Power Clean?

[iiijohnnymaciii]

Can anyone tell me if this is a power clean model dishwasher? Thanks.

 

[combo52]

Power-Clean Yes

One of the best performing most durable DWs ever.

 

John L.

 

[iiijohnnymaciii]

Thank you, John. If something does go wrong with it are they easy to fix or replace parts? Also, do you recommend I take it apart to sanitize it?

 

[yogitunes]

these used 'Sensor' cycles....which were unique in only changing the water as it got dirty...

as in it would adjust/add or subtract drain and refills as needed per cycle/load....

I found it to be very effective in use and cleaning...fool proof

 

[gansky1]

Love my KitchenAid - Power Clean.  Easy to work on if needed and does an outstanding job.  

 

[appnut]

Oooh, Greg, a KUDS25.  

 

[whirlykenmore78]

I have basically the same WP PC DW

These will scrub ANYTHING you put in them. They are some of the BEST DWs ever.
WK78

 

[mark_wpduet]

I agree

These were REALLY good. 3 places I rented in the past had them (one a Kenmore version) and they were definitely not TOL models that I had, yet they still were great. The only weird thing is if you live with a tall tub dishwasher, then go back to these, they feel so freaking small in comparison.

 

[combo52]

Power-Clean Yes

There should be no reason to take one of these apart for cleaning, I would just remove the lower wash arm and if it looks bad then run a cleaning cycle. Unless these DWs have been badly abused [ poor detergents in hard water etc ] there is normally not a thimble full of crude in the entire pump etc.

 

John L.

 

[awooff]

Clean as a whistle

That whirlpool is clean w low use - not even any lime scale on the cal rod showing. The self cleaning filter on the power clean keeps itself clean. Not much can fail here other then the control board and water inlet valve. Non tall tub here just means youll not have as far to bend over for loading and the need to verify the top rack spray arm spins freely before starting.

 

[peteski50]

Powerclean!

I had a Powerclean portable from about 1992 - the best DW I ever had!

 

[iiijohnnymaciii]

Thanks for all the info.

Thanks for all the info everyone! I am purchasing it tomorrow. What is a good detergent for this machine? I was thinking the cascade in the lime green bottle that still uses bleach. I’ve used cascade powder in my manual filter machines in the past, but have noticed a lot of buildup on the filters recently. Don’t know if they might have changed the recipe.

 

[combo52]

Best detergent For A PC DW

Hi John, It varies depending on several factors such as your water hardness, incoming water temperature and how dirty the dishes are being washed.

 

We use chlorinated liquid in the open cup and a premium tablet in the closed cup, our incoming water temperature is around 130F, we use heavy wash with Hi-Temp wash selected and water hardness is around 7 grains. Dishes go in very dirty and sometimes stand for more than a day before washing.

 

John L.

 

[whirlykenmore78]

John:

That's about how I load my WP PC DW. My water hardness is 0-1 grains because of my Ecowater system and incoming temp is 140F. I use Cascade Fryer Boil out in each cup filled about half way and everything comes out clean. I alternate between the Low Energy and Heavy cycles depending on what I need to wash. I always use the Sani Rinse and power scour as needed.
WK78

 

[iiijohnnymaciii]

Thanks!

Thanks guys. I will try the cascade tabs and a chlorinated gel. BTW, thats a beautiful dishwasher with the chrome trim and pinstripe control panel. It would go beautifully with my oven! Finding one of those would be a dream! What is the model number?

 

[awooff]

Detergent for powerclean

For my current powerclean (kenmore version) - cooked on food soils get the cheapest powdered detergent i can find (kroger brand). Or if non baked on then i prefer the cheap kroger brand gel for chlorination/disinfection.

Power scrub option (or hi-temp wash) was ALWAYS selected to assure a 140f main wash and final rinse.

When i had a whirlpool powerclean, same as above and yes i can attest to the pics above - BURNED ON SOILS WOULD WASH SPOTLESS. For those extreme items with burned on stuff then pots n pans was selected however similar as above poster mentioned my typical selection was normal (one wash) or heavy wash with a double detergent wash.

