The joys of electric dishwashing

[lavamat_jon]

Out with the old...

 

[lavamat_jon]

And in with the new..

 

[lavamat_jon]

And so my dishwasher quest has ended...

As some may know I've been considering buying a dishwasher for my new abode as I had just about got fed up of washing up by hand... I don't mind it, just never have time to do it. After learning about Miele's warehouse sale at their UK base in Abingdon, decided to make the journey down and see what they had to offer. Met Bristol Rich there, and had quite a lovely time - some of which involved Rich delivering a Miele dishwasher to another customer who had been stood in the queue behind us for as long as we had, after they discovered a dishwasher wouldn't fit in the back of their saloon car! I eventually decided to splash out on the TOL model, though not for a TOL price - the goods in the sale were mainly B grade, i.e. brand new albeit with minor defects. The model I bought did have a little dent in it... on the BACK of the unit, which was otherwise in brand new and top condition - saved a few hundred under retail price!

The model I went for was the Miele G5500SC... originally was going to go for a Siemens, however this was in the same price range as the Miele G5100 could be had at the sale - but seeming as the G5500 was only £50 more thought I'd splash out and get the high spec model for not that much more.

Here's the mugshot - excuse the poor quality, just shot them quickly on the iPhone and forgot to use the HDR function

 

[lavamat_jon]

Control panel & LC display

 

[lavamat_jon]

Internal view

 

[lavamat_jon]

Bottom basket..

I *LOVE* the basket layout... so flexible, can fit loads in... Quite an interesting layout, sideways tines at the front, but at the back is a vario rack that spans the entire width of the basket... can fit in 3 plates across, spikes along the edge so you can slot pans/baking trays down the sides, ridges to hold pans up, even holders for wine glasses. The front tines collapse too which give you a completely flat basket, if you so desired.

 

[retropia]

Looks nice! These are supposed to be whisper-quiet, correct? That will allow for intimate kitchen conversations and clean dishes at the same time.

 

[lavamat_jon]

Top basket, pretty much the same as my mum's dishwasher, except the spikes fold down, and theres also a glass support rail

 

[lavamat_jon]

3D Cutlery Tray

Again different to previous generations. What I really didn't like about mum's dishwasher (the only bug I had about it) was that the one-piece cutlery tray meant that putting in tall wine glasses in the top was a pain in the arsed. Whilst on the previous generation, you could get a split cutlery tray and take 1/3 out - the new generation takes the concept further. Instead of 2 seperate portions - 1/3 and 2/3, the cutlery tray is able to slide either to one side, both to the centre, or to fully to the other side. The centre portion can also be lowered so that you can now wash utensils such as ladles and whisks in the cutlery tray, which were too big for it before. Also, if you have the centre portion in the lower position, you can still load utensils in the centre portion whilst the two sides slide over the top.

 

[lavamat_jon]

Compared with the cutlery tray on mum's

 

[lavamat_jon]

Programme progress

While a programme is in progress, the display tells you how long is left and also tells you which stage the progamme is at. This is on the pre-wash...

 

[lavamat_jon]

Main wash

 

[lavamat_jon]

A polite reminder, if you put in that forgotten spoon and have to open the door whilst it is running

 

[lavamat_jon]

Interim rinse

 

[lavamat_jon]

Final rinse

 

[lavamat_jon]

Turbothermic drying

 

[lavamat_jon]

Programme finished, let's see the results of the maiden load..

 

[lavamat_jon]

Almost spot on... just need to adjust the rinse aid dosage a bit for the plastic but otherwise everything spic and span .

Hope you enjoyed the pics

 

[lavamat_jon]

retropia

YEs, they are whisper quiet indeed, as a lot of high end machines here now. Noise level of 44dB... certianly can't hear it if your more than a couple of metres away, and when you can hear it it's just a little swooshing.

Jon

 

[appnut]

Congratulations Jonathan!! Very nice machine. I really like the LC display, informative and very easy to read.

 

[chestermikeuk]

Miele... Immer Besser...

Great stuff Jon, fits a dream and I bet you are the most popular guy in the house now its "Dishwash Electric" ...and are they all offering to do the dishes now...

Whats the programme sequence for the intensive lower basket??

The cutlery tray is a big improvement..I personally never liked the tray design, just for the fact of losing the height for tall glasses etc and the faff of loading each piece individually...I`d lose the will to live if I had to do that cooking for 12 regularly!!!

Finish...theres a surprise I like..!! I heard your fave was "Almat 20 in 1"...oops

Enjoy, Mike

p.s. just txted Rich to see how many lorries he needed...LOl

 

[foraloysius]

YAY for electric dishwashing. That is a very nice dishwasher! I haven't seen the new Miele models overhere in the stores yes, but then again I haven't been looking for a while. I'd better get to it. LOL

 

[vacbear58]

Well done Jon

here's to many many years of happy dishwashing for you. Do you think you will be posting in 25 or 30 years about your vintage Miele dishwasher? LOL

Still, it looks brilliant and I love the display. Wish I had known about the Miele sale. Its not that I actually NEED any new appliances but whats that got to do with anything!

