Questions about an 18 inch wide dishwasher.

[lordkenmore]

>None of these 18" DWs are great machines, but as Laundress mentioned it sure beats not having a DW at all, I would go for it.

And Lord Kenmore, whose dishwasher is but a sink and his hands, knows all too well about "beats not having a DW at all." LOL

Although I have to admit having read this thread (and older one in which Launderess recounts the drama of her 18" WCI DW's Last Days) that I'm not sure I'd seek one of these out!

 

[lordkenmore]

>It worked well for maybe 8 or 10(??) years until something went wrong, butI don't remember exactly what that was (a leak perhaps?).

Oh, surely it wasn't a leak. Reading all about D&M designs here, I know they never, ever, EVER leak. Not even a drop.

LOL

 

[vacerator]

My folks

Kenmore 24 inch DM dishwasher from about 1972 was still working when they remodeled in the late 80's and my dad put in a new one by Whirlpool.

 

[launderess]

Kenmore full sized portables are sourced from different

Makers and thus the design would change. IIRC around the time Sears was selling these 18" units their 24" portables came from Whirlpool. As always the key with Sears/Kenmore is to look at the model number; the first three digits give the game away.

 

[vacerator]

Yes, the model Numbers

and Kenmore dishwashers by DM had left to right lever door latches. Those by Whirlpool back then had lift to unlatch mechanisms. Today, some still have the lift latch, and some are just push to close, and solenoid latched.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

More by DaveAMKrayoGuy on the Skinny D/W for small kitchens:

I think nowadays Frigidaire makes the 18" design...  Surely there was a Montgomery Ward model out there to compete w/ Sears...  And I remember seeing a Caloric, or two here that was a narrow D/W (and come to think of it, I'm wondering if that was what my friend's family had)...

 

 

-- Dave

 

[vacerator]

Caloric

dishwashers were DM's. also.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Remember The Wind In The Willows?

I had friends who spent a lot of time and even more money in their motor home. What they found worked well for their dishwashing needs was a Rubbermaid storage container that they stored underneath the sink then took out and filled with hot water from the sink faucet. They set it to the left of the sink and washed dishes in it then rinsed in the sink and put them in a drainer that collapsed to fit under the sink. They did not cook much, but it worked for them.

How do you heat water, how hot, what capacity is the heater and how quickly does it recover? These machines need all of the advantages you can offer and hot water is very important.

Have you considered the weight of the machine, how it will be distributed in the trailer and if it might affect balance/handling?

 

[launderess]

As stated previously

Timer will hold the main wash cycle until set temperature is reached. Well one assumes that is so because (again) when incoming water was very cool the thing would run for what seemed like ages in main wash until one heard the "click", indicating thermostat was satisfied, then timer would be released.

After such a long wash even if cool water for the first (and only) rinse is used things remain warm enough inside for non-heat drying. Especially if a good rinse agent is used and things left to sit for several hours. Of course there is the option of using heated dry.....

Wash water draining out of our old Kenmore 18" was hot to very. Know this because would often watch as the steamy water was discharged into sink. In fact during winter when the boilers where on for heat (and thus hot tap water is often >150F), am sure water was heated to near 170F or above.

In contrast the Mobile Maid can barely keep 140F water at that temp for the duration of a seemingly short wash cycle. Again know this from observing water drain. Between the puny heater and lack of tub insulation saying the main wash cycle on MM "heats" water is being rather generous. More like keeps it from turning ice cold.

 

[launderess]

IIRC IKEA sold a kit that allowed you to take a 18" Miele dishwasher and essentially make it portable. Something like a cabinet with wheels again IIRC.

Miele was one of the few (if not only) high end brand of dishwasher that came in an 18" footprint, but sadly only as a built in, not portable. Asko, and I believe AEG sold counter-top dishwashers that were American versions of those sold in Europe as well.

Needless to say the Miele 18" dw was and is streets ahead of the WCI made Frigidaire/Kenmore units.

 

[ilovewindex]

2 kenmore 18"s.. the ones i grew up with people stuffing in trailers

http://https//www.google.com/search?q=18%22+dishwasher&espv=2&biw=1517&bih=692&site=webhp&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwih3I2QzoPNAhUH4mMKHSNQBWgQ_AUIBygC&dpr=0.9#tbm=isch&q=18%22+d%26M+dishwasher&imgrc=0GiXOVa3WAdI4M%3A

 

[ilovewindex]

someone requested a caloric!

