Removing a late 50's KitchenAid KD-12 Dishwasher

[greyh]

Hi all, this is my first post here.

I'm looking to buy a late 50's KitchenAid KD-12 dishwasher I found on Facebook Marketplace, I'll be picking it up this Thursday. The machine is still installed in the person's kitchen though, and I'm wondering if there's anything special I need to know when uninstalling it, or if the process will be self-evident when I get there. I have no idea if it will be installed similarly to modern dishwashers, if these really old ones were usually hardwired or plugged in, etc.

The machine's condition is unknown and it can't be tested (I think the seller is flipping the house), but cosmetically it seems to be very nice so I'm hopeful. The amount of dirt sitting in the bottom of the tub seems odd to me, but I don't see hardly any signs of use or wear. Not even staining on the enamel or chips on the front paint.

 

[steved]

Uninstall

There might be a service manual on this site for this model. You could possibly have a gravity drain, with an 1 1/2” drain pipe through the floor. You could check under the sink for a drain hose which would be easier. The U shaped front panel comes off fairly easy but be sure to take the timer dial off first. I think it’s only the screw in the center holding it on. EDIT: both the service manual and parts list are there. I’d get the parts list so you can see the breakdown of the unit. I might have a copy of the installation instructions somewhere

 

[jeb]

I think these are wider than modern dishwashers so measure first if you are going to install in an existing opening.

 

[steved]

standard 24"

KitchenAid dishwashers were always 24". You may be thinking of early Hotpoint models that were 27" wide

 

[steved]

Sorry

Couldn't find a copy of the installation instructions but here's a pic of how to remove the front panel.

 

[greyh]

Thanks!

SteveD I appreciate you digging that up, if I'm able to get the front trim panel off that will at least be a start to seeing how the machine is mounted in the cabinet.

Jeb, thanks for the warning. I think this machine is 24", but it won't matter too much either way because I'll be building a custom cabinet around it.

 

[sprog]

It's a KD-11

For what it's worth, the image is showing a KD-11 (I have one). KD-12s have a chrome escutcheon surrounding the timer dial. That said, the machine looks to be in great shape!
These are heavy. Bring a dolly or a strong friend (or both).
If it's not too far away, I would pre-inspect the plumbing. Believe it or not, my house did not have a convenient shut-off under the sink when first purchased. That way you can see what is needed for shutting off the water (e.g. a 3/8 water valve cap). There's a good chance this model uses a gravity drain... so you need to be ready for that (unless you have a coveted pump version: rare). A voltage tester and wire nuts would be important. If they care about the floor, you'll need a moving blanket for sliding the unit out.
Best of luck with the removal.

 

[greyh]

Oh really,

Interesting. I was trying to guess the model based on the photo but I've only been learning about vintage dishwashers for about four days now, I didn't realize the KD-11 existed. Are there any differences in maintainability and reliability between the KD-11 and KD-12? My little research tells me they have some mechanical differences but I don't know if any of the differences would make one substantially worse than the other. My plan is to refresh it and make it our primary (and only) dishwasher next to our 1936 GE fridge.

The house it's coming from is going to be significantly remodeled, and the water to the house is shut off which is why I can't check if the machine works. I also live an hour away and the owner can only show up when we meet this Thursday, so I can't take a look at it before I get there to take it out. He's selling practically every vintage appliance and fixture from the house, the kitchen range and hood, bathroom sinks and tubs, utility sink, etc.

My own house doesn't have any existing plumbing for a dishwasher, but it's easy to access the kitchen's plumbing from the unfinished basement so changing the configuration of things won't be an enormous hassle. I'm assuming a gravity drain has to go straight down through the floor below the dishwasher?

 

[sprog]

check out thread 45806

Hi Grey,
I entered a thread to check out in the subject line. There are a few images of a gravity drain setup. My KD-11 is currently waiting for attention (full restoration and adding a drain pump, which has already been done on this site). Good luck!
Sincerely,
Chris a.k.a. Sprog

 

[greyh]

Thanks for the thread number!

I'll keep all of you updated on what happens when I go to get it tomorrow. Fingers crossed that its in as good of shape as it looks in photos!

 

[greyh]

Got it home!

It fought a bit, but I successfully got the dishwasher out without damage. It's waiting in my Dad's garage now while my wife and I get our kitchen ready, we'll need to plumb and wire the kitchen for it.

Before I pulled it out of the original house I was able to start it and quickly run it through its cycles, and even though the water was shut off it seemed to work well. The pump and fan motors sounded healthy, I could hear the solenoids clunk open and shut, and the heating element worked. I won't know if it leaks until I'm able to hook it up to water. Cosmetically its in great shape, with almost no rust down in the sump, the screens are dirty but that's it. Outside there's no rust or pitting anywhere at all, just some dirt and grime.

The only potential issue I've found so far is a few spots on the racks where the coating has broken and the wire is exposed underneath. I may see if I could have someone like this place re-coat the racks: http://www.rackpowdercoating.com/vinyl/

Like I said, the guy flipping the house is selling all of the other vintage appliances and fixtures too, including the mint looking GE stove I put at the end of the slideshow. I'll include the Facebook Marketplace link.

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[appnut]

An early P7 self-clean oven range.

 

[combo52]

Kitchenaid KD-11 DW

Yay glad you got it out without too much trouble, is it a gravity drain or pump drain model ?

 

You can touch-up the bad spots on the racks with 3M marine sealant, you can even tint it to match, I have never heard of anyone successfully having racks recoated and I don't think powder coating would work well over rusted steel in a DW environment.

 

John L.

 

[greyh]

Some things I forgot

It's a gravity drain model, which I'm fine with for maintenance reasons. Less to fix in the future.

I emailed that company that advertises dishwasher rack recoating asking for an estimate to media blast and recoat the racks, I'll report back when I get a number.

I realized I forgot to ask about two other issues I noticed with the dishwasher:
Is the door seal available anywhere? I tried searching the KitchenAid part number but couldn't find anything, I don't know if there is an equivalent Hobart part number. The seal on the machine is quite hard.

Also, I noticed when I half-tested it that to get the machine to start the start elver had to be pressed, then the timer had to be advanced slightly to get the light to illuminate and for the cycle to start. I'll dig into it at some point to figure out why, just curious if this is something anyone else has encountered before.