New to my KA family! (KDI-15)

[hobarthero]

Picking up this very clean little number tomorrow afternoon. It will be the newest and also the oldest addition to my DW lineup so far. I’ll send some pictures once it’s picked up. I have been looking for one of these for a while. I wish it was a Superba but I can’t complain as this is a very clean machine for the age and we don’t see them too often. All in proper working order as the seller has told me. This one is pretty exciting!
-Shannon[this post was last edited: 7/23/2021-18:00]

 

[tomturbomatic]

Congratulations!

The 15 series was a HUGE step for Hobart; first time their dishwasher was check rated by CU. We had one in our house and it was still washing dishes when we sold the place decades later.

 

[appnut]

Congratulations!! I got another dishwasher story related to this one I'll PM you later.

 

[peteski50]

KitchenAid!

Shannon Congratulations this is a real beauty!

 

[jamiel]

My grandmother had this one!

 

[chachp]

Wow, that's a beauty!

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<span style="font-family: helvetica;">I have a KDS-15 that was "ridden hard and put away wet" when I got it.  But the generous folks around here helped me get it working at 100% again.  This thing moves some water!!  Here is a video of what goes on inside mine.  The worst issue mine had was a bad wash arm support so when the machine called to move water the wash arm would pop off the support.  STEVET (thanks Steve, you bailed me out on more than one machine!!) advised how I could repair the support until I could find a new one which I eventually did on eBay.  I think I had to replace the timer at one point too.  It's been a while so I don't exactly remember.  These things hold a lot of dishes and the old saying "it will take paint off of a bumper" sure holds true on this one.  </span>

 

<span style="font-family: helvetica;">Congrats on your find!!</span>

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[hobarthero]

It’s home!

It’s nice and clean. Better than I expected so I’m excited to share some better photos soon!

 

[hobarthero]

Pictures.

There is the slightest amount of worn off coating on a couple tips of the lower rack dividers, no rust or bubbling or chipped enamel anywhere. Other than that this seems pristine from what I can see so far. Is the chrome trim a kit that was optional? Because once you remove the chrome trim and the wood it reveals the off-white color door panels beneath which seem to have factory drilled holes in the side with screw clips for the chrome trim to attach to. With this setup I assume I could easily put in some stainless panels which would look pretty nice as an alternative. Not a big fan of the wood but the job was done very nicely nonetheless.
-Shannon

 

[jamiel]

If you got ambitious you might find a rinse-agent dispenser kit which was optional. Those racks are in nice shape.

 

[hobarthero]

RA Dispenser

I already thought about the RA dispenser. I’ll definitely be looking for one. I’m wondering what other machines would have the same dispenser because I have several later KA machines with dispensers and I may be able to steal it off of another one. I have to find a parts breakdown for this machine and go from there.
-Shannon

 

[sprog]

Thanks for posting

Shannon,
I look forward to reading about your adventures with this one. The good folks here at AWORG inspired me to acquire a KD-11 (sitting in a respected corner of my basement awaiting modification). As soon as you make some progress, please post. Although these machines are wonderful, they offer many challenges... just a simple part of age, wear and tear. Best of luck!
Cheers,
Chris

 

[hobarthero]

Model Tag

Forgot to post a picture of the model tag so we can get a better idea of the manufacture date etc.
-Shannon

 

[tomturbomatic]

Like Trevi Fountain

When our 15 and I were younger, I would start it with the door open and hold in the door switch and watch the little jets build as the water filled the pump. It was like when Trevi came alive at the end of Three Coins in the Fountain, but I quickly learned that once you lost your nerve and released the door switch, you had to shut the door before restarting it because once the pump completely filled with water, the restart was spectacular.

 

[hobarthero]

Factory Trim Kit

The custom wood panel kit was indeed a factory option sold by KA for these machines, I found a neat little piece of advertising about it. I will probably remove the wood paneling and trim but I will definitely hold onto them.
-Shannon