New Kenmore dishwashers with Whirlpool's PowerWave wash arm

[murando531]

It seems that Whirlpool's new wash arm design made it into its Kenmore offspring before they released it in their own machines. Again, the action shot shows water barely spitting out from some holes while others not at all. The picture also gives more of an idea of the amount of water in the sump, so this has to be a "full" fill. The new WP filter-model my boyfriend's mother's fiancee (what a mouthful) just got fills with just enough to cover the round pump assembly, and barely into the metal part of the tub. I attached a link to the product page.

"This Kenmore® built-in dishwasher features the PowerWave™ Spray Arm that gets dishes clean from every direction with sequential jets that sweep dishes from not just one but two sides for 80% more coverage."

 

Apparently all wash arms before this new "breakthrough" have only used one side of the arm for spraying. The other end I guess was just for looks.

 

This is the only reference I can find about this arm at all. Nothing in the manual, nor a product demo. What strikes me as odd is that unlike the GE four-way arm, which uses one axis of jets to propel in one direction, then switches to the other axis which has jets to propel it the opposite direction, this arm only has the angled jets at each end to propel it clockwise.

 

I'm at a complete loss here. Of all things, have we gotten to an all-time low where false spray holes are now being stamped into wash arms to give the illusion of more coverage, and society has become so blindly dependent on marketing that they don't even question the picture?

http://this Kenmore® built-in dishwasher features the PowerWave™ Spray Arm that gets dishes clean from every direction with sequential jets that sweep dishes from not just one but two sides for 80% more coverage.

 

[washdaddy]

Andrew-
the link that you posted isn't doing anything.

 

[mark_wpduet]

Yep

I'm so glad I bought the Maytag instead of WP. It uses a LOT of water. When it drains water out, it actually takes a while. I love the looks of the inside of that machine, but seeing barely any water in there and that weak spray...I dunno. I was so sure that when I bought my WP dishwasher in 2005, that by the time I needed a new one, they would all be horrible. I was wrong.

 

[logixx]

We went from alternating spray arms to alternating jets. It's the lastest fad. If you look search on Google Patents, you'll find that every manufacturer has some sort of patent on spray arm technology. The goal is either to increase coverage or to improve washing performance in corners. This Kenmore claim to increase coverage by 80% "with sequential jets that sweep dishes from not just one but two sides."

 

I don't know... My dishwasher has normal spray arm and gets the dishes 100% clean in 55 to 90 minutes. I don't see the need to improve what already works.

 

Two notes on the picture: that is not the full pressure of the system - I'm sure. It's supposed to "look good" for the photo. And that fill looks just fine to me. You don't really need to dump a bucket of water in there to get clean dishes. During the wash action, my Bosch has no visible water level - every drop of water is being used. Yet, the lower spray arm throws it forcefully against the ceiling of the tub.

 

Also, I don't think the spray arm is suposed to change direction. It just changes the actives jets.

 

Search for Model # 13693 on Sears' home page (not sure if a direct link works)

 

http://www.sears.com/kenmore-24inch-built-in-dishwasher-w-stainless-steel/p-02213693000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

 

[murando531]

There we go. Thanks logixx. The Sears/Kenmore site seems to be fickle for whatever reason, just like with the links to the manuals: you can't right click and open it in a new tab or window or it will show the empty "about:blank" page. You have to directly click only for it to open a special pop-up. 

 

Seems like another variable thrown into the mix to lengthen cycle time. If the machine has to use one set of spray jets, then switch to the other, THEN switch to the upper arm, that means there is a good while at each increment that any dish not directly under a dedicated spray jet will be sitting idle, because let's be honest, once a full load of dishes is placed in each rack there's no way water could reach from the bottom arm to the top of the tub, besides a little "spitting" that may bounce that far. And that's even if the bottom were comprised only of plates.

 

[logixx]

I also found (and enlagred) this picture online. Seems there is some sort of gear underneath the spray arm.

 

Alex

 

[murando531]

It's still so unclear. I miss the days when features were explained in detail in manuals and brochures, but that's also back in the good old days when people wanted to be empowered to learn about the products they were buying. Now it's all about being as vague as possible. Granted, WP hasn't officially released theirs yet, and Kenmore never explains the feature, other than giving it a different label, but I doubt it will be a very detailed description.

