The 3 R's

[gadgetgary]

Rusted Rack Rails

Can anything be done for this? Just the side rails are rusted. The rest of the rack is in perfect condition.
I have that brush on coating, but, I think these are too far gone for that treatment.

Suggestions?

 

[gadgetgary]

Anything besides an Ebay purchase?

Beyond finding a replacement on Ebay, can this rack be saved?

 

[nmaineman36]

Oh wow my Kitchenaid upper rack is doing the same thing in the same spots as this rack. And I think that these are the Nylon coated racks as well. I dont know if anything can be done for it. If it doesnt effect the washing or the dishes as in my case I let it be. But I do know eventually I will have to replace the rack or get some rack touch up stuff. Plus I dont want to have to pay more than 100 bucks for a dishwasher rack that I only paid 50 bucks for the dishwasher itself on ebay.
My 3 cents.

 

[coldspot66]

Gary,
I have a used rack in pretty good shape...I'll get a pic, if you want.

 

[rp2813]

I must be blind. I'm not seeing the rust. But I'm going to check my KA's upper rack when I get home today!

 

[gadgetgary]

The side rails

Rusted

 

[rp2813]

Oh wow, yeah, now I see what you mean. I'm sure my rack isn't doing that yet. I would have definitely noticed. Thanks for the close-up.

 

[gansky1]

I've seen lots of these do that - the vinyl coating gets hairline cracks in it, or is nicked and pierced by utensils, etc. and water gets in and starts to rust the bar under the vinyl. I would recommend replacing it as the rust will cause a reaction with other metals in the dishwasher - specifically flatware, and you'll start to see small rusty spots on them. There are lots of those racks around, still in good condition so it shouldn't be too hard to find spares for reasonable prices. The drying heater inlet under the lower rack also caused problems by degrading the vinyl coating. I usually try to catch the machine before the dry cycle if it doesn't have the energy saver switch to try to preserve the original racks as long as possible. It's a pity too, were it not for the racks rusting, many a beautiful KitchenAid dishwasher would still be in use.

 

[jons1077]

oh my!

Of all people to let their appliances go...it had to be GadgetGary. I'm so ashamed... (bows head for a moment of silence) ***big grin*** (ducks and runs)

 

[gadgetgary]

I'm so ashamed...

Jon,

You are too funny.
Actually, I had a NIB rack from Ebay and it is in my Superba. Just wondered if I could save that rack.

Guess you and I are collecting some great vintage appliances lately....

Thanks for the dig(LOL)....

-GadgetSwitch

 

[whirlcool]

You might try this:

Remove rack from DW.

Use a drill with either a wire wheel or a Dremel with a wire wheel attachment and remove the rust from the rack.

Prime and paint over with an epoxy type paint.

Should be almost as good as new again.

 

[passatdoc]

repair kit

I have a repair kit for dishwasher racks that I bought by mail order. My Bosch rack damage was much more minor....just nicked off the top of a tine (upright support) on the lower rack, exposing it to water and potential rust. The repair kit has end caps to protect exposed ends. There is also a paint bottle to paint over repaired surfaces, though in my case I just stuck on the end cap and it stayed put with no rust beneath it.

 

[tomturbomatic]

The rack rails in both of my 18s are still in great shape, but the 21 and 22 series had a real problem with this rail failure. Almost every one of these we found during our midnight appliance surveying and snatching missions had this failure and this was in machines 3 to 5 years old. Not everyone was using them wrong. I have long suspected that it was more than a problem with the preparation of the metal before the vinyl was applied. I believe that a major factor was the alkalinity left behind from the dishwasher only having one rinse. The rust does not start on the sides, but on the top edge where the alkaline solution has the slightest surface on which to sit and dry. The vinyl on the rail is thinner than on any other place on the racks and it's not like items were being loaded onto this surface to abrade it like with the rack surfaces. Once the top of the vinyl was breached, the water got in and was held between the metal and the vinyl speeding up the attack on both. It was a rotten thing to have happen in such expensive machines and the manufacturer did not help people with the situation.

 

[rp2813]

I took a closer look at my machine and can only find a tiny spot of rust right where one of the white plastic studs meets the rail. I'll keep an eye on it, but other than that my rails look good.