My Habitat ReStore find, KitchenAid KDS-20, March 2010.

[beekeyknee]

After Rebuild. Moved to Mom and Dad's.

 

[beekeyknee]

Angle View of Control Panel.

 

[beekeyknee]

Control Panel, Right Side.

 

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Control Panel, left side.

 

[beekeyknee]

Tub Bottom.

 

[beekeyknee]

Inside of tub. All parts installed.

 

[beekeyknee]

Items for insulation repair.

 

[beekeyknee]

Insulation repaired.

 

[beekeyknee]

Rear view with extra insulation wrapped on back corners.

 

[beekeyknee]

Lower Front Panel.

 

[beekeyknee]

Underneath view.

 

[beekeyknee]

Motor Close-up.

 

[beekeyknee]

New water valve installed.

 

[beekeyknee]

Old machine that has been replaced.

 

[rp2813]

There's no question that the KDS-20's are very handsome machines. Yours turned out beautifully. I love seeing the Hobart logo on the ID labels. It says in no uncertain terms, "THIS is a dishwasher!"

How significant is the noise reduction with the more generous insulation compared to the old machine?

I noticed that your fine particle strainer is metal. The one on my KDS-20 is black plastic. I would guess that indicates my machine is a later production series 20. I tried find a home for it, but now that I've got the ISE Classic Supreme to prepare for installation, I will take any interchangeable parts off of the KDS-20 if they're in better shape.

Your parents must be thrilled to have the identical replacement in perfect running order. Nice job!

 

[beekeyknee]

Noise

It didn't change the noise very much. I did it for retaining heat, mostly. The thing that changed the noise level the most was when my parents went from kitchen carpet to hardwood. That's when it got louder. That's understandable though. We've had three KDS-20s and they've all had plastic on the top and metal on the sides.

 

[toploader55]

KDS 20

Nice Job.

I had one of those. Great Cleaning Machine. If they only had left the Constant Rinse and put some type of Guard over it so it wouldn't get broken.

 

[magic clean]

Brian

your dishwasher looks terrific. You'll really enjoy it. I noticed on the rear of the bottom rack; there are black rubber spacers at the corners. They are shipping material that has survived all these years. You should remove and discard them.

Lemi-shine dishwasher cleaner after a few treatments; will help dissolve the hard water residue on the heating element.

You've got a real gem. Congrats!

 

[autowasherfreak]

NICE!

 

[beekeyknee]

Thanks for all the compliments guys. Eddie - I know. If this machine had the constant rinse it would have been perfect. If I ever run across a KDS-18 in good shape, I think I'll try one out. All I've ever heard is wonderful things about them. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the 18s look like the colored panels on the front aren't interchangeable.
Leslie - What is Lemi-shine and where do you get it?

No one's commented on my switch restoration. Doesn't anyone have any ideas or suggestions? The switch seems to be one of the parts that cause the machines to go bad. Most people don't ever comment on how the switches work or how to adjust the reset mechanism. Do you think the WD-40 is a good idea?
I've read many stories on here that lead me to believe that the switch malfunctioning and not re-setting properly is the culprit. A lot of these old machines that have the push buttons are made and designed the same way. It seems to me that a lot of old machines that are thrown out could be saved by working on the switches. This has helped my Maytag washer, too.