 

I wonder if the gear is stationary. It's right in the middle of the hub as far as the picture looks. I wonder if there is some kind of mechanism inside the arm itself, and as the arm turns around the stationary gear, the movement causes a geared system inside to drive a diverter back and forth within the arm. If that's the case, I'd then assume that the timing of the alternating holes would be out of sync with the rotation of the arm, so that the jets would never spray at the same spot with any consecutive pass.

 

Probably not at all how it works, but it's fun to let the engineer within have a brainstorming challenge now and then.

 

[logixx]

This looks like the patent that goes along with the PowerWave spray arm.

 

EP2572624A1 - Dishwasher with spray system - Google Patents

A dishwasher (10) includes a tub (18) at least partially defining a treating chamber (20) and a spraying system (28) for supplying liquid to the treating chamber (20). The spraying system (28) includes a sprayer (34) having a body with an interior (58), a liquid passage (59) provided in the...

www.google.com

 

[washman]

Here's a thought

not that anyone at the powers that be manufacturers would care about though........

Go back to the large holes that GE used to use. Make a 4 arm lower, 2 arm upper. Equip it with a pump that has some cajones to really push the water against the dishes. Put in a nice food chopper upper.

Use stainless steel for the tub.

Build it with good materials and careful assembly.

Price it right.

Give it a warranty longer than my driver's license expiration.

Watch customers beat a path to your door.

Pay out shareholder dividends and light cigars with 100 dollar bills while the hootchie koochie girls dance by a lake.

 

[logixx]

Useless video

If you want to waste 36 seconds of your life, here you go...

 

 

[logixx]

Can't believe they are trying to turn a FAN into something revolutionary.

 

 

[mark_wpduet]

Of all the places I've lived

with all the different dishwashers, I don't think any of them had a fan to dry dishes.

 

[joe_in_philly]

I remember our old KitchenAid Superba had a fan dry system. If you washed a load on the sani cycle with heated dry, you would seriously burn yourself if you grabbed something right after the cycle ended.

When the fan turned on at the start of the dry cycle, there was a burst of steam that came out of the seam at the bottom of the door.

 

[washer111]

I wonder if this new drying feature might beat the "Frigidaire Sahara Dry" that was introduced on those dishwashers with the orbital washarm…

Since when was a heated/fan dry such a big deal?

If I run a Heavy cycle on the DishDrawer or its slightly cooler "Eco" variation, I still get a 60º or 65º (140º or 150º). If I cancel the cycle, open the drawer, the dishes are flashed dry in mere minutes, without the additional environmental cost of a fan and heater. If the drawer is left shut/cancelled, everything is still wonderfully dry (thanks to the little fan).

http://4

 

[mikell]

What would you like to know about that spray arm.

 

[mikell]

What would you like to know about that spray arm.

 

[mikell]

Yes the gear is fixed and it takes 13 revolutions to complete the nozzle cycle and back. The arm runs about 26 RPM. 2 minutes top 2 minutes bottom. All the holes aren't open all the time and the sprays bend back and forth.

Yes I know these things are antiques by now

mike

 

[volsboy1]

My Smeg dishwasher with its Orbital wash arm cleans better than any dishwasher I have used.

That might be because there is two full size wash arms with the small orbit arms side by side my machine has 4 wash arms two on top and two on bottom .This looks like something that will break with gears and things in it just like that water wall by Samsung.Which did not live up to it's promise that is for sure.

I see alot of fake wash holes in dishwashers it just goes to show how stupid these manufacturers think we are.

 

 

 

[jkbff]

I think they are playing up the fan thing because Miele talks about how their dishwashers are more hygienic for not pulling air from under the tub up through the tub and out the front... because introducing outside air will dirty the dishes... Yet theirs pop open on their own to let fresh air in ... .. That somewhat doesn't make sense.. Must be magical bacteria free air surrounding the door when it opens but the other dishwashers must pull their air in directly from the sewer vents.