New LG Dishwasher On Its Way

[frigilux]

My roofing/fencing estimate came in under expectations, so what did I do with the extra bank?

Why I bought a new dishwasher, of course!

I ordered an LG LDF8812ST, which is the model under TOL. The TOL has a 'steam clean' feature and a third rack for utensils at the top of the tub. I don't want to lose headroom for the upper rack, so I opted for the 2-rack 8812.

It boasts the following:

>Interior lighting
>45db sound level
>Half-load (upper or lower rack) option
>Dual Intensity washing (can have strong water power in lower rack, gentler in upper, for instance)
>5.5 gallon water use for Normal Cycle
>Soak and Extra Rinse cycles (how washer-like!)

I'm hanging on to the Maytag until I'm sure the LG fills the bill. It alternates spraying for the upper and lower rack and the shortest cycle takes 74 minutes. It's a beauty. I'll find out if it can clean. It should arrive in 2-3 weeks. My local dealer just received a shipment from LG, and as its a small business, I have to wait til he accumulates another order.

Anyone out there have an LG dw? What do you think of them? User reviews on them at Consumer Reports online differ wildly. Some love 'em, others say they are absolute worthless crap.

I fell for the ultra-quiet operating level and the interior lights. And the soak cycle. I'll post pics, etc. when it's installed.

 

[frigilux]

And inside...

 

[frigilux]

Oh, and my dealer does their own servicing of all LG appliances. I made sure of that, given the experience some of you have had with LG washers.

 

[gredmondson]

We have had an LG dishwasher for about three years. Our first was replaced in just less than a year. The second one has had a minor problem, the button for the extra rinse and sanitary feature works very poorly (I have to press it for many seconds for it to engage). I called for service, and the first part that was delivered was the wrong part, and I am still waiting for it to be fixed. So, the bad news came first. And, since I am the kind of man who likes to press all the buttons (power scrub, or something like that, I am not home right now to check), extra rinse, sanitary, the whole cycle takes 3 hours and 8 minutes!

The good news is that the dishes are clean, and it holds a lot. It is amazingly quiet. It is so well insulated that the dishes will still be warm hours after the cycle ended. I love that the top rack, like the bottom rack, can easily be removed from the machine to take it to a cupboard to unload. This makes emptying the dishwasher faster.

The good news is

 

[decodriveboy]

What's the point of having an interior light if it doesn't have a window?

 

[frigilux]

Doesn't everyone unload their dishwasher in the dark, LOL?! It's just an excuse to use a few LED's to make the pretty stainless interior gleam, I suppose; one of those non-essential bells-and-whistles.

I'd actually decided to purchase a KitchenAid, but when I went to the local dealership, I found they no longer carried that brand. All they have is Whirlpool and LG. I've always wanted (and never had) a nearly silent dw, so I went with the LG.

Do Bosch and Miele dw's also alternate spraying between the upper and lower rack? My Frigidaire did. It cleaned dishes very well, but stumbled with crusty casseroles and pots/pans. The LG's cycles are longer than the Frigidaire's, so I suppose that will help to increase cleaning ability.

I'm tempted to upgrade to the TOL LG (model 9810), which has a steam clean feature; but it also has a third rack at the top of the tub for utensils. This cuts the maximum height for dishes in the upper rack from 12 to 10 inches. I'm not sure I want to give up that headroom, as I've been spoiled by the ability to put very deep bowls and things like 2-qt. water pitchers in the top rack of my Maytag.

Does anyone have a steam-enhanced dw, and does it really improve cleaning? Or is it a gimmick?

 

[frigilux]

Here's a picture of the TOL LG, Model 9810, with its utensil rack (and steam-assisted cleaning).

 

[frigilux]

Comparing the pics of the 8812 and the 9810, it looks like headroom in the lower rack is compromised, as well, in he 9810. The owner's manual for the 8812 states the cutlery basket can be put in either the upper or lower rack; That certainly doesn't appear possible with the 9810.

