The monster in the Kitchen(aid) hungers...

[redcarpetdrew]

It's late. You walk into the dark kitchen. Then you see it! Those glowing spots in the darkness. It means business! There MUST be a clensing! It demands an offering! But all you have are your dirty dishes! Will it be enough?!?

 

[redcarpetdrew]

Yup! Just the ticket... The clensing begins!

LOL! Sorry, I couldn't resist. A big thank you to Stevet for the part number and the rest of you for the Oohhss and Aaahhss. Not a bad job after all. Of course, there's always that hair up on the back of your neck moment when you run the first cycle... Not a drop. With the sound of MOVING water that promises death to all thinks not clean. I love the water heating! It sounds like a gigantic coffee pot perking away.

Here we are in our polished, detailed, shiney glory.

 

[redcarpetdrew]

The ritual glamor shot...

Now the great debate begins! Do I move my faithful Maytag MDB9150AWB with it's stainless inside and energy star auto clean cycle (plus it's quiet!) out and put this water using, not so quiet powerhouse in? The Maytag dries almost TOO well and this one may not do as well... Hmmmm... Input from the peanut gallery?

RCD

 

[bugsyjones]

I'd say that the KitchenAid is the only dishwasher to rightfully take that spot.

After the frustrations with newer dishwashers, I joined the KitchenAid bandwagon. I won't go back. Every dishwasher I have, from now on, will be older KitchenAids.

To me, energy efficiency is not important. Clean dishes are important. As long as you can open that door to clean dishes, it's water or electricity usage does not matter the slightest.

~Tim

 

[wigwag]

I think you should sell the Kitchen Aid to me...

Course thats just my opinion =)

 

[qsd-dan]

I say bring some seriously dirty dishes into work (maybe ask some employees to do the same) and see how well it stacks up against the Maytag. I'd be REALLY curious to see how this would pan out! Before and after pics are a must!!

 

[toploader55]

Hi Drew

I owned that same model. I bought it in 1981.
The machine cleans like as we call it "Hurricane in a Box". