New Dishwasher complaint

[washertalk]

Ok. As I admitted elsewhere here. I haven't used an automatice dishwasher since 2002. I know this, in it's self should be grounds for revocation of my membership card and security clearance here at AW.org but please, I beg of you...

Anyway, in July I was planning to sell my home and bought a replacedment dishwasher from Lowes for $190. it was a base model which, i didn't care. I just wanted something to fill the hole in the cabinet as I had long since removed the old and was using the area for storage of other things like the garbage cans.

Anyway, they give me this model. I'm guessing a $350 machine.?. O.K. Boy have I been lucky. I also got a free new freezer in September not expecting it.??. I am a bit conflicted but anyway.

Anyway, it has just sat there until last night. I have been 'busy' with other things recently and the dishes were piling up. So I thought there is a packet of detergent included with the machine why not use it. OK. I did. and set it for the hi-temp wash because the water heater is at like 125 degrees.

It ran relatively quiet, I guess. Probably not as quiet as my higher end 2000 Frigidaire Dishwasher I last had in 2002 but whatever.

 

[washertalk]

literature

 

[washertalk]

lower rack

 

[washertalk]

upper rack

.

 

[washertalk]

The problem I have...

I drink alot of water out of clear glasses and the finger prints don't come off.

I have seen this before with other people.

When I wash by hand, I don't have a problem with the coming off. It isn't just hand prints. I have noticed that on any object that has certain types of oil based substances it doesn't seem to come off.

Can you help.

Yours truly -
signed
Troubled in Schenectady-
Mrs. Gertrude (Trudy) Van Rubypubes

 

[nmaineman36]

That Whirlpool is the last of the PowerClean series or the only model that I know of that they still make. Washes very well and the silverware basket belongs in the door. It holds alot of dishes and its powerful to boot. The dishwasher I had in Omaha was a Whirlpool and I loved it. One thing with plates they should go up front if you use the door for the silverware basket.I always loaded the dishwasher that way and the silverware always came clean.
That dishwasher does retail for 300 so if you paid 190 you got a good deal.

 

[hoover1060]

Detergent??

What kind of detergent did you use? I've found it makes a big difference.

Before I got my Kitchenaid KDS17A last summer I had a 2002 Kenmore Tall tub, I liked the performance well enough, but found detergent brands had great bearing on the performance.
With Cascade(any form) I'd have schmutz in the glasses, especially the ones in the front corners of the upper rack.
I've found that Electrasol tabs work very well(better than Cascade anyway) and since I installed the KA I have been using regular Electrasol powder. Everything always comes out sparkling clean with that.

PS: my water heater is set at 140... would that make a difference?

 

[maytagbear]

Plus,

the detergent was OLD. Enzyme detergent works better if it is fresh. I get the smallest size possible of whichever brand I have in mind at the moment, and if it is more than a month or two after opening, I double it, or discard it.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[toggleswitch]

Loved that machine when I owned one like it. Mine had a timer!

 

[mixfinder]

Listen to Lawrence

It has been my experience that powder works better than liquid, regardless the brand. Any powder with enzyme works better than one with out. Within three months of opening, powders begin to lose efficacy because of moisture absorption. Using a rinse aid makes a huge difference in the ablitiy of the water to sheet off, carrying the loosened food bits with it. I use and prefer Cascade because of it's cleaning ability and smell. Two things make my stomach churn and that is the smell of Folgers coffee on the warmer and Electosol detergent in the water.
Kelly

 

[steved]

Dear "Troubled in Schenectady".......

yeah, no kidding, just for living in Schenectady...lol

 

[washertalk]

Has anyone found it better to store their powders in a glass or plastic container?
Would that increase longevity?

SteveD- it is Mrs.Van Rubypubes to you young-man. Now stand up straight and tell your mother I have a nice cornish gay men recipe for her. Also let her know that I want that special shower massager back!
Now put a smile on that cherubish face, straighten your glasses, and run home. Go on now!

