POD..Youngstown DW

[wireman]

Too cool! Love how this unit is mounted ABOVE the standard counter height...Just seems to be coming back into vogue finally; I've worked on a few custom houses where the DW was mounted higher for easier access. Sure makes sense to me- wasn't aware anyone was doing that in the "fab 50's". Has anyone seen older DWs mounted this high?

Duane

 

[tomturbomatic]

Generally not quite that high, but I have seen some installations that had a drawer under the machine to boost it up about a foot, especially if it was designed for someone with back problems. Then there was that modern kitchen in one of the shelter magazines in the late 50s--early 60s where everything, steel cabinets, dishwasher was up on chrome legs. I don't know the purpose or why anyone would want to lose that much storage space, but it was done at least once.

 

[bajaespuma]

I don't know about y'all but I'd love to see a full size Dishwasher/Sink combination (I know KitchenAid did a small one recently), like they sold in the early fifties come back. Top-loading, preferably with a window, like the early GE's and Youngstown Kitchen models, where dishware would go right from the sink to the tub. It would kind of be cool-retro. Maybe I'll design one myself and post it. You would think if ANY of the appliance manufacturers in this country had any brains at all that they'd be looking at this site.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Ken, KitchenAid has that dishwasher-sink for sale, at least I think it is still for sale. The dishwasher is only one rack, but it shares something in common with so many of the early dishwashers that were joined with sinks: it is top loading and the detergent cup drops the powder as soon as the lid is closed so the cycles all start with wash. It will heat water which can significantly lengthen the cycle so that tough crusties get washed away on the pan smasher cycle. You can also take the rack, wash arm etc. out and use it like a plain old sink. Unfortunately it does not have a window in the lid. You can also buy an auxillary booster heater for it which provides hotter water so the cycles are faster.

Always remember: When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true.

Tom

 

[nasadowsk]

Was that why kitchen Aid put the timer all the way down there? It'd seem that they intended the washer to be put up a bit high, otherwise, the lady of the house would have to bend over. Though I'm sure that feature was popular with the man of the house

 

[tomturbomatic]

Under normal use, the timer dial did not have to be touched. The dishwasher was started either by pushing down the START switch beside the door of the machine from the first model through the 12 series or pushing a cycle button (KDI-14, KDS-14) & 15s or flipping the start switch under the door handle (KDC-14). The pointer was at the top of the dial so it was always easy to see the stage of the cycle. Even the first portable KD2P had the start switch under the door handle so that even though the timer was way down on the front, you did not have to do anything with it to start the machine. The START switch that had to be pressed down an inch or so, actually had a mechanical link to the timer that moved the timer 1 increment which turned on the power to the timer which started the dishwasher. The 14 series did it through the door latch and by the 15s, it was done electrically. Pushing a button to start the machine was a far more foolproof method of starting than having people turn the dial like in the non-pushbutton models from the 16 series forward. People sometimes would turn them just enough past the start point that the cycle would miss the first fill and when the water heating part of the cycle started in the 19s and newer, it fried the vinyl on the bottom rack and burned any food soil that might have landed on or just above the element. Then customers would call that their dw was burning up.