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JohnnyMac, want to ask you how are you liking your dishwasher? I went to a Hometown Sears store today to look at one but the store is closing and they had signs everywhere all sales final and no returns, no checks accepted. Guess the warranties were voided too. It's getting hard to find a store that will be in business. I watched the video and liked what I saw. My KA screwed up again last night, soap didn't dissolve this time, but it had heat. So tired of the reliability issues. Also, what detergent did you say you were using? RinseAid??

Barry
 
Hey Mrsalvo,

I was meaning to update everyone, but coaching baseball, end of year for kids, ect. has gotten in the way. So, just to make a long story short, I have returned the Kenmore 13229 and bought the Maytag MDB8989. When I get time to do a little write up I will go into greater detail. Until then, its a good washer for the money. However, if you are able to spend $200 more I would recommend the Maytag.
 
Oh, I'm really looking forward to hearing from you, your experiences. I'm shopping around too. Went to Home Depot yesterday and they had a lot on GE's, hadn't really considered that brand before, but they didn't look shabby at all. Had one salesman tell me to kind of steer clear of any buttons located at the top of the door as steam can accumulate around them and eventually give me problems in the future. I didn't think about something like that happening. Thinking about an LG, too. Decisions! Decisions!

Barry
 
I have an LG dishwasher that is going on it’s 2nd year and absolutely no issues to report. I am very happy with it. It holds a ton of dishes and every load is spotless that comes out of it. The LG LDF 5545 that I have replaced a 10 year old Miele LaPerla that lost its mind...control computer....I hated to part with it but to repair would have been putting another $1000 in it, at that price, a new one made more sense.
 
Update

Just to update everyone, I'm on my 5th dishwasher...

So to quickly sum everything up:

I first bought the Kenmore 13229. The first one came with a leaky door so it was returned.

The second one came and was working fine, definitely worth the price, but I found myself wondering what if on the Maytag 8989. So, I returned the Kenmore and bought the Maytag.

The first Maytag had a dent in the far right corner so bad that the bottom rack couldn't even be put back in the machine without turning it sideways and was returned. I even noted to the girl at Lowes that the box looked pretty beat up when she was bringing it out to me, but she said they all look this way and it will be fine...

The second one washed well in the beginning, but the powerdry stopped working within the first 2 weeks. The machine would go into a wash cycle. Toward the end of the wash cycle all the lights on the machine would turn off for a few minutes and the machine wouldn't do anything, the wash light would then come back on for a few minutes without the machine doing anything, then it would go into dry mode, but the fan would never run. I had a repair man come out and I let him know what was going on. He ran the diagnostics program and said everything was working fine...Took him all of ten minutes and also told me to never run the dishwasher on sanitize or it will eventually melt the control board... After he left there was still no powerdry. Maybe I wasn't paying as much attention as when I first got the machine, but it seemed like it wasn't using as much water anymore. It would do a fill and only empty a very small amount of water and reuse most of the water from the initial fill. This would be evident in the sink disposer drain and by morning all that water would condensate on the dishes and there would be an off smell of dirty dishwater in there. I was still within my 30 days and decided to return this washer.

On to my 5th dishwasher. I decided to give Bosch a try. I decided on the SHP865WF5N 500 series. I was a little worried about the tines, but the key is the adjustable tines. I can fit 20 cups on the top rack (5 less than I can in a whirlpool machine). There is a section of tines that are too small to put any cups in, but I find it perfect for lids. I can also drop the second rack all the way down and still have the second rack wash arm clear all my large plates. This allows me to put extra tall cups and water bottles on the second rack and still be able to use the 3rd rack for utensils. This was something I could not do with Whirlpool machines. The second rack wash arm would hit plates at its lowest setting. At it highest setting I would have to remove the 3rd rack.

It's the most powerful post 2012 dishwasher I've ever owned. When the sump empties into the sink disposer it does it with more power than the 2015 Kitchenaid, Maytag 8989, or Kenmore 13229. I would like to get a GoPro inside to witness the wash action, but I do know it has enough power to flip full size Tupperware food storage containers and by the sound of the wash action it sounds extremely powerful. So far every dish has come out spotless.

