MIB/ NIB Jenn Aire

[combo52]

New Jenn-Air Reverse Rack DW [ Maytag ]

Hi Jon, are you installing this at home or at the cape, Be sure to try out the Conserva-Wash cycle, when CRs used this cycle in comparison tests the MT DW went from the top of the list in cleaning to the BOTTOM of the list. Maytag was trying to have the lowest numbers on the DOE energy guide and they ended up shooting themselves in the foot because CRs was testing DWs at the time on the cycle that the EG was based on and MT had just one wash and two rinses and it left a mess.

 

MT RR DWs were certainly pretty good DWs in their day in terms of cleaning, in the time period from about 1970-1990 I would put them at #5 of the 5 best DWs built in overall cleaning and ability to hold large loads of dishes which is a pretty impressive score when you consider all the different poor performing DWs out there during this time period.

 

My top picks

 

#1 Whirlpool-Kenmore Ultra-Wash [porcelain tub DWs ] from 1984-1990

 

$2 Kitchenaid KDS-18 through the KDS-20

 

#3 GE early 80s DWs with multi-orbit wash arms, extra deep top racks and filtering systems, GSD900-1200-2800 etc.

 

#4 WP DWs 1970 on before the power-clean pump

 

#5 Maytag RR DWs from 1970-1988

 

John L.

 

[bwoods]

bias

Some members are jealous and can't stand it when others give positive comments on dishwashers other than their favorite. The Maytag is simply a better engineered and performing machine than the pedestrian Whirlpools. They are a premiums machine and not everyone could afford the Maytag RR's in the day. When they couldn't they went to a lower priced brand like Whirlpool.

In the '88 and '89 Consume Reports, the Maytag RR/Jenn-Air RR were listed as "higher overall quality" than the Whirlpool. The GE 2800, then KitchenAid, then Maytag and then Whirlpool is the order in which CU gives them. And each machine has its own features and performances that it brings to the table, that someone may particularly enjoy.

I have seen this many times before where a member gets some manner of vintage appliance and, of course, they are proud of it. Another member will often then come along and denigrate their machine. And often, not even with factual material, but their opinions.

Let's let people enjoy their machines and enjoy sharing them with us.

 

[tomturbomatic]

I don't think so. There's my bias. The first one had an 18 minute heated wash. I should hope they cleaned. The also etched glasses terribly. Maytag had and has great filtration, of course it was a must with those needle sprays. A point about capacity and cleaning: they were great, like so many other machines, if you had a lot of plates. If you had a lot of deep bowls, deep pans, cups and glasses, more than would fit in the bottom rack, you would not have the assurance of thorough cleaning in all areas of the top rack for bowls, glasses and cups when the bottom rack was filled with the same items blocking water to the top rack. Stupid Consumer Reports never did test the benefits of a wash arm under the upper rack, but it is far more useful UNDER the rack than over it for washing loads with lots of preparation utensils, like from marathon baking sessions with two or three KitchenAid mixer bowls, measuring cups and bowls, Tupperware containers that held the measured and sifted flour or loads with one or more Cuisinart work bowls and associated pieces along with big pans. These are the types of loads that filled my KDS18 machines with very flexible loading. These are the types of loads where a wash arm over the upper rack would not adequately wash the insides of the deep utensils in the upper rack with the more regimented loading pattern mandated by the RR Maytags. As for the reverse racking, eventually Maytag gave in and went to normal racking.

As for it being a premium machine, it was expensive and, in some ways, heavily built, like most Maytag products, but the belt-drive models were very noisy, not exactly a premium feature. Other models had their quirks, too, like leaks.

[this post was last edited: 9/11/2015-16:25]

 

[bwoods]

of course you don't

Most AW members are interested in sharing their appliances finds with others and not dealing with some members lack of emotional maturation.

Jon, thank you for sharing your "find" with us. A beautiful machine!!!

 

[appnut]

The GE 2800, then KitchenAid, then Maytag and then Whirlpool

 

That is exactly why I chose the GSD1200 over all those other ones.  It cleaned just as well as the 2800, but no electronic controls. 

 

[dishwasherfan]

WOW!!!!!

Jon:

I love the "Time Capsule" finds of a rare appliance never used and in the original box. Your Jenn-Air dishwasher takes the cake. Enjoy & thanks for sharing. Bob..

 

[bwoods]

bias

Nice altering/greatly expanding your one line posting, tomturbomatic, after I had printed a response.

Etching is a chemical process of metal ions being pulled from the glass matrix itself by the alkaline detergents. An eighteen minute wash is somewhat short compared to other brands of the day and VERY short compared to many of todays machines. With todays enzyme based detergents a long main wash period is certainly beneficial. Time and alkali detergent concentration are the primary variables that induce etching. Maytag not only had a relatively short wash time, but used approximately two gallon+ fill where many other machines were 1.1 - 1.6 gallon fill. Thus giving a lesser concentration of detergent, and further reducing etching. Of course, with the high velocity small jets, Maytag didn't need long wash times using most of the detergents of the day.

Bowls were designed to be placed in the upper rack, not the lower rack of the Maytag RR. There are ten dedicated bowl spaces. That's one of the nice features. One can actually fit bowls into each space, unlike my Whirlpools where I had to skip every other space to get dried on food removed from bowls, even then it wasn't always consistent cleaning. With the design of the RR, if you have more than ten bowls, additional bowls fit quite nicely into the saucer racks. Saucer racks are on the upper rack. And even some on the lower rack as well. It was cool how they have the bowls supported in a vertical orientation with the tines going to the top of most standard sized bowls . No bowls tipping over when the top rack is inadvertently pulled out or pushed in too quickly/forcefully.