One important loading benefit id learned after years of using the "on the door silverware basket" of the whirlpool is to LOAD PLATES IN THE FRONT SECTION OF BOTTOM RACK SO THAT WATER IS DIVERTED TO THE SILVERWARE BASKET ON THE DOOR. -The pictures in the manual show this loading pattern and by golly it did give the best results on the silverware.

 

[murando531]

My grandparents have that oven! It was in the house when they moved into it in '99 and they've used it constantly ever since. Here's a picture from this Thanksgiving and you can see it partially on the left back. It's the only picture I have of that side of the kitchen.

 

[murando531]

I found my PowerClean in 2014. My absolute pride and joy, and I wouldn't give it up or sell it for a thing. It was in pretty neglected shape at the time but for these machines it's really hard for someone to actually harm them, and I dismantled it piece by piece, down to the bolts, and reconditioned and cleaned every single part by hand, and a few parts, like the motor seal, I replaced new just because that's the kind of thing I don't take chances on. I also found a newer 2007 model, and parted it for the updated racks and the nicer light grey wash arm themes versus the old beige look. It's been going strong since then and has been my proudest restore work and the best investment of time I've ever done.

At the moment it's in storage awaiting when we move in March, but it's spent alot of time in our kitchen. I've done some sound insulating by adding felt padding to the inside panel which made a world of difference over the standard Quiet Partner/Quiet Pack, but I'm planning to get a box of Noico sound mastic and do the same to the PowerClean that I've done to my 520 model that is in the kitchen now and will stay with the house. It took a fairly mid-line machine with not much dampening and brought it down to the level of what my 920 model and KitchenAid were, around 46-48 dB, so I'm expecting it to make the PowerClean sound even more gorgeous.

I concur with everyone's advice: do NOT let that machine pass you by. Grab it, give it some TLC, and it'll last for years and will clean anything you throw in it, including a cake if you so desire. These were hands down the best designed dishwashers to ever grace the planet and still are holding strong even 15-20 years later and don't look terribly aged either. The one I have in black with the sleek control panel looks just as modern as the other appliances in my kitchen that are only 6 years old.

 

[murando531]

[No message]

 

[murando531]

A few of the teardown/rebuild

 

[murando531]

[No message]

 

[Chetlaham]

How much I miss these! I need a crying emoji! Best machine ever made hands down. Glad to see you saved this machine. I have to admit now that I look at it dismantled these certainly were not complex machines- actually very simple.

 

[iiijohnnymaciii]

Yes, those ovens are absolute workhorses. The only thing I’ve ever had to do was replace the heating element and fix the timer. I didn’t even have to replace the timer to fix it. There was just a piece of metal that had slightly bent over the years and I just bent it back. I’ve had mine since I bought the house back in 2009 and it’s seen 4-5 days per week use. If anything does go wrong, it’s such a simple analog design that it should be easy to fix and last a lifetime!

Beautiful machine you got there! It looks immaculate. Thanks for sharing.

I ended up getting a 915 today! The guy I was going to buy the 941 from couldn’t sell it to me for a couple more weeks, because his new machine hadn’t been delivered. I know a lot can happen in couple weeks and there just so happened to be a 915 that looked good, so I jumped on it. I still plan on getting the 941 if it works out.

This was the first live look I actually got of one of these machines. All I can say is, this thing is well made! The plastic on the interior is thick and made to last through years of heat cycles. The stainless steel is actually true solid stainless steel!

Eventually I would like to replace the control panel, because the start button cover is missing.

I can’t wait to do my first load!

 

[gansky1]

KUDS-25 Architect Series Flat Panel

Piles of washing to do...  The last of the holiday baking.

 

Always clean.  I have softened water, our tap water runs 12-17 grains, and have been using the Kirkland dishwasher pacs in the main cup for two years now.  Never have had a failure or rejects.

 

[iiijohnnymaciii]

Installed

Love that KUDS-25! That’s an absolutely beautiful machine!

So, today I was able to get the PowerClean installed. I checked the inlet valve filter, which was in surprisingly good shape being over 13 years old. I also took the machine apart a bit to see if I need to manually clean anything; but again like John said it would be, everything was surprisingly clean. Especially the filter. There wasn’t an ounce of anything on the filter. They aren’t kidding around when they call it a self cleaning filter!

