Maytag dishwashers: Inside

[joeypete]

Very true about older machines and new detergents. With my Hobart KA, I now use powdered Cascade. I bought the ginourmous box at Sam's so I measure it into a disposable Ziplock container and add about half the amount in STPP. I think these powdered (and liquid) detergents are still being made with older machines in mind. You can tell just by reading the directions....the pacs say to use one per load, while the powder says to fill all detergent cups completely for best results. Older machines do wash faster and I can't even imagine using say, the Finish tabs in my machine. I honestly don't think they would dissolve completely by the time it drains...if anything I'd put it in the prewash compartment so at least it would be released early on. The Sam's pacs weren't too bad...I just used 1 in each cup, but they produced a lot more foam than the Cascade powder. They dissolved very quickly, as would the Cascade pacs I imagine...they look softer than the Finish rock hard tabs lol.

 

[mark_wpduet]

@ Andrew

Yes - I know exactly what you mean. I've been itching for a new front load washer for YEARS honestly, but my Duet keeps pumping out clean clothes with no issues! I like the cool new things too. But I also appreciate the fact that it's lasting as long as it has and does it's job, so I'm not about to get rid of it until it DIES!

Good point about the detergents now vs then, but I don't EVER remember (even the older dishwashers) having a main wash cycle that only lasted 10 to 13 minutes. I think my grandma's old WP 1984 dishwasher even ran an hour or so before the cycle was done? I may be wrong......I just don't ever remember those older 80s/90s dishwashers completing a cycle that quickly.....

 

[joeypete]

Cycle times

Mark I think he meant the times that it washes in between fill and drain of each "wash". My Hobart KA has wash periods of about 10-13 minutes thereabouts. The whole cycle is longer of course, but they last about that long before it drains and fills again.

 

[mark_wpduet]

But how would it even have time

to heat the water with 10 to 13 min's between drain/fills?

Maybe I just never paid that much attention with past dishwashers - but I know when the cycle was done, you opened the door, steam poured out...so I assumed the dishwashers were heating the water regardless if they had a hi temp wash button or not...but I would think it would need to run longer than that between fills and drains to heat the water.....I dunno. Maybe I'm just remembering wrong.

 

[joeypete]

I honestly don't remember on machines from when I was a kid. Mine now has a water heating light and it heats the water for about 15 minutes first before the first wash. Other washes it doesn't though, as far as I can tell.

 

[joeypete]

Cool video on the 2009 JetClean

 

[mark_wpduet]

@ joeypete

that's from 2009. Cool!

I'm sure there are many of those still in operation now.

 

[murando531]

If I'm not mistaken, that was Whirlpool's very first iteration of any silverware "focused" feature that wasn't just aimed nozzles on the wash arms, and I think they're the first to have tried and succeeded with that feature as well. I can't seem to find any documentation of any dishwasher manufacturer that had anything like the TurboZone or Silverware Blast before Whirlpool first had them on their machines. They've come a long way with it though; the silverware spraybar in my machine now has much better coverage and seems to address any issues with the basket being built onto the door. I think it's cool to see that in the Maytag, they used the same coupling on for the silverware blast that was normally used for the PowerScour/TurboZone bars. Same little junction with steel balls that were magnetically shifted to redirect water from the upper arms to the other spray zone. I would have loved to have one of those machines when they were available. I wonder why they stopped offering it as a feature by the time Mark and I got our Maytags.

 

[joeypete]

Wash times

I just listened as my KA went through a normal cycle. It did two 10 minutes washes and two 5 minute rinses. Before the first wash it heated the water for about 15 minutes, then the wash cycle started. The whole cycle time is about 1h15m that includes start to finish with heated and fan dry.

 

[mark_wpduet]

I just did a bobload of dishes today in my Maytag

and I timed it using autoclean. I guess it really does do soil sensing because using ONLY the autoclean option, it rain 103 minutes with no dry......the last time I ran autoclean it ran 91 min's with no dry.

@ Andrew - I wondered the same thing when I watched that video. I kind of wish my silverware holder was in the door for more room. But I often end up just putting stuff on TOP of the silverware holder itself, since there is enough vertical space to allow clearance without blocking the upper spray arm, and they still come clean......

 

[joeypete]

Those times are similar to my Frigidaire. It's a decent machine actually...new features but it doesn't take forever to wash.

Bob load and no pics?? Wth Mark! ;-)