 

[gansky1]

Is there only a 3/4 size wash-arm at the top of the tank? I would guess there is no wash-arm/sprayer under the cutlery rack, which I find a bit of a disadvantage. I would think that since water is only going to come from the top down on that cutlery rack especially if the dishes and glasses from the rack below cut off most or all of the spray from below, the cutlery rack would have limited use and be a little challenging to load.

I have a client that has a three year old equivalent model to the 8812 and is very happy with it. No service problems and good cleaning - no pre-rinsing in that house either. It does take 19 hours to finish it's duties ;-) but it's very, very quiet.

 

[frigilux]

Glad to hear your client is happy with their LG. Having looked at the space between racks, I'm sticking with the 8812. I wash a lot of pots/pans/odd-shaped items, so I need the extra headroom in both the lower and upper racks.

Cycle times do seem to be very long. The Soak cycle can last as long as 3 hrs. 11 minutes! The Normal cycle can run from 115-135 minutes, depending on what the sensor decides, I suppose.

 

[nmaineman36]

In my Miele dishwasher the arms alternate. Depending on the cycle the middle arm is run first for 10 seconds then the top and bottom are run for 10 seconds...and it goes on and on. The control panel ticks as it switches arms. In the Miele the top arm washes the silverware rack. Having its own arm has its advantages. One thing that I dont do is place spatulas and ladels in the silverware rack since there isnt a whole lot of height between the arm and the rack. I usually place them in the upper rack.
It looks to me that the silverware rack in the LG has plenty of space height wise. I will have to check it out in person at Home Depot.
CU has said in the past that steam didnt improve wash results all that much. And if you think about it if you washing with hot water there should be steam in the machine anyways. After having the Miele and having gotten used to not having an exposed heating element in the base...I love the fact i can place anything anywhere and not worry about something melting or getting warped.
If I were in the market for a new machine it would be a Miele hands down. I am hooked on the brand and been very pleased with the results. Like I told Scott if we ever put the house on the market the dishwasher comes with us.

 

[frigilux]

Mike--Wow, the spray switches arms every 10 seconds with the Miele? The Frigidaire used to run several minutes, then switch. It will be interesting to see how the LG does it.

Update: I did wind up ordering the 9810, with steam and the upper cutlery rack. I downloaded the owner's manual, and the cutlery rack pulls right out when you want extra height in the upper rack. That means the upper rack can be adjusted to give both the upper and lower racks the same amount of headroom as the 8812. And I'll be able to put the silverware basket in the upper rack, as well.

According to the manual, the steam feature can be used in two ways: One is an 'overall' steaming of the whole load; the other is to put a crusty casserole/pan in front of the steam nozzles, ala the Whirlpool/KA/Kenmore pro-scrub feature.

So, I got it. This is my one decadent splurge of the year. After this, I'm back to counting pennies.

 

[gansky1]

Congrats on your decision, I'll bet your excited to get it in the kitchen so you can play with it.

Did you happen to take a look at the Samsung models that came out recently? We saw them at Lowes a couple of months ago and frankly, I wasn't as impressed with that one for 1K as the LG.

We'll be excited to hear what you think of it! (and pictures!)

 

[nmaineman36]

Just read the instruction manual for your new toy...very interesting. Now will your machine have the 2 silverware baskets? One in the lower rack and one on top? I noticed that they have ladles and large cooking spoons facing down...i can tell you right now that wont clean that way...especially if you have glassware in the middle rack. Unless the water acts like Houdini and finds a way to get the business sides of the spoons....I know with mine i tried that once and the results were not good. So now I place them in the middle rack...always get great results. It amazes me how so many Asian companies have to mimic a Miele in so many ways. Exception is that new German Bosch with the silverware rack. Let us know what you think!
Oh and the Miele adjusts the water pressure with each cycle...Intensive wash uses 150 water and powerful wash action. Pots and Pans uses 170 water and very powerful wash action. Normal uses less intense wash action and 150 wash temp. It has a vario pump. The Tall items cycle shuts off the middle arm and blasts water thru the top and bottom. I can put refrigerator shelves and oven racks inside and they come out spotless.