 

[ilovewindex]

18" Current Models:
Edgestar, SPT, Frigidaire, Kenmore/Kenmore Elite, GE, Danby, Bosch, Miele, Haier, SMEG, Summit, Avanti, Midea and Whirlpool

outside the Bosch and Miele, they ALL LOOK very similar...

Shop: Appliances, Tools, Clothing, Mattresses & More

Shop Sears for appliances, tools, clothing, mattresses & more. Great name brands like Kenmore, Craftsman Tools, Serta, Diehard and many others.

www.searsoutlet.com

 

[rpms]

I got the dishwasher to the trailer on the front seat of the car. No big deal fitting it in.
I got a cord and plug put on it. I tested it for leaks and it is bone dry.
A friend of mine was over and wanted to see how things were going. We got the generator hooked up on the deck and plugged in the dishwasher. It works and lights up.
I am having a small problem with it. All it wants to do is drain. It has quite a force to it too.
It is probably my fault because we were not allowing it enough time to advance.
I poured a bucket of water in till the float came up. As soon as i advanced the cycle and shut the door the dishwasher spit it right out. I am assuming it pumps out before starting a cycle?
Will the dishwasher suck in water with the copper pipe attached? The pipe was long enough to go down into a large pail of water.
I noticed a connection hole beside the drain hose. Could you attach a hose to the tap?
Should I just turn it on, let it pump and wait for a bit to let the timer advance if it was filling then add water?
I getting mocked quite badly in a gay campground for having a dishwasher in a trailer. I thought they would be all so understanding and envious?
C.L.R did an amazing job removing the rust.
I need help to shut those Queens up with the red,scaly hands.

 

[mattl]

Sounds like things are coming together on the project.  But the machine will not pump water in, that is based on line pressure.  All DWs simply have a valve that opens and closes, the house/system pressure causes it to flow into the machine, just as opening a faucet does with a sink.

 

[delaneymeegan]

 

 

 

In a gay campground WITH a  dishwasher ?  It sounds like heaven.  Those queens are just jealous.  Imagine that.

 

The hose needs to be up at least 24" off the ground, or the water will siphon out, at least on the older models.  Typically the motor spins one way for wash, then reverses to drain.  If you advance the dial too fast, the motor doesn't have time enough to stop and will continue spinning in the same direction.  

 

The first 18 inchers came out around 1978.  That's the first time Sears shows them in the catalog.

 

A friend's mother bought this model in coffee color and it had gold racks and door seal.  

 

Would like to see a picture of yours cleaned up.   Oh, and some pics of the park, and the queens that are harassing you.   lol.

 

[brucelucenta]

I remember that sears had these and the ones with two spray arms worked pretty well.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

First EIGHTEEN-INCHERS, 1978??!! Thought earlier...

Still can't remember the make of this narrow dishwasher & still the 1st of its kind I remember seeing, and in the 1973 to 1978, that my friend lived in my old neighborhood and I'd been going to his house regularly & seeing the same appliance set-up (and making quite a lot of dramatic changes, from the time he & his family moved out & another friend of mine moved in, then left, and another family or two had taken over (with the kitchen remodeled waaaayyyy above & beyond typical Kenosha Street in Oak Park, just to it one having burned down & be built-again) but I'm betting Caloric or at least a Roper like the Hi-Lo double-oven gas stove...

 

 

-- Dave

 

[launderess]

I am assuming it pumps out before starting a cycle?

Cannot recall exactly all but am sure the dw purges before all cycles.

Still have the original papers (owner's manual, parts list, Energy Star sticker, etc...) from Sears that came with my (now gone) machine so could look the information.

Yeah, am sort of a pack rat; anyone want to make something of it?

*LOL*

 

[delaneymeegan]

 

 

Yes, the one in the picture had two cute wash arms, just like the mid line 24 inchers.  So the bottom rack was full.  

 

I still remember loading my friends dw.  They had hard water which is never good for a dishwasher.  It got scaled quickly.  It was a portable and the hoses came out the back, not the top.  And they could easily get pinched because there was less space to move compared to the 24" models.  It also had little balancing feet that slid out the front about 10", on either side, when you opened the door.  I remember that because one of them would get stuck OUT, and you'd have to tap it and it would spring back in.  The rubber seal in the quick connect, with all the gunk from the hard water, quickly became worn and it would leak profusely.  They quickly gave up on using the dw (they weren't lucky with appliances). 

 

I picked up a mid 80s model, also from the curb, back in the mid 90s.  It was a built-in and it worked fine.  I still don't know why they got rid of it.  It had hard water scale as well.  It had the black background and chrome metal ends on the control panel.