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Thank you so much for sharing all of your knowledge to this model! Your description about all of the cycles makes me very excited to use it.
I can't wait to get it going and hook it up as my main dishwasher.
I looked at the upper spray arm, and it is the smaller one.
I am thinking about calling the guy that sold me this one, and picking up the Imperial just to have, and use for parts if ever need be.
Brent
 
Jimmy,
Thanks so much for looking for me on the manual.
Yes it is a KDS-18.
Am I dreaming, or did you find a KDS-18 when I was there at your home a few years back? I know that you picked a KA, but was not clear if it was a KDS-18.
I just thought that I read a post that talked about you using changing your DW to a KitchenAid in your kitchen.
If you did, did you change the color of it? I know you love your turquoise, and it looked so great in your kitchen. If you did change the color, how easy was it. I just want it to be white. It is black as of now. Do share your trick.
Also, does your Kitchenaid have the smaller upper wash arm? What are you thoughts about it.
I am so excited about using a Kitchenaid of this vintage again. Never thought that I would find one. Usually here, everyone holds onto their Kitchenaids.
Bob, I agree with you, I can't wait to change out the Maytag for this one!
Thanks all for you info and interest!
Brent
 
Yes Brent, I got a KDS-18 that Myra gave me. It was a working dishwasher, but barely. I rebuilt the pump, replaced the wash arm, arm support, and finally the timer, so at this point its almost a brand new machine. I had aquired it to replace the 1953 GE Roll Out dishwasher that I had. I loved that too, but man the difference in performance....well there is no comparision. The KDS-18 was originally white, but I painted it aqua. I went to ACE Hardware and got a can of aqua spray enamel and a can of grey primer. The first thing to remember when painting is to always prep the surface well. SAND it before, make sure its clean. I removed the panels to sand and paint them.
I laid them flat, on top of a couple of old paint cans. This is very important! You wont get any runs if the panels are laying FLAT and if you give several coats of light spray. I was quite pleased with the outcome.........Judge for yourself! I love this dishwasher and yes it does have the smaller wash arm, but in all honesty, it performs very well. I have had several of these thru the years in different houses that I have lived in, and its just about my favorite dishwasher.

3-28-2006-19-31-32--FilterFlo.jpg
 
Jimmy,
Your dishwasher looks so great! I am getting so excited!
So funny about the smaller wash arm. For many, many years most of the KitchenAids that I had were the models with just the lower arm. It always did a super job. So I am not all that worried about the smaller wash arm.
I was somewhere awhile back, and there were these very thin sheets of metal that were painted in different colors. They were cut to your needs. I remember thinking that this would be great for dishwasher fronts. Can't remember where in the world this was at.
Have you ever seen these out and about?
Thanks so much for the pictures Jimmy!
I just love your kitchen!
Brent
 
Racking

When did KA change the racking so that dinner plates were placed front to back on the left hand side. It looks like filterflo's still has the center area for racking dinner plates. I always liked that arrangement the best. I loved the KA ads in magazines that showed them fully loaded and everything was perfectly placed. I've also always loved the silverware in the front as it was so easy to just open the door a little bit and drop in a fork or two.
 
not so constant rinse

the overhead constant rinse was renamed constant wash-rinse on the 18 series and was eliminated on the dreaded 19 series,perhaps because people often knocked it off accidently, also the 18 series was the 1st to have the side plate arrangement,though Gary still put things down the middle anyway.Great machine Gary as long as you leave the corners of the lower rack free so the 4-way HydroSweep can get those upper rack corners,since the upper level power wash arm did not extend to the sides far enough.In that one respect only,the 19 was an improvement with its wide upper arm.
 
The rack was dedesigned when KA came out with the 18 series about 1974 or so that had a wash arm under the top rack. Personally, I felt the plates down the center was a bid deceiving. I cannot tell you how many loads I've seen run in those older raqcks with mostly dinner plates and not much else. The darn thing looked full when it really wasn't. What a waste. At least with the plates going down the left side back to front, the right side allowed for not onlhy smaller plates but also pots, pans, and bowls.
 
Parts Availability

Hi. I just picked up a mint condition KDS-17A today. It's in great shape...it was in house where it was barely used! Does anyone know of a source for door panels? This one has avacado green panels in mint condition! I am looking for stainless steel (which was on my mom's KDI-17). Any leads would be appreciated. I am willing to trade the avacado panels if someone has stainless steel ones in good shape...i'll even pay the shipping. Thanks for any leads!

Oh, the Aqua KDS-18 is very nice! Have fun!
 

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