Newer Kitchenaid dishwasher see-through in action, opinions requested

[DADoES]

 
I'm not understanding the uproar over dishwasher operating time.  Start the machine running before bed, do other chores while it runs, read a book, watch a movie, play on AW.org, go visit a friend, etc. ... and be glad you're not having to manually wash the dishware, isn't that the point of having the machine?

Gentler spray reduces noise levels, which is all the rage nowadays.  The primary factor many dishwasher shoppers require per the discussions I see is QUIET.  Reduced spray pressure calls for more intense chemical cleaning via enzymes to compensate for the reduced mechanical/spray action ... which in turn leads to more time.

 

[murando531]

I agree with DADoES. I've never understood all the b*tching and moaning over how long a dishwasher or washer/dryer takes. Who is actually spending valuable emotional energy over how long a machine has to do a completely unaided, automated task from start to finish, when you only have to press a button or two and walk away, only to come back and the job be completely done? I don't understand this idea of waiting on the edge of your seat, or pacing back and forth in front of the dishwasher, waiting for that clean or done light so you can hurriedly take everything out. For what? There are 1001 things you can do while the machine is running, and aside from maybe propping the door open to let it air dry like I do, the dishes can sit there clean in the machine just as well as they sit clean in a cupboard.

My mother in law has this same hang up. She has a gorgeous Whirlpool 8500 washing machine that holds three times what her old washer did, meaning she's washing in one load what would have been at least two or three in the old machine, yet she'll beat that poor soil level button to death to shave off literally 4-5 minutes of time because apparently 54 minutes is just too long and she acts like she has to stop her life until both machines are completely done and all the laundry put away. I've explained until I'm blue in the face that she's washing more laundry in one load, and because her old machine took 40-45 minutes per wash from start to finish, it's really not that much more time. Even if you added up that time for three separate cycles, at a minimum that's 2 hours, so anything less for one machine doing that much laundry is still more than reasonable, especially when you consider that modern detergents are designed for and simply work much better with more time for the enzymes to do their job.

To me this whole argument is like someone mixing up a cake recipe, putting it in the oven, and then getting irritated because they took it out after 15 minutes and it was still soupy, when the recipe instructed that it would take 35 minutes. Like, things take time to get done, Mary Lou, stop getting your bloomers in a wad.

 

[maytagbear]

I may have mentioned............

The biggest energy cost of a diswasher is not the motor(s), pump(s), controls, but the energy required to bring mains temperature water up to 120F and whatever that is in C (45-50?).

Now that I am physically disabled I am exceptionally grateful I have a good cleaning dishwasher in my apartment, even if it is a Eluxidaire!

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[joeypete]

"Hurricane in a box" certainly does not pertain to these new machines but that shouldn't be reason to criticize them. I used my Hobart KA for 2.5 years and loved every minute of it. In fact I still have it but need to change the program switch. Do I miss it? Hell yeah, I loved listening to the hum of the motor. They were/are truly an iconic appliance. But the Kenmore Elite I purchased has proven to be a washer champion so far. It's a clone of the new KA machines...just has a different wash arm. Mine has the dynamic wash arm like the higher end KA's have. It's incredibly quiet and cleans the dickens out of anything I put in there. Cycle times don't bother me either because I run it at night and empty it in the morning. Having an open kitchen/living room, the lower noise levels are now much appreciated. I seriously can barely hear it. I have to turn the TV off to listen to the dishwasher now! hahaha.

 

[rinso]

Yes the sprays of newer machines do look more like a lawn sprinkler than the high-force ones of old. This must be why they have to run so long. On the plus side, IMHO, this makes them so much more quiet and keeps the glass etching to a minimum, which was a problem with the old firehose strength pressure design. 

 

 

[spiralator60]

Long Operating Times

It is certainly true that most modern dishwashers do a good job of cleaning with reduced water pressure and longer cycle times.

At the same time, there is a case to be made for shorter cycles. There are occasions when a two hour or longer cycle might not always be practical, or reasonable.

An example (a real-life one) is when hosting house guests, and there is a steady stream of used glasses, plates, utensils, etc., being generated. Here the machine might be run 2-3 times throughout the day, and washing items by hand is not really possible because of time or other constraints.

Our Kenmore dishwasher has a one hour cycle that uses more water and a higher water pressure than the other programs which cleans quite well, but there is the trade off of more resources that are used to complete the job.

This matter of long cycles is also true for clothes washers, particularly when a mountain of items such as towels is always present.

This point is not intended to take away from the benefits of a longer running program, which I agree with wholeheartedly, just to highlight another aspect of the discussion.

 

[lakewebsterkid]

Whirlpool

We are slowly stepping away from Whirlpool appliances because of the issues we have had, and some that I have observed from others as well. Our Bosch performs like no other. We have a few minor gripes, but it is still by far the best dishwasher I have ever used. I just wish there was a bit more cycle flexibility such as high temp wash.

 

[jamiel]

I'd like to do more experimentation with the 30 minute wash on my Bosch--I should look up in the book the parameters, obviously it doesn't dry but still would be good to know.

 

[whitetub]

The 30 minute wash on my Bosch, in my previous house, was pretty good.
It cleaned very well, but it left everything pretty wet. I think the last rinse was not a heated rinse, so the dishes didn't dry well. But it would blast off the dirt of every plates, and flatware.