I then ran an empty pots and pans load with lime green Cascade gel that has the bleach in it. First thing I noticed was the water inlet didn’t sound like it was just dribbling water, but rather pouring water in! And then the hurricane started. This machine definitely has some power! Also, in between cycles and during the drying cycle huge pockets of steam was released. It just seems like a well designed machine from top to bottom.

One question I do have is: When I was taking it apart to get down to the pump, in the oval shape pump outlet there were two balls. The video I was following said that in most models 1 ball is in the outlet and one down inside. I figure my DU915 must just be one of the models that had both balls in the outlet, so when I put it back together, I just put both balls back in the outlet like they were. I just followed the rule of putting it back together like it was when I took it apart. Did I do the correct thing?

 

[murando531]

Yes!! There are three check balls total, two of them go down inside that opening of the shroud that goes around the drain impeller, so you did it correctly. One of them will push against the bottom hole of the filter assembly, preventing back flow, the other will cover the hole on the side of that outlet opening, which is where the remaining water is pulled from the sump. The third one is inside the little oval shaped cover that is secured with a T15 bolt on the bottom of the filter assembly. There's normally no reason to take it apart though. The purpose of that check ball is the prevent water being pulled from the filter accumulator chamber back into the wash impeller chamber when the drain portion starts, so that the soils that have been trapped don't sucked back out and through the wash arms. If you notice, during the drains, despite the impellers reversing, there's still a fair amount of water that gets pushed through the arms, just at a fraction of the pressure and volume.

You're exactly right about the build quality. Despite the tubs being plastic, it is GOOD plastic. There's a reason they gave the tubs 20-25 year warranties; there's no reason they'd ever crack or warp or leak. These machines are built like tanks, and you can feel it on everything from the motor and pump assembly to just opening and closing the door.

You'll be amazed what a power house it is at cleaning. The Normal cycle is beyond adequate for even the most heavily soiled loads. My aunt has a 2003 model similar to the one in your original post on this thread, with the difference of one addtional cycle I believe. That particular machine is what made me fall in love with the PowerClean design and Whirlpool in general. I was always amazed at how that machine was packed to the brim and not a single dish was rinsed, the door covered in goopy sauces and even pieces of green bean or a stray noodle or bits of cooked hamburger meat sitting on the bottom of the tub. A normal cycle later and not a single speck remained and nothing but a fresh smell at that. I envied her for that machine because we had a GE Nautilus that would leave yiblets and grit along the top edge of the door even after a Pots and Pans cycle, and still didn't leave the squeaky clean feel that the PowerClean did on just a normal wash.

Even for the machine I have, I use the Normal-Low Energy cycle more than Normal itself, because Low Energy forgoes the prewash and does a longer main wash, better for enzyme based detergent pacs today, and still heats the final rinse to 140. Not a single complaint with any of the results.

 

[kb0nes]

I've had 2 problems with my KUDS24.

A relay connection on the main control board blew off all its solder and the motor would no longer run. A few seconds with a soldering iron and it is better then new.

Second issue wasn't a show stopper but it seemed to lack performance somehow. I pulled off the washarm to check for blockages and noticed there was a bunch of axial play in the washarm. The bearing spacers that the washarm rides against were worn to the point that much of the pressure leaked out under the arm. I machined new anti friction Delrin parts and it works like new again.

A tablespoon of gel on the door for the first wash and a Cascade Platnium pack in the dispenser. Wash performance is always flawless. Hope to keep it running another decade or two.

 

[iiijohnnymaciii]

First Load

Did my first load and everything came out flawless. I’m very happy with this machine!

 

[mark_wpduet]

I have plates

just like that. I also notice you load bowls differently than I do. I put them face down instead of on their side. I might try on the side just to see how they come out. It looks like on the side would definitely give you a little more room.

 

[iiijohnnymaciii]

Thanks for the info about the check balls Murando. It makes sense now.

Mark, yeah. You’ve got to love Corelle. They are so durable. The only ones that have been broken are the ones that have been thrown at me haha!

This is the latest placement system that I have found that works best for my family of 5 using my Corelle dishes. I start alternating large plates from the right. I start placing small bowls back left and small plates front left. I then have room for larger bowls around the sides. I’m able to fit my tall cups up top by leaning them, I make use of the unused space by placing lids there.