Now for and LG Dishwasher question.

[quincyman]

Bought an LG dishwasher in April. Controls on top of door. Handle across front. After two weeks it was replaced with same dishwasher only contols on front. No handle.
The cycles NEVER seem to be the same when they run.
Ex: Have been using the auto cycle with HIGH TEMP and EXTRA DRY.
It used to do a pre-wash, drain, fill, and main wash (could hear soap open).
Now it does two or three wash periods with no soap, and it is still washing with soap with twenty minutes left on the timer. Dishes are clean, clear and definitely the water gets very hot, but it is boggling my mind.
Is it me or is the damn thing okay.

 

[nmassman44]

Auto wash bases the cycle times on how dirty a load is. If less soil is sensed it will change the parameters on the cycle. One cycle will not be the same as another if that makes sense. On my LDF 5678 dishwasher that I have I rarely if ever use Auto Wash since the surging and sensing take up too much time in my opinion. The cycles the I use the most is Normal and Heavy. I also use the Hi Temp option to raise the main wash temp to 150 and this dishwasher is no slouch in the water heating dept. Both cycles use the fan to dry the load. Turbo cycle will end then the fan will kick on. A lot of people that use that cycle will bitch that the dishwasher isn’t drying the load when they could just leave it alone for another half hour to dry the load. I am quite happy with the LG dishwasher that I have.

 

[quincyman]

Thank you and what your saying does make sense. I was in fact hoping that was it. Machine cleans great and as you said, no slouch at heating water. Thanks again.
Our machines look alike. Due to shortage in machines at the time. I was limited in choice. Couldn't bear the thought of waiting months for a dishwasher. Mine is a LDF5545ss and does not have a sani option. I have seen how hot the water gets in there when I opened the door and was blinded by steam. So I really can't say I am disappointed in that area.

I do miss the Kitchen Aids I had from the 60's and 70's.

 

[nmassman44]

I had the 5545 in Mass that I left behind when we sold our house to move here to sunny FL....if you use the High Temp option there is no need at all for a Sani Temp because the final rinse is a toasty 155F...plenty hot in my opinion and with the detergent it pretty much kills whatever bacteria that would be on your dishes. Besides, once you open the door to the dishwasher to unload the dishes you are contaminating them with just your hands or where ever they are being stored. So that alone would render a Sani temp useless.

I wanted the 5545 since I liked the fact there was no third rack...I never use the one I have with the machine pictured above.The dealer where I bought the dishwasher from told me that the 5545 model was discontinued. I bought this model instead and had to wait about a month to get it from Famous Tate. One thing is that living here in FL our water is kinda hard. I cannot use a cheap detergent so its Cascade Platinum or Somat. I find that the Somat is geared well for the water conditions here.

 

[quincyman]

nmassman44-
From Mass myself. Been in FL 17 years. That aside, I also like the fact that there is no third rack. And I found out that the only detergent that really works down here is Cascade Platinum. I do like to keep a spare bottle of cascade under the sink in case I want to add it to for the first wash. Have read bad things about the pods, but the only thing I found that works and have never caused a problem for us. I so miss the days you had a box of Cascade Powder under the sink.
The 5545 was discontinued? We just bought ours in April.
Oh, and I have NO IDEA what Somat is???? Thanks for your thread.

 

[logixx]

Somat is a dishwasher detergent by Henjek, the same brand that makes Persil. At least over here, their top-of-the-line offering ranks #1 in our consumer magazine, while the lower versions are beat by way cheaper store brands.

Would you say the same soil level triggered a less heavy auto cycle in the past? How does it on an empty run? Some dishwashers, if the sensor failed, will default to the most aggressive version of the sensor cycle regardless.

 

[rolls_rapide]

"...is a dishwasher detergent by Henjek."

Not quite, it is made by Henkel.

Anyway, these modern sensor machines adapt to the load, based on what the machine experienced previously, and what the sensors are telling it now. Perhaps you need to clean the filters?

 

[logixx]

Henjek

Correct, it should have said Henkel.

 

[nmassman44]

Here is a pic of the Somat Excellence 4 in 1 caps that I just bought. I got this on Amazon and I must say that it does an excellent job . Here is a pic

 

[quincyman]

Where do you put the caps in a Front loader? I mean, you can't put them in the soap dispenser. And are they safe for FL.

 

[nmassman44]

Huh? This is dishwasher detergent only. The pacs fit beautifully in the detergent dispenser. This is not for laundry.

Oh and before I forget …make sure you clean the dishwasher filter at least once a month to keep it performing well. What I do is when a new month arrives, I have gotten into the habit of taking the filter array out and run it under cold water and I use an old toothbrush to scrub the screen of any smutz that is trapped on it. You will find one side has more than the other because of where the pump return intake is.

 

[quincyman]

Sorry folks. My mind took a walk earlier and hasn't been seen for a while. Another words, I wasn't thinking right.
Thanks for the pic. Will look for it.

 

[nmassman44]

Its only available on Amazon so local stores will not carry this.

 

[quincyman]

Thanks for the advice and help. Very helpful indeed.

 

[logixx]

I bought a bag of these and was disappointed, unfortunately. Cleaning was only so-so and they (repeatedly) left a ton of water spots on my Pyrex dish.