 

[hoover1060]

storing detergent?

I never thought of storing it in glass... I keep the box under the sink.
I run my DW every 3-4 days, I probably use a box of Electrasol in a month.

 

[launderess]

Under the sink or any place that is damp is not a good place to store powdered dishwasher detergent. In fact no powdered type of detergent should be stored where it is damp/humid. The moisture will cause the product to partially activate, clump, harden and otherwise loose effectivness after awhile. Powdered dishwasher detergents tend to come in somewhat moisture resistant boxes or for very large sizes, in plastic tubs, but best find a dry place for storage.

Tabs are a different story,if they are individually wrapped, but still should be kept "high and dry".

L.

 

[panthera]

Enzyme detergents

Will remove fingerprints, but you have to use water which is hot enough...but not so hot from the start that it "kills" the enzymes. They are ideal for dishwashers which heat the water up from about 110 to 140 or above.
Unfortunately, they don't last very long in storage. When I am in the States for 3 months and come back, I can just plain take whatever was left in the box to the toxic waste bin.
European dishwashers have built in water-softeners. Our water here in Munich is so hard, if you drop a glass it's even odds what breaks first - the water or the glass.
But in some areas of the US, the water is also way too hard for the detergent to do a decent job. Test it and adjust the dosage accordingly.
Number one on my list when I get set up in the States is a Uni- or Multimatic (Rollermatic, maybe...I do have a masochistic streak, I admit.)
Number two is a Miele dishwasher like I have here in Germany. Bosch USA does not have the best service and LG anything in the US is just a load of pain...
Why no US dishwasher? Well, here in Germany, we don't pre-rinse anything. Take the bones and olive pits off, everything else - and I do mean the baked on, burnt on everything else, is the dishwasher's job.
Interestingly enough, the cheapest generic dishwashing powder in Colorado is a high enyzme powder which cleans better than Electrasol...

 

[launderess]

According to Electrasol's and Cascade's websites, the optimal water temp for their enzyme detergents is 120F-140F, the same temp range as laundry detergents.

Most American dishwashers will heat to 120F or 140 for washing, with some offering a higher temp for the final rinse.

Commercials dishwashers are another story, with their short cycle times and need to satisfy health standards (should the user elect not to use chemical sanitation), some units reach 200F!

L.

 

[oxydolfan1]

I had the same problem with glassware and silverware in my GE in soft water.

On an impulse, I bought the new Palmolive Gel with Vinegar and that schmutzy stuff is GONE, GONE, GONE...

I know it is not an enzyme detergent, but it worked very well for me in my soft water.....

I also like the "America's Choice" lemon powder that is sold in A&P supermarkets (I'm not sure that you have them in your area, but, for what it's worth....), but it doesn't leave the glassware sparkling like the Palmolive does.

 

[exploder321]

We use Electosol tabs with the litle balls and that works wonders.. Also have a box of El-chepo Wal-mart stuff and it works wonders.. We have a 2005 Kenmore TT...
My last 4 dishwashers (this includes my grams old one) include: 99 Kenmore w/ sensor (lowest unit made with sensor), 96 GE BOL (alright, very noisy) 99 GE Profile (a bit better than the BOL ge and far quiter) and a 1983 Whirlpool TOL Mark III (which i loved and miss, wish i could have taken it with me, but if i removed it i would've had to demo the countor as well)... I have used Electrosal Tabs, Palmalive and the Wal-mart el cheapo in them all and it has worked great.. The whirlpool i think out cleaned them all except my current Kenmore... The tabs work great, but i always use to add a simdge of the el chepo powder, until now, wich i think my despenser dosen't work 100%..I just throw a tab in it and letter rip...

 

[mixfinder]

Wal-Mart Detergent

Consumer guide rated Wal-Mart dishwasher soap a Best Buy and said it cleaned very well.
Kelly