loader, to the max and more.

Then when Darren and Pete remarked about the silver box, I realized that the one I use is NOT the one that came with the machine. The extra one I put in for all the forks, etc. was the original.......Or so I thought.

When I set up for the pic for you guys, I noticed that the color was totally not a match with the racks. Oh, it's been in the basement and changed color like the lids on the Haier machine, I thought. But then it dawned on me: THAT CAN'T be the original rack. That's not a fade; it's a totally different color.

To Dave's point about silverware: not only that, but I realized I removed the original silverware box because it was too small, didn't do too well, and have used this giant box, keeping it in the door, which allows way more room in the "tub," and a ton more silver in the box.

Scratching my head," Where the heck is the original?" Back to the basement, rummaging helter-skelter, behold (in a minute), I found it. SO TINY. Why, my brunch utensils alone would fill that little box up, (smiles).

The extra green one is pretty though, and putting it in yesterday, never noticed the colors didn't match. I'll never ace an Aesthetics Exam, (snicker).

 

[mickeyd]

Gigantississ on the left

Midgee, the original, on the right. What a difference. Now I understand what I did way back whenever. Pinggguuueeee

And, for the next party, I'll offer real knives, and have enough boxes to wash them in the BOL Pool.

 

[yogitunes]

I have a TOL Convertible UltraWash with the center tower...and found a spare without the tower as a backup when the first one goes.....

I got it brand new from Sears in 1988....it sits next to the sink permanently hooked up.....

there is NOTHING these machines can't handle....

I'll have to get a pic of mine....

 

[combo52]

Porcelain Tub Whirlpool Portable DW

Glad you are enjoying your WP  DW again Michael, the 1980s were about the best WP DWs ever and I will go even further and say that some of their 1980s were the best DWs ever made for home use, I have never used or had any other DW that I would trade for my 1987 WP Power Clean DWs. The older blue in-door silverware baskets were a better design than the thinner ones used in the 1990s plastic tub DWs. I have never seen or used any DW that had a better designed system for holding and washing silverware. The blue SW basket is the easyist to load and unload system, you can lay it flat on the counter open it up and unload every item without even touching any part of the SW but the handles, but best of all you can load the basket by the hand full and never get your fingers messy.

 

The DW itself is the simplist most reliable DW ever built and when service is required it is the easyist machine to repair ever built. These DWs easily out did GE, MT and even KitchenAid for reliability.

 

Michaels WP DW is still the model with the filter in the bottom although we could drop in the Power-Clean pump and motor module in this model, this model while it does not do a thermal hold to heat the water it does have an 800 watt heater that runs throughout the main wash and final rinse that does boost the water temperature about 10 degrees in the main wash, so this machine will do an outstanding job with incoming water at anything over around 120F.

 

[mickeyd]

Bountiful Learnings

John, I love the ease of sliding the SW basket on its back across the counter, but had no idea it opened. Thank You. What fun and how sterile to grab them all by the handles. It's so elfin' easy that I want all the wasted minutes back that were lost yanking them out the hard way. Actually, I usually just dump them out in a big layer. And yes you can indeed stuff them in by the handful.

And thanks for the info about heating. Often times have opened the door to find the water hotter and steamier at the end of the wash cycle than at the beginning. So it is indeed heating. Wondering if the coil is working during main wash and final rinse, even if the heat switch is on AIR rather than HEAT. I'll know soon.

Martin, I swore I bought mine in 88, but the copyright in Peter's Whirlpool Manuals and Literature link reads 89. Possibly no change between years.

Peter, the model number for this "dish" is DP3000XRN1, and the link loaded up in seconds and opened in Adobe just like Ephemera, and it was a great read. Thank you. I've been loading cups all wrong; they're supposed to go in sideways. They also tell you how to remove the filter the easy way, (smiles). Interested readers, hit Peter's link and type in DP3000XRN1 for the fascinating doctrine.

Maybe not NIB, new in box, but definately NOB, never opened before. Amazing, thought the metal loop was for swinging and lifting, Sheesh!

 

[peteski50]

Whirlpool DU8700!

I had the DU8700 Portable and it was the best dishwasher I ever owned. When I made a new kitchen in 2001 I put in a Kenmore tall tub that lasted 1 1/2 years and sears swapped it out after a few repairs for a GE tall tub I still have. I like it but nothing is like the Power Clean!!

Peter

 

[mickeyd]

All we need now, Peter,

is lots O' lights, and it'll be WP DW Heaven. I'm sure Maritn will get one rigged for us to imitate just like he did for the full-flume spray rinse on the GE washer.