 

[frigilux]

George-- Thanks for your first-hand comments about the LG. Can I ask what malfunction caused you to replace the first dishwasher?

Mike-- Yes, there will be a standard cutlery basket, plus the option to put more in the utensil rack. It will be interesting to see if anything gets clean up there. I tend to load the upper rack pretty full.

Greg-- Now, I just have to play the hurry-up-and-wait game for a few weeks. Hopefully my dealer will sell a lot of his LG stock and a new order will go in soon.

 

[toggleswitch2]

Eugene:

The LG looks like an amalgamation of many of the positives of other brands, and tempted me to buy one as well.
Much luck with it, and I hope if far exceeds all of your expectations. Looking forward to your reviews!
I don't know. I find it difficult to adapt to the fact that U.S. white-goods manufacturers are slowly disappearing.

 

[frigilux]

Hi Togs--

I've been spoiled by the Maytag's cavernous capacity and excellent cleaning ability, so the bar is set pretty high for the LG. In fact, I'm not going to sell the Maytag until the LG proves itself. I have the feeling it will clean dishes very well, but may not do as well as the Maytag on pots/pans.

I'll definitely be posting pictures of test loads....when I get it. It may be a month before installation happens. And I'm not good at waiting for new appliances. This will be a character-building experience for me, LOL!

 

[gansky1]

A few weeks to a month? I'm not sure I can wait that long for your report! ;-)

Waiting is probably a good thing though. Buying through your local dealer, it will be easier to obtain service and stomp your feet if you do have troubles - they care about your future business and will likely make any issues that might come up right.

Tap, tap, tap...

 

[washoholic]

Eugene, you’re going to love your new dishwasher. I have the exact same model; however I had an LG LDF7811ST that was declared a lemon before I got the 9810. I loved it, and I did not want to give it up.

It stared making a vibrating noise about 10 months after I got it. Service from Best Buy came out and replaced the sump (Motor, sump, sensors and all are one piece). It worked fine for 2 months then the heating element went out, except the service people didn’t seem to know what they were doing. Here is what happened:

Trip 1: They asked me how I knew the dishwasher would not heat. I told them the dishwasher was hooked up to cold water, dishes were still dirty at the end of the cycle and they were soaking wet and cold when they were usually clean, dry and hot. They turned on the dishwasher and noticed that the “rinse aid low” light was on. They immediately shut it off and blamed it on being out of rinse aid. They would not turn it back on, or listen. I had rinse aid in the cabinet and I added it, but they would not stay and see that it still did not heat. They left.

Trip 2: This time they turned it on and took the front panel off. They found a wire that seemed to be pinched. They cut the wire and spliced it back together. They would not stay to see if that was the problem and see if the dishwasher was heating. They left, and it was still not heating.

Trip 3: They sent a different technician that was supposed to be an expert on this model. He came in and said it was the control board, but did not even touch the dishwasher. I tried to debate him, but he said that he had seen this problem before and “he” was the expert. He did not need to test the dishwasher. He ordered the part and left.

Trip 4: The other 2 techs came back and installed the control board which did not fix the problem.

Trip 5: The techs came back and tested the heating element (Imagine that) and it was bad. They declared the problem was a bad heating element, but they refused to fix it because after 5 trips in Texas the dishwasher must be declared a lemon. They could not come back a sixth time and fix it. I had to go out and buy a new dishwasher. Best Buy gave me the money I paid for the old one, toward a new one, but would not refund my money for the extended warranty. They claimed that I got my money’s worth from the warranty. Best Buy said that if I had not had the extended warranty I would have had to pay for each service call, but they would have paid for the parts and labor.

I loved the dishwasher and I believe all of the trouble was over the service. When I went to get another one I found out it was discontinued, so I paid the difference and got the 9810.

Below is the 7811