looking for the modern equivalent of a vintage kitchen aid dishwasher

[pliney]

Is there a modern dishwasher capable of keeping up with a 5 load a day workload? I've been buying vintage kitchen aid dishwashers for years and keeping a back supply for parts. But eventually they've all had an issue I'm not willing or able to fix (usually with its brain). They are getting harder to come by and I'm currently out of a dishwasher and debating buying something, if there is even something out there, new or resigning to handwashing. We have a small farm and so there are a lot of pots and dishes from milking, canning, and preserving and we cook from scratch for a family of 8. It just adds up to a lot of dishes. Big stuff I hand wash but for the smaller things that will fit, it's nice to have a dishwasher to keep the sink and counter cleared off.
I have a used speed queen washing machine. Is there something along those lines in dishwashers? Are there industrial dishwashers that can be used in residential under the counter space? We have well water that clogged the sensors on a Samsung so anything with sensors is probably not an option. That's why I went to the vintage kitchen aids. Are there other vintage brands of dishwashers to consider? I'd appreciate any ideas of what to look into. Thanks

 

[Marky_Mark]

You could get a Miele Professional dishwasher. They have integrated water softeners that will soften your well water and they have very fast and powerful cycles. You'll ideally want to install a 240-Volt, 30-Amp circuit to take full advantage of the super fast cycles. Although they are also available for 120 V, 15 A if that's all you have available.

Miele Professional - Commercial Dishwashers

Commercial dishwashers from Miele Professional stand for convenience, efficiency, sustainability and the best cleaning results.

www.mieleusa.com

 

[pliney]

Thanks for that suggestion. The issue with our well water isn't actually that it needs softening, it's that there is sometimes enough fine sediment in it that it eventually clouds the sensor. I'll take a look at the Mieles. Thanks.

 

[jamiel]

We stay at an inn in southern Vermont which has two Bosch residential dishwashers flanking a double sink/disposer. Their needs are a little different (given that they're feeding breakfast to 12-15 people and need commercial-type sanitation).


There was a research study for the public health department done in Ontario that said for small commercial uses like a group home, B&B, inn, etc that a domestic dishwasher with a Sanitize (i.e. hold to proper NSF temperature) button was perfectly adequate for sanitation and that a commercial dishwasher was not necessary).

My recommendation would be to take your dishes to the store and fit the dishwasher to the dishes, and then potentially get two. (my older Bosch fits Corelle perfectly; a newer one

 

[Marky_Mark]

I agree with Jamie. You could install two residential dishwashers and use the 1-hour cycle for light/medium loads. Really encrusted stuff can go on the heaviest cycle. The cycles would be considerably longer than a Miele Professional but you'd have two machines rather than one.

Would a sediment filter on your incoming water supply remove the sediment? It would be difficult to find a machine without a sensor. How was it determined that the sensor was damaged by fine sediment?

 

[pliney]

I had a warranty on the Samsung from Lowes. When the repairman came out he said that a clogged sensor was the issue and that well water voided the warranty. I was refunded what I paid for the warranty but not the machine. It was a long while ago so I don't remember the details and I've let my frustration about the situation go, though the dishwasher is still stored in the outbuilding in case someone wants it. It just needs a $70 sensor part replaced.
We looked into a house filter for our water and it was price inhibitory and the water suits our needs in every other way. You are right, probably all the new dishwashers have sensors. I'm going to have to stay old school, pre-filter. And there's not room in the kitchen for two dishwashers. I'm getting pretty fast at hand washing! thanks for the ideas

 

[Marky_Mark]

Ah right I see. I don't know much about well water or extended warranties, as I have neither. Thanks for explaining!

Following on from what Jamie said about the Bosch, another good inexpensive option is to look for a used Bosch dishwasher. Every single washer, dryer and dishwasher that I own was purchased used. It would be great if you could find one for sale that has the "Speed 60" cycle (or equivalent) as this would make short work of most loads and would give you fast turnaround times. Then you could use the heavy cycle for the really tough messes.

You can't go on without a dishwasher for long!
Mark