Please Help Educate Me on Hobart KitchenAid Dishwashers

[Bella]

I started an earlier thread about my purchase of a KDS-19 that I am going to restore, but I am also looking to collect a couple other dishwashers so that I will always have something that actually cleans.

I'd love to hear about any of the various models, and what your experience has been with them. I want to narrow my choices down to what I think would work best for me.

Firedome had indicated that if a choice had to be made the 17 would be the one to stay. I would love to hear all about the 17 series, since that kind of a statement says a great deal. I sure wish I could recall what my mom's old KitchenAid model was, since it cleaned perfectly. I think she first got it in the 70's, when all of us kids weren't around anymore to do the dishes.

I will keep checking Craig's list, but I don't think I will find much in Florida. Most of these old dishwashers are located up north or in places like Wisconsin. That leaves me with e-bay.

What have you used to repair the interior chipped enamel? Would you buy one with small chips?

Do you feel adjustable racks or tines are a must?

What do you use to safely remove rust stains, or for that matter, any old stains that might be marring the tub's beauty?

Do the 17's have extra rinse options, and how hot will they heat the water? Do they dry well?

I would like to hear likes, dislikes, and how annoyances with them have been resolved.

Gosh, I'm not even sure what to ask, so any tidbits of information are welcome!

I'm trying to figure out a spot to put a second dishwwasher, if at all possible, to help out with big family get togethers. If you've done this, I'd really like to hear where you decided to put a second dishwasher. I'm sure some of you have been clever enough to figure out a good spot, particularly if you were unwilling to remove one of your cabinets.

 

[danemodsandy]

Second Dishwashers:

A possible strategy is to make the second machine a portable/convertible machine. These can be rolled to a suitable area to get them out of the way when not needed.

Bear in mind that they're quite heavy, so any changes in floor level between where they are used and where they are stored are going to make for difficult moving.

One possibility is to put one in a basement where there is a hot water faucet and a laundry tub available.

In the time frame you're collecting, KitchenAid used the same last digit in portable/convertible models as on the undercounter models, but changed the first digit from "1" to "5." So, a KDS-17 undercounter would have a KDS-57 as its portable/convertible counterpart. Essentially the same machine with some extra bits added to make it portable/convertible. KDS-15 = KDS-55, KDS-16 = KDS-56, and so on. This info will help you with online searches for machines and parts.

 

[appnut]

Adjustable rack (predominantly found on the Superba modelS is a feature that helps with loading flexibility. The KD15, KD16, and KD17 were one-level wash models with one wash arm on the bottom. with thoughtful loading and following instructions, dishware in both racks will come out clean. Starting with the KD18 series, there was a wash arm under the upper rack too. Starting with the KD19 series, it heated its own water. So did the KD20 and KD21 series. During the 21 series, Hobart sold Kitchenaid to what eventually ended up being sold to Whirlpool. the remainder of the 21 series as well as the 22 and 23 series were still the KitchAid design with the racks and porcelain interior. the 23 series used Whirlpools PowerClean Module pump.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Use the search feature!

Why don't you go to the home page of the Imperial Forum and type KitchenAid dishwasher and the model about which you want to learn more in the search box. Then you will have the benefit of all that has been posted here about it. Then do the same thing for another model. You will tap all of the information that has accumulated over many years.

 

[Bella]

Thank you for all the information and suggestions! All of your replies have been very, very helpful.

It's hard to know where to start sometimes and this has helped.

 

[firedome]

17 series machines'

great advantage to our mind, was their simplicity along with build quality, as later series added wash-arms and more bells & whistles as they got more and more complex. Our single wash-arm model does a fine job with just reasonable and minimal attention to rack loading, and being a Custom is the simplest model to repair and maintain. We never use all the extra cycles on the fancy models, and it still does an admirable job of cleaning. We bought a KDC-17 brand new in '74 and we liked it so much that almost 40 years later we went out of our way to find an identical one. While we have several 18 series also, and have used various 19/20/21 series over the years, to us the model 17 is THE classic Hobart Kitchen Aid, and one will always be the mainstay here - we have several, just in case!

 

[joeypete]

Sorry to revive this old post but I found a question here that wasn't answered.

I just noticed last night that there is a chip in the interior on the back of my 85 Hobart tub. How do you fix this? It looks black so maybe it didn't go all the way through? I dunno...I just don't want it to rust.