Speaking of spotless, the stainless steel is not on this model. However, 3 coats of Johnson's paste wax has solved that. The stainless steel on this model is magnetic.

Drying action is ok. With the extra dry option, you don't need drying agent. I've used cascade drying agent set on level 2 with the sanitize option enabled. With this setup you don't need extra dry.

The Bosch offers lots of nice cycle options. It's got your basic Heavy, Auto, Normal cycles, but it also has a 30 minute wash for light loads that you might need done in the middle of the day. It has a half load option that cuts 30 minutes from the wash time, sanitize, extra dry, and delicate options that you can add to every cycle except the 30 minute cycle. It also allows you to digitally turn off the drying agent or set the appropriate level.

I set this dishwasher to Heavy or Auto with the Sanitize option enabled and the drying agent level set at 2. In just under 2 hours everything is clean and dry.

I just had some weird luck with machines. The Kenmore is a good buy for $400. In that price range I wouldn't hesitate to buy it. I'm not sure what to say about the Maytag. The cleaning seemed great in the beginning. It seemed like it used more water than it did toward the end.

I do have to say, everything seems like high quality from the Bosch. From the packaging, to the motor, to the interior. I wish I would have taken some pictures of how well it was packaged, but I was totally over it and just wanted to get a machine installed. The great thing too is it was put together here in North Carolina.

For all those dishwasher shopping I hope you have better luck than me. I will say that I am grateful with how everything ended, because I am extremely happy with the Bosch!
 
Wow, that is quite the Dishwasher Caper.
Sorry it took you so many machines.
It really disturbs me the sheer amount of good machines that get damaged and destroyed in shipping.
Probably all to get trashed. Such a waste.

The Maytag issues are concerning.
WP makes a dam good dishwasher, but I'm not surprised to hear that they are starting to have quality issues.
WP has been rabidly cost-cutting the past few years due to looming materials costs.
And now a huge tariff headwind on imports and raw materials.
They gonna be hurting for a while......

Either way, glad to hear Bosch has not let that stuff get them down!
Bosch is always my 'Plan B.'
Enjoy!
 
Bosch

Welcome to the Bosch DW family. They are great machines. I find that there is significantly less fiber or particle buildup when I run either the Auto or Heavy cycle versus Normal because of the prewash. I generally use a bit of dishwashing gel in the prewash to help remove some scuz. I like to just rinse the filter off at least every other cycle to make sure no large debris are stuck. We rarely find items that are not clean. It generally is due to poor placement. We tend to not use the Sanitize option because the Auto cycles rinse is set to 156°F which is exactly 1° higher than the sanitize cycle in our old Whirlpoo. Normal cycle is 7°. Drying results are better to boot, however I wish there was a fan and circulation to assist. Enjoy your new machine. They really are enjoyable.
 
Side note...

The Heavy cycle on my machine only sprays the bottom rack during the wash phase, so I find that the heavy soiled item needs to be on the lower rack for best results. I wish the Auto cycle on my machine would heat up to 150°F if needed instead of 130° for this reason.
 
"never run the dishwasher on sanitize or it will eventually melt the control board...  "

 

This honestly doesn't make sense.   I think it was a lazy i.e. A&E service man saying this.  Probably along the same training that the one had that told me the pump was supposed to cavitate low on water, and the vapor door/dry didn't have to work just up the rinse aid., and if you want clean dishes you have to wash them first, and Cascade detergent is horrible you shouldn't use it.

 

It's these lazy service persons that are giving some of the machines and their manufacturers a bad name. 

 

Full disclosure:  I hate A&E factory service and they will never be allowed in my home again.  The problem I had with the machine was repaired by myself by simply replacing the defective fill valve, and I have owned the machine for six, going on seven years.  Wash nearly every load on sanitize, and have never melted the control board, even when the vent was malfunctioning.
 
