New GE dishwasher GDF540H

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

Help Support :

I am running it thru a cycle to make sure there are no issues. Its not exactly quiet and this dishwasher has some power to it. In other words it aint peeing on the dishes to get them clean. The wash pump is smallish but packs a punch. I was surprised at how much, in fact it reminds me of a Maytag reverse rack JetClean wash system.The sound is very much identical to my ears. The arms alternate. The motor pauses and a diverter sends the water to each arm. The bottom arm spins fast and there seem to be targeted jets that get at the silverware baskets. The racks look like they can hold alot.
 
A empty dishwasher is a lot more noisy than a loaded one. The water is only beating against the empty tub which makes a lot of noise. The dishes make a big difference in the amount of noise it will make. Once loaded it will quiet down.

That is a nice looking machine.
 
I do realize that when it is loaded it will sound differently. In CU the wash performance was rated very good and for the price we paid I thought its better than a cheaper BOL Whirlpool that was rated near or at the bottom of the ratings. Granted I take what they say with a grain of salt these days. I figured that this model was simple and since the tenant is "technology challenged" it would be ok. Will report on this works out...
 
Interesting!

I've been curious about these since they were introduced, I'm fascinated to hear what your tenants think of it.  A lot of cycles and options for the money, and the ratings were higher than I'd expect them to be for a MOL GE.  I'm not a fan of the flatware baskets hanging on the front of the rack(s) but if it can get the contents clean, this line may be a hit for them.  
 
One thing with this dishwasher is that if you open the door to add a dish, the machine will stop and when you close the door , one has to touch the start button again to get it going. Drying should be interesting since one has to use rinse aid, or the dishes wont dry. Steam can be added to Autosense, Heavy and Normal. It adds a half hour to the wash cycle. Wash heat is either Boost or Sani, cant have both on for some reason. Water use is close to 5 gallons for Normal and close to 7 for Heavy. Autosense will adjust the cycle based on soil level. It has a sensor in the sump area and a thermister for the water temp in the sump.
One thing that GE didnt do is put a strap around the tub to hold the insulation blanket. Its a rather thin blanket and when we installed the machine into the hole it kept sliding off. There is a "cover" if you could call it that where it feels like a fabric softener sheet. The insulation isnt fiberglas, its polyester batting. Build wise this machine is rather well made for this price point. Granted its no Miele thats for sure. I have to order the side trim panels for the tub flange since there is a good gap between the machine and cabinet.
Draining on this machine is interesting, it pulses meaning the pump is on for 5 seconds then shuts off and then restarts until the sump is drained out. Once drained it will sense and start the fill. Switching wash arms starts with the middle and upper arms going first then all the water power switches to the bottom. Its not dribble or lazy wash action here, water from the bottom arm reaches the top of the tank with quite a bit of force. The silverware baskets can be moved into the racks if need be and the slotplates on the baskets can be moved up and away for if one needs more space it can be had. There are jets at the end of the arms to get the baskets. Overall I think it should be a fine performer.
 
Had a chance to use one of these in a beach condo.
I really loved the racks, was my first tall tub experience.
Cleaning wise it did an excellent job as well, but have to say I only used heavy or normal with always one of the wash temp options selected.

On the downside were very long cycle times, annoying on and off cycling throughout the whole cycle (not only when it drained), and wet dishes even with heated dry selected.
But I think you`ve made a very good deal for $330 !
 
I have one of these machines in white. I have been very happy with it. When I installed it I ran a load without the kick plate to check the water connection was solid. I thought it was fairly loud, but when I put the kick plate back on it was very difficult to hear. It is so quiet I would not pay another dollar to reduce the noise. My guess is the gaps on the sides are the cause of your escaping noise.

It is not perfect but on the whole I really like the machine. The dry performance is not the greatest and I try to open the door when the cycle is over. With rinse aid the dishes are usually dry before they are room temp. Cleaning wise it destroys the builders special GE machine it replaced. The cycles are about 30 minuites longer but i rarely run it twice a day so that is not an issue for me. If long table knoves are placed in the lower center rack sometimes the detergent pack will not completely dissolve. On a quirky note the stainless door is a very good clean/dirty signal. At the end of every cycle it is very shiny, any drips from dirty dished going in will leave spots on the door. So spotted door equals dirty dishes.
 
New Gereration MOL GE DW

Hi Mike, I hope this new DW works out well for you and your tenant. I have installed just one of these DWs and was so unimpressed with the overall construction of the machine I will avoid selling another one. The main pump motor is the same type that are used in a lot of Frigidaire TT DWs and they often have a very short life, the motors just stop running, and on FD they are very expensive, hopefully GEs price will be more reasonable.

 

I will be interesting to see how these DWs hold up, one thing for sure I will find out in the next few years, LOl.
 
I already checked on the price for a new wash pump ...just in case...and its about $125...the rest of the parts aint cheap either. But I see what your saying though...for the usage and purpose it fit the bill. The tenant was wanting us to buy a Miele for his apt and I looked at how he cared for the Maytag and he never cleaned the front panel nor the control panel and black fingerprints where the latch is, I thought he wont take care of it and doesnt care of our stuff. The reason we bought a new one was the fact that the racks were rusting and tines were missing and two rack rollers were missing from the front corner. I wanted to just replace the rollers and get some touch up rack repair stuff and go that way. My other half said that he wanted to replace the machine since it was recalled for a leaky rinse aid dispenser and a potential for a fire. So its his money, not mine because had it been me I would have repaired it. The Maytag still runs well. New racks run about $150 per rack.
I thought the same thing about the wash pump motor that it was a tad small and looked "Frigidaire-ish".
 

Latest posts

Back
Top