New owner of a Kitchenaid Superba KDS-16 - help with hoses?

[eliza]

Hey everybody! I just discovered these forums last week and holy crap, this has got to be one of the most helpful, friendly places on the entire internet.

I recently bought a condo that was occupied by the same family from when it was built in 1948 until now, and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world because they left almost everything original. (No crappy 90's brown granite to rip out, in other words.) So now I'm the proud owner of a KDS-16, among other things. The word is that it was being used regularly until about a year ago when the owner passed away, so hopefully once I replace the hoses everything will be good to go. Is there a guide for that anywhere, or could somebody walk me through it? I'm relatively handy, but I've never owned a dishwasher before and the most plumbing-intensive thing I've ever done is changing a shower head.

 

[rp2813]

Welcome Eliza, and congratulations!  Who doesn't love a machine with designated "Party" options?

 

My first question:  Why do you think the hoses are bad?  Granted, they're old, but you've got a genuine Hobart machine that was built to last and last. 

 

The standard procedure with a machine that has been out of service for a while is to dump super hot water into the tub and let it sit there until it cools.  This will soften up the rubber seal in case it has hardened from lack of moisture.

 

After that, try running it on a regular cycle and check for leaks.  There's a service manual for your machine in the library here, and it's available to download for a small fee.  I've provided a link to it below.  It will have instructions on how to remove the lower service panel to see what's happening under there.  I'd remove that before you take either of the steps I've advised above.

 

There are plenty of KA fans here with lots of experience, and Steve T is known as Mr. Hobart around here so he's an excellent resource.

 

Best wishes for sparkling clean dishes!

 

Ralph

 

 

http://www.automatice.org/cgi-bin/index.cgi?showdoc~623~KitchenAid~DW

 

[eliza]

Thanks Ralph!

The only reason I'm worried about the hoses is that this is an apartment, and the last thing I would want to do is cause issues for my new neighbors. (Everyone in this building is pretty, erm... "involved" with what their neighbors are up to, and regarding the dishwasher, I've heard everything from basically "don't touch it, I heard a rumor it was responsible for 9/11" to "do whatever you want, insurance will cover it if you flood the building.")

Really dumb question: there's a knob under the kitchen sink--is that what shuts off the water to everything? If I notice something leaking, can I just turn that knob to stop it while I figure out what's wrong?

 

[pulltostart]

Eliza

I will echo Ralph's welcome to AW.

 

I don't/can't work on dishwashers, so I won't attempt to answer your maintenance questions, but will say this about the plumbing - if there's a valve/shutoff on the hot side it should cut off the supply to the dishwasher.  But it could also cut off the hot to the kitchen faucet, depending on the configuration.  Look at how the water is plumbed and know that whatever is on the "downstream" side of the valve will be turned off.  Best case scenario is you'll have 3 valves - one on the cold side, and two on the hot side; one for the faucet and one for the DW.

 

Good luck and best wishes in your new condo!

 

lawrence

 

[rp2813]

Hmmm.  There's only one knob?  Usually there are two -- one for hot and one for cold -- that supply the sink faucet, and a third one on the hot side that supplies the dishwasher as Lawrence described above. 

 

Is your building older, and is your sink faucet mounted on the wall?  That might explain the single knob, which would presumably supply the dishwasher.

 

There should also be a fitting under the sink for the drain hose connection.  If you have a garbage disposer, the fitting is incorporated into it.  If not, the fitting would come directly off the drain pipe above the P-trap.  In the majority of situations, there's an air gap assembly mounted to the sink, and this is where you'd connect the drain hose.  They're not always used, so if you don't see a chrome cylinder with slots/holes in it on your sink, you don't have an air gap.

 

As long as dishwashers are allowed in your building, you shouldn't worry about neighbors wondering what you're up to.  If your Superba leaks, I'm sure it wouldn't be the first dishwasher in your building to do so.  I'm betting it's fine and will serve you well.

 

[eliza]

Alright, so I gave it a go and dumped some hot water into the tub, and it promptly started leaking out of the bottom of the machine. I can't see exactly where the leak is coming from, but it's kind of flowing down the side of the motor. Is this the kind of thing I call in a professional for?

 

[rp2813]

You'll have to find an actual professional, not some guy or company that will tell you it's too old to bother fixing.

 

Steve T can advise for sure, but since your machine was produced by Hobart, a replacement seal may still be available.   There are members here who have done this job.   The leak you describe is what killed motors on many KA DWs from this period.  No more hot water.  The seal on your machine is too far gone.

 

You should make sure the motor is good before going any futher.

 

[eliza]

How would I test the motor? Just wait a few days and then put it on plate warm or something?

I'm so torn right now! I have a brand new, still-in-the-shrink-wrap dishwasher sitting in a bedroom... I was planning on reselling it once I got the KA up and running, now now I'm wondering if it will end up costing more than I could sell the other one for to get the KA fixed.

Long shot, but do you (or anyone else!) have any recommendations for a dishwasher guy in Chicago?