The ability of a "tower wash" system for the upper rack is proven by the GE 2800 which scored the highest rating in washability. As I have mentioned before, the Maytag RR is the only machine I have had that can give a good scrubbing to the back of my skillets, deep pots, and roaster pans in the upper rack, with the full sized wash arm.

The wash tower scrubs the inside the utensils while the full sized wash arm clean the run-overs on the sides and bottom of the utensils. Bowls, plates and saucers get blasted from the top and bottom. True random loading, as either the wash tower or the full sized wash arm are each independently adept at cleaning.

Yes, this ideal racking design lasted for nearly twenty one years. Sadly, economics took its toll and they went to a cheaper plastic tub and downgraded the racks to the cheaper conventional arrangement that didn't require such a heavy, large upper rack with the larger slides necessary to carry the added weight.

And, to speak colloquially, it's hard to quiet a hurricane!

You have a great machine Jon.

My dream is to one day find such a new, unused treasure as well. I wish you much enjoyment from yours!!

 

[washer111]

Thanks for the in-depth posting on the etching process, Barry. 

 

I have to agree we often do have bias towards the machines that have worked best for us, personally. 

 

In regards to you finding a mint Jenn Aire machine, I recall you found that Digital model a couple of years back. I found a thread with some minor testing: http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?44017

 

And another from your WU202: http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?37580

Was a shame we couldn't see the 'full extent' of the load, but I assume you did well with that. 

 

In between the discussion of what people's experience was in "the real world" from John, vs. members here, what I am reading is that perhaps people in the real world just didn't care enough to use their dishwashers the way they ought to be? 

How is it, for example, members here can be impressed with reverse racks, the GE 1200 and 2800 and vintage KA's, whereas everyone else isn't?

 

The same with modern machines; included *that* machine I love to harp on about, the F&P DishDrawer. I cannot fathom why people have cleaning trouble (as read in online reviews).

Ours is stuffed to the gills everyday with unrinsed dishes of all kinds. VERY RARELY is there ever an issue; and when there is, it has come down to how I loaded it (i.e. not paying attention to water flow, as its a one-arm wonder machine...)

 

[foraloysius]

Very nice dishwasher Jon! I'm flabbergasted by the shinyness of that tub. Something like shinier than shiny! Ofcourse we want a full report of the testing. And no cheating with canine prerinsing! ;-)

 

[bwoods]

testing

Hey Washer111,

I don't recall actually officially "testing" the Maytag RR other than using them in my rather harsh manner as daily drivers. If I recall I posted some pictures around Thanksgiving showing a "Bob Load." I think that was the one where I got chastised from some members for washing my electric range coils in the DW, ha. (So, I took their advice and don't do that anymore.) You have such a phenomenal memory to even remember I posted those things.

The public was impressed with GE's and Maytags being very popular in the day with the normal public. Consumer Reports, the public and AW members are all in agreement. There is a difference between preferences and bias. We all have our preferences. Bias often stems from ego and emotional insecurities.

Wow, I would love to have a dish drawer machine like yours Washer111! Especially since you indicated the load capacity is larger than the standard full tub models. Unfortunately, the price factor has kept me from purchasing one. I don't recall ever seeing one a Thrift Store. If I so I will certainly pick one up and run it through the paces with my killer Bob Loads of dried canned cat food and oatmeal. Rice is a good test as well because of the starch content. And when you cook as badly as I do, cooked and hardened rice in pots is not an uncommon thing, ha.

 

[washer111]

Note on the DishDrawer

Capacity falls at about 50-60% percent of a traditional dishwasher. This is per another member with a similar machine, but also our resident "Bob" (Appnut) from a thread I posted a long time ago. 

 

The quoted capacity is 6 or 8 place settings. Cannot recall exactly. But on can fit either miscellaneous items on top of smaller bowls and plates in the racks, and even atop the cutlery basket. This all works exceptionally well. 

 

[jetcone]

Mike

I'm gonna swap out the KDS-22 as that location is what I use when home alone. The other KA is used primarily for large gatherings. 
I am excited about the capacity of this machine and John I will read up on that "Conserva" wash. I don't know what that is about.

 

It just shines Louis, almost as if don't turn it on!! But a machine has to be used to have function.

 

 

[nmassman44]

Jon I think your going to like the Jenn Air dishwasher. The only thing I would do is look at the belt since they have a tendency to dry out and crack over time.

 

[chachp]

I liked my RR

<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva;">I had one for a couple of months some years back.  I picked it up for $25 at an Estate Sale.  It was in the home of a heavy smoker so it took some doing to get rid of the smell.  I cleaned it and sanded the top to get rid of some marks.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva;">I especially liked the tines in the back left corner of the upper rack.  As mentioned by others they were curved to hold bowls upright and I really liked that they stood up straight and got the water from above and below.  In the back of the upper rack on both sides there were two sets of curved tines spaced further apart to hold larger shallow serving bowls.  </span>

 

<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva;">I didn't have it long enough to comment on how it stood up to daily use but for the short time I had it everything I threw at it came out very clean.  I have a tendency to throw some challenges to my dishwashers and this one seemed up for the challenge.  </span>

 

<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva;">I eventually read a Craigslist ad that tugged at my heart string and I gave it away.  They are times I wish I would have held on to it only because it was such a different design from all the others.</span>

 

[jetcone]

Mike

I already bought a new belt. I didn't think the original belt would be any good as it sat in the same position for 20 odd years so before I even start the machine it will get the new belt. 
I always thought it so weird that it also gets a coat of silicone over it too!! 

 

The only other machine I know that comes close to this treatment is the Kelvinator clutch has be kept lubed with vaseline otherwise the motor will stall.