Speaking of out of control collecting....

[william637]

I just posted a follow-up to the acquisition of a brand new reverse rack jenn-air in the shoppers square form, but quickly realized there are some other acquisitions that I also owe some thanks for.

First up...the O'Keefe and Merritt (rebadged Tappan reversa-jet) dishwasher that is surprisingly minty. A big thanks to John for this. He and a good friend (with a very good back) met me just north of Nashville for a very quick swap a few weeks ago. Bonus point for the trip...I went by the cracker barrel head quarters (it's half store, half restaurant, and all country!). Yes, I am part of that low-rent group that thinks cracker barrel is the end-all be-all of restaurants. For those of you who don't know, it started in Lebanon Tennessee (just East of Nashville), so there was no way I was going to be that close and not stop by the promised Land. Actually, the promised land is Dollywood, but that is another thread. (Did I mention that I am low rent with delusions of mediocrity?)

Anyway, he picked up the dishwasher for me in Kansas City and scurried over to Nashville whilst I stopped in Charlotte and picked up a coppertone Lady K set from Gordon. Easily the heaviest washer I have ever encountered. I was very glad when I met John in that Wal-Mart parking lot and saw his friend (did I mention he had a better back than me?). We did a quick search and then we were on our separate ways back home.

This machine is great. I'll touch up just a few nicks on the racks and on the plastisol interior. Bonus....this machine came with the manuals. The couple that owned this kept up with it meticulously through the years.

 

[william637]

And how is it that I keep getting new machines with Martin?

Martin was also helpful in acquiring another brand new machine about a year ago. This next to top of line Kenmore Ultrawash from the late 80's was in Connecticut. It had been installed but never connected to the utilities and never used. Apparently a fairly wealthy lady had hoarder tendencies (sound familiar?) And bought a house
..get this...just to be able to purchase and store crap that she didn't want her husband to know about. Thank God I don't have money or this could be me! The person that bought the house was gutting it for a remodel. She was so impressed that I drove up from NC that she refused payment for this machine when I got up there.

Once again though, Martin was there the whole way. He offered me moderately priced accommodations on the way up and the way back (that would be free). He even rode with me from New Jersey to Connecticut and back. Despite a near miss accident on some side streets on the outskirts of NYC (the roadways are littered with old whores that are bound and determined to make driving a pain) the trip had an unexpected bonus. We took a quick break on the way to Connecticut and were cruised by a hot daddy. And I don't mean somebody just looked at us with "come hither" eyes. I mean this guy felt the need to catch up with us in the parking lot just before we got in the truck and strike up a conversation. I felt 20 years old and pretty again. It is entirely possible that for a split second I contemplated making a bad decision...did I mention he was cute?, lol. But, his efforts were in vain. It turns out that the thought of my great husband and an overwhelming desire to avoid an arrest record is world's greatest c@#$-block. Well, that and the combined unfailing moral compass that Martin and I possess . So we were on our way in a few minutes with our virtue still in tact and completely satisfied with the notion that someone found us attractive.

Anyway, here are the pictures of the machine. I love the "k" embossed on the styrofoam rack guard. I bet Whirlpool rolled their eyes at having to accommodate that narcissistic corporate bullcrap for Sears.

 

[appnut]

Mark!!!  Wow.  First for the O&M.  I'm assuming the rack in #5 is the top rack?  Collapsable tines o the left side of the pic?  I'm curious as to why the front has that unusual shap (indention) rather than straight across.  I'm assuming that big rectangular thing on the bottom right of the tub with the big handle is a filter.  Those are the strangest looking spray arms I've ever seen although they do kind of remind me of the big wide wand shaped arms of current Maytags.  I'm also looking forward to finding out what the cycloe sequence is for each of those cycle buttons. 