A&E

They are trash. One tech told me his 18 yo son was in training. I highly doubt he would be successful as his father wasn’t all that great. Now one argument about Cascade being bad I kind of agree with. The ActionPacs are far too sudsy and cause some cavitation in my Bosch with lightly soiled loads.
 
 
I've had one experience with A&E, warranty replacement of the drive pulley/clutch on my Neptune TL.  The tech wasn't horrendous.  She arrived within the stated timeframe, confirmed the problem, and had the part on the truck.  She had a some trouble getting the replacement installed because there are two styles of basket drives, one has an extra piece, the other doesn't.  Replacements include the extra piece, which is to be discarded if not needed.  She tried to install it with the extra piece and it wouldn't fit properly.  I pointed out the problem, she accepted the advice without question, got it done and went on her way ... but I can't say how long it would have taken her to figure out the problem if I hadn't provided the tip.
 
Female Service Techs

Hi Henrik, I totally agree with post # 104,

 

 Unfortunately it is not common in the US to see female techs either, I have thought that this is a great field for men or women. Back in the late 70s Sears trained quite a few women techs but I have not seen one since the 80s in the appliance field.

 

Attention Employment Opportunity : , We are looking for a person to hire and train for an exciting career selling  and servicing major appliances.

 

We are located in Maryland and also work in Washington DC, this area is among the best places to live and work in the world, get in touch with me if interested.

 

John L.
 
Dishwasher detergents

I have found it depends on the water what detergent works best for me.  When we lived on a farm with  HARD well water, Electrasol gave us the best results.  In town, Cascade gives me the best results.  I agree with the action packs, more of an economy version.  I use the Platinum, and have no complaints. 

 

I have also used Finish Quantum with no complaints, I just prefer the Cascade.

 

I will note that the Commercial (phosphated stuff)  worked well with my older machine that washed at 160 and had a short wash, but I find it tends to leave a white film on the dishes in the HE machine, even when running High temp wash/sanitize rinse.
 
 
I've been using up a small stash of Cascade (non-Complete) Platinum pacs.  They cause so much foaming that I once heard my DD top-off the fill level twice during the prewash period ... which I've never heard it do at all in the 15+ years prior.

I can say Platinum handles egg residue very nicely ... and I can also say it doesn't touch tea stains at all ... and I can also say that I don't care for the lingering scent, which is lessened by running the Heavy cycle that has 3 after-rinses.
 
Finish Powerball

Up until last year I used Cascade Complete powder. It worked great. Then it started leaving a slippery feeling on dry dishes. I then switched to Cascade platinum tabs. Everything was great until about a month ago and then same feeling on the dishes. I tried the plain ol’ Finish Powerball Deep Clean that came with my Bosch and no more slippery dishes. When the two samples ran out I tried the Cascade Platinum tabs and once again slippery dishes. I’ve since ditched the Cascade and went back with Finish. I’m thinking they changed something in their powder formula and it has since made its way into the tabs.
 
Psyllium husk powder

Hey y’all.
Figure I’d share the state of my KA filter based machine after 3 days worth of dirty glasses from psyllium husk drinks.
It’s quite caked on. And will not self clean.
The dishes however are spotless.

I just have to be mindful to clean the filter after any fiber drinks I make.
And never really in other situations. It usually takes care of itself.

johnb300m-2019091212304308152_1.jpg
 
<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;">There's nothing comical about colon cancer. I'm currently at Eisenhower Medical Center 6 days a week dealing with it...with only my dogs to talk to. Be happy.</span>
 
my dishwasher experience

I have a Kenmore dishwasher model #665.13222. It has the powerwave wash arm which cleans just about everything I throw at it. I use smart wash high temp and heat dry with cascade complete and their matching rinse aid. One time, I ran it empty and I could clearly hear the force of the bottom spray arm. I also ran it with the door open with a bit of water in it, yet it shot water from the bottom arm, splashing me in my face and probably across the kitchen. That was unexpected. I bet it would've had a full charge if it was at its full capacity. It does alternate spray arms. I originally wanted the maytag for the grinder. We settled on this kenmore model. I do have soft water. Inside, it does have stainless steel. It's white on the outside.
 
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