Mint doesn't even describe this new find!

[turquoisedude]

Pots and Utensils cycles

I think the "logic" behind those first Utensil/Pots and Pans cycles was that the cycle would help soften the heavy soils for hand-scraping OR that one would scrape and pre-scrub the pots then use the dishwasher to de-grease and thoroughly rinse 'em.   Either way the shortened or skipped heated dry was probably intended to not have gunk baked back onto the pots and pans. 

 

I believe it's actually suggested in the KDS-14 dishwasher owner's manual to use the Utility and Utensil cycle to loosen the gunk on pots, scrape off whatever was left at the end of cycle, then reload and run a Full Cycle.  I look forward to trying that approach out someday in the very near future... 

 

[jetcone]

Pretty machine!

Our undercounter must have been  a 1959 as it did not have that baffle at 12 0'clock and it only had a cycle dial no buttons. Just turn the dial start the wash.

 

Dad bought it on sale at the GE store, I think it went in in 1961 maybe 1960.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Jon, do you remember what sort of impeller protection your family's GE had under the lower rack? The protection got increasingly finer until it decreased to the size in this machine. Earlier machines had a vinyl coated grid that was attached to the lower rack and the openings seemed to be close to 2 inches square. I think that there is a POD showing the first of these machines with basically a few concentric circles supported by one cross member in each direction. The grid openings in the pictured machine were less than an inch square. This is the hardware cloth like stainless steel protection that we had in the bottom of ours along with the baffle.

When we had our Mobile Maids, we had a Homart water heater that was kept at 160F. That and the commercial chlorinated dishwasher detergent probably greatly helped the performance, but the best cleaning was with the full cycle in the machine with the pink interior. The newer one with the blue interior and white racks had a cycle that was shorter by one final rinse and that did something to the performance. It just was not quite as powerful a cleaner, but it was a beautiful dishwasher with beautiful white trim, a gallery across the back of the cover and a beige and white stripe pattern in the cover's Textolite.

 

[jetcone]

TOM

I remember our machine had a big pink grind I'd say they were an 1" to 2" square. It didn't prevent silverware from dropping thru but that was only on loading-unloading.

 

It was separate from the bottom rack, I remember that too.

Our machine looked like one in the 1957 brochure. Flat large dial to the right, ivory grill about with the slider in the middle. One strip of chrome handle across the top which dipped down for the dial to show.

Ours had the walnut wood front.

 

[bigalsf]

Power Shower water feed

Hi Don, i have the part (see pic). Send me your address & I'll get it out in the mail on Monday.

Tom, thanks for the explanation of the baffle. I had not noticed it there in previous pics of other MM's.

The interior of the machine is in really good shape! The pink color is looks really bright! Enjoy!

 

[jetaction]

I am so enjoying all your stories....

I don't bring that much home any longer but I have had so much fun listening to all your memories, expertise, advice and contributions for this little gem of a find. It makes it so personal when you all share your memories of this or other appliances that we are all passionate about. Tom, Paul, and everyone else I will make you a deal, you plan a trip to Minneapolis at the same time. I will have you over for dinner and we can put the pots and pans in the dishwasher to loosen up the cooked on debris, than we will wash them as usual to test the 1960 strategy for cleaning pots and pans. The best part Tom is that I will use big pillar candles for the dinner party and we won't blow them out at all-"we'll stay up all night and sing them all" as Judy Garland said in her Carnegie Hall concert! Bigalsf I will send you my address in response to the email you sent, thank you so very much!

 

[turquoisedude]

Pots and Pans Party

Don, that sounds like a blast!  I'll bring the Jersey Milk....

[this post was last edited: 1/25/2015-08:27]

 

[jetcone]

I'll make pudding

and be sure some burns to the pan, then you'll see the power of the bowtie- or better yet mom always burned the peas -- always! Thats a good test !! LOL

 

The '57 was the perfect machine to use Dawn in !! I was once young and down at the Cape where we reinstalled that machine after upgrading Schenectady with a KA-19. I loaded the GE , had no powdered detergent so thought just a drop of Dawn would suffice.

 

Well the machine started and slowly the GE ROAR started to die down, then it got nice and quiet - almost soothing. Then my friend Gail screamed, I turned around and saw-- GOBS OF SUDS pouring out the white grill at the top down the walnut front and across the kitchen floor in one wide swath of pure white suds !!

It kept coming!

I opened the machine, the entire tub was a solid block of suds - nothing was visible, even the pink dispenser was gone! We scooped out what was "shaving cream" at this point with pots !! 
Restarted the machine - again SudsNiagara ! Again we scooped. Repeat rinse repeat! Finally I got the idea to throw in some fabric softener.  That got the water flowing again but it left a bizarre scum all over the dishes so the next morning out I went got Cascade and ran the whole load again !!

 

The kitchen floor was really clean that day.

 

 

[ovrphil]

Hi Don - I love it. Portable dishwashers are cool - three dimensional works of industrial art and this MM is one nicely carved out/assembled appliance. I too like to read other's experiences and memories of their dishwashers, etc.

Happy dishwashing!

 

[a440]

Don what an awesome find!  It is in beautiful shape!

B

 

[bajaespuma]

Aferim!

I have the 1961 iteration of this exact model. Yours is definitely a 1960 model and for some reason you got cup racks (that I covet) and I didn't. Does yours have the automatic cord reel?

I love my machine and got it in almost new condition. It was stored outside so there were a lot of exterior flaws (the hoses were stiff as bones and disintegrated when I pulled them up and out of the front to connect the machine to water) but the inside was pristine. The only difference that I can spot besides the lack of cup racks (that I covet) is the new-style plastic silverware basket. These machines were fantastic and I will never stop looking for the late version SU-70V that was my first dishwasher (with cup racks AND rinse dispenser).

 

[tomturbomatic]

Your GE has been taken over by Maytag pods!

 

[bajaespuma]

CT chiming in yet again

I thought you'd like that picture!

I have the manual for this model and I'm in the process of sending it to the twin-cities for scanning into the Ephemera library. Please be a little patient; if there's anything you need to know urgently post the question and I'm sure five of us will answer.

Be aware that the Calrod heater on the bottom of the tub gets hot enough to melt and cook any plastic that happens to be in the lower rack and is within a few inches of the coil. Our melamine dishes in the early sixties survived this assault but a lot of the plastics that I use now are not as hardy. The China/Crystal cycle pretty much eliminates that danger but heats the coil for the first 5 minutes of the dry period.

If your machine does indeed have the rinse dispenser as well as the cup racks, would you be so kind as to post some pictures of these features? Thank you in advance.

 

[jetaction]

Cords and Calrods

I do have the automatic cord reel on this machine but not the rinse aid dispenser. I was surprised as full featured as it is it did not have that on it. I recall our mobil maid (mid-60's) when I was a young child and learning that nothing plastic can go anywhere near the carload element. We had some interesting shaped tupperware, one that actually melted enough to form a pour spout. Mom thought it made a great manhattan cocktail shaker as she could pour it out through the newly melted pour spout!

 

[cadman]

How in the heck did I miss this thread??

Don, that GE is a real beauty! I have to say, I've always been suspect of portable dishwashers but I think I'm coming around : ) That formica top is pretty sweet, too. -C

 

[jetaction]

That is why I parted with the Princess

Hi Cory, I have several very cool built in dishwashers that I am slowly replacing with portables so I don't have to install/reinstall each time I get an itch for switching them out!

 

[turquoisedude]

A wise strategy... Well, not according to Hubby, but tough... LOL