 

Now for the Kenmore.  When we all got transferred up here, that included a mechanical/electronic engineer.  He was amazing.  He designed and pretty much built their own 3 story house.  (He'd restored a Studebaker Avanti he'd found out in a pasture).  They selected this dishwasher, along with corresponding rest of the Kenmore kitchen.  (In fact, he had their recent avocado Kenmore pair repainted in monochrome/black glass look to match the rest of the appliances).  Anyway, he was complaining to me that the dishwasher took 4-6 hours to complete a cycle.  Options were water heat and hot rinse.  I knew that wasn't right.   So I went over (just so I could see the house too) to check out the dishwasher (my appliance obsession/expertise was just beginning to be public knowledge).  Everythihng sounded normal.  I had him connect an ohm/volt meter to various components while it was running.  What we unearthed was the heating element was only "on" when the dishwasher was filling with water.  He figured out the only way the water was being heated was through the heat of the motor.  Hence the 4-6 hour cycle.  He traced relevant wiring and discovered a wire or two were connected backward.  Once he connected the wires appropriately, the machine performed, ran in expected reasonable times with the same said options.  He was glad he'd complained to me about the cycle lengths and I helped him think it all through.  I cannot remember my own personal timeline during this period.  I cannot remember if I'd gotten the GSD1200 before or after this incident.  If it was after this discovery, then it influenced me getting the GSD1200 rather than this model.  Friends in suburban NW Houston had this same dishwasher in their new house.  And I loved the rapid-advance timer--common element between the GE and Kenmore.  But I was a bit putoff that WP had messed up the wiring in production. 

 

P.S.  Mark, I've seen photos of you from the wash-ins you've attended.  You're still gorgeous!!!

 

[yogitunes]

if you can imagine Mark singing....."I feel pretty, oh so pretty!".....lol

Mark is all too much fun to hang with and go on excursions.....appliance bound to boot....its all part of the adventure!

these are some impressive machines.....as well as that Revers-A-Rack.....

 

[peteski50]

collection!

these are such awesome machines to have in collection! Best of Luck with them! I know the Kenmore is a real powerhouse! the tapomerrit looks real awesome but were they good performers?

 

[william637]

Don't know much about the okeefe and merrit

We will have to see what it is like when I finally hook it up.

And yes, those are fold down tines. Looks like it would be a breeze to load all sorts of different things.

And finally, thanks for the compliment. I assure you the dim light of a basement plus the small size of thumbnail pictures does wonders for my looks. But again, I am blushing with the compliment (actually serious about the blushing part....I am such a damn goober).

 

[moparwash]

Nothing like reading a great 'Thelma and Louise' story about our appliance hunting antics! That's what makes this all such fun when we get together!

 

[Unimatic1140]

Wow that O&M dishwasher is a very cool rare find, congratulations Mark!!!

 

[yogitunes]

MARK?????

and were going to unleash the new avatar when?.......you think he was handsome before, just wait!

 

[appnut]

Oh crap!!  Glad I'm not a cardiac patient!!!!!  Swoon!!!  I wonder if he blushes from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet all en total!!!

 

[potatochips]

Great share, Mark! That O&M machine is very neat, looks really industrial on the inside.

Im jealous of that Kenmore though!

 

[turquoisedude]

Wow!  That O'Keefe and Merit is very, very cool.  Any dishwasher with a night light on the panel gets my vote... LOL

 

Congrats on both machines!! 

 

[gansky1]

Great dishwasher odyssey story and pictures. That O&M was so enticing, nearly made the drive down to KC for that one. Very rare indeed, I've seen very few O&M of any kind around the midwest and a dishwasher has to take the Rare Bird award for sure. Enjoy this d/w and keep us posted on it's cleaning prowess.

 

[chachp]

Our neighbor had the Tappan version

 

<span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;">...of this dishwasher and I can remember as a kid she used the light as a night light in the kitchen.  When I used to sleep over I can remember that glow coming out of the kitchen.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;">I don't think theirs had as many buttons but it was so long ago I honestly don't remember.</span>

 

[oldskool]

Mark - Thanks so much for bringing the Kenmore set from NC. It was great meeting you. You have my agreement regarding the weight of the Kenmore washer. It would have been nice to hang out and share, just too much going on. Congratulations on your new dishwashers. The O & M is a rare treat. Wish I'd gone to Cracker Barrell too. We went across the street from Walmart to Shoney's which used to be my favorite place in all the world. Now I see why they're closing down everywhere - it was really bad.

Gordon is the best for keeping the Kenmores since purchased which was long ago!

And yes, Stephen's back is appreciated much. He's the coolest! Always willing to ride along on voyages to acquire machines - never complains, strong as a Missouri mule, and a great conversationalist & listening ear.

John