Al

 

[vacbear58]

And actually ...

You are the same age now as I was when I got my first dishwasher, although I am now on my 5th in 30 years. That said number 3 (Indesit - cheap but good) was passed on to friends when I re-did my kitchen and I did not like number 4 (Smeg 45cm) so i ditched that (included in sale) when I last moved. Actually my Miele (current dishwasher) is coming up to its 8th birthday so has lasted longer than any other I have had. To have a Miele was always an ambition for me, it looks like you are starting out with the best.

Al

 

[brisnat81]

Hi Jon,

It's a great looking machine, they've just been released over here, but I cant convince Michael that we need to replace the G2220

I dont use rinse and hold very often, but I wonder why they've removed it as an option?

The new cutlery rack looks interesting, I guess they've had to start competing with the depth that the bosch tray gives. With the XXL tub in ours everything fits perfectly even with the old style cutlery tray, it's only the G1XXX series that nothing fits in the top rack properly. There must be a phenominal amount of room in the G5xxx series with the XXL tub.

 

[electron1100]

Saving Time

Hello Jon

i think you have saved your self a lot of time and messing about buying a top range machine.

No nagging doubts about reliability or performance well done, I bet Rich was tempted

 

[lavamat_jon]

Cheers for the responses... not had chance to "Bobload" it yet Bob but will snap a pic as and when I do .

Mike - one thing I have to say, even if I did endorse Almat 20 in 1 with built in extra double sunshine protector power, it's still a level above your favourite Tesco Value washing powder ;-). It's actually unbelievable how tidy the kitchen has kept today - because its quite a small space the accumulation of pots waiting to be washed as well as drying on the drainer really cluttered it up. That and I finally managed to get the blasted grill pan clean which I had Fairy Power Sprayed and Brillo'd to death without avail before I had the dishwasher.

The Intensive lower basket is Miele's equivalent of the Intensive Zone on Siemens dishwashers - it basically uses the alternating spray system and blasts the lower basket on its own for about an extra 15 minutes (I think that's how long it adds to the cycle). There's also quite a few programmable functions - similar to the washing machines - through a seperate menu - as well as the usual adjusting salt/rinse aid/standby modes etc, you can select a pre wash, a pre soak, and longer drying options - there's a couple more but I can't remember them right now. Also has a turbo function, same as the varioSpeed on the Siemens you used to have, uses more water/electricity but delivers the same results in a quicker time.

Al - hopefully I'll still have it in 25 years time, though I'd have probably got bored by then lol. The plan was to start out with a cheapie believe it or not... eventually settled on getting a Siemens, and ended up with Miele lol. Still, it matches the washer quite nicely. My auntie used to have your dishwasher, the G646SC - got rid of it because it didn't dry properly, and was complaining because the one she bought to replace it (the G1220SC) didnt dry properly either... turned out she wasn't using rinse aid! But it was using her G646 about 10 years ago now that started my love affair with Miele (probably more expensive than having an actual affair lol). Rich had to restrain me in the sale from also buying a heat pump dryer, I almost got a bit too carried away hehe.

Nathan - I think you need to work on Michael, I'm sure either yours or his parents would be interested in the G2220 . The rinse hold option is still there but is now hidden - Light soiling 50*C has replaced it's place on the programme selector (which is a nice, medium programme to have), and instead to get to the rinse hold you select Quick wash and press the Turbo extra. Can fit a lot more in this model with the new lower basket arrangement and the cutlery tray - in fact I will probably keep the tray slid halfway across as we probably won't often fill it. I have the same glass set as mum, which are a bugger in her dishwasher, but will probably fit in this a dream.

Gary - hope your doing well, as I said above didn't mean to buy the top end model (didnt even mean to buy Miele), but looks like I accidentally did hehe. Still, it does match the washer lovely . Now I have all my everyday modern stuff sorted can redirect my search onto the vintage! Rich did almost end up with an old year old Zanussi dishwasher off another couple who were buying a dishwasher, I think Emerson's words echoing in his head convinced him otherwise!

Cheers,

Jon

 

[rolls_rapide]

Nice machine.

And that is what I need: a proper, intensive zone, 15-minute power blaster!

Sometimes, the casserole oven dish is not entirely clean in my somewhat middle-aged Bosch, so it gets put in for the next day's load. Bloody nuisance, to say the least.

May your machine cut through many Bobloads!

 

[DysonAnimal]

Jon! Enough of this Miele-talk, this is all advertising!!

Haha, congrats on your purchase, I'm sure you'll appreciate decades of great service

 

[petek]

Really nice. Can't wait till the day comes to get another new Miele. Best dw we ever owned. Question.. our old one had the Turbothermic dry and there was a small rectangular vent on the front left panel where the moist air was expelled.. where does the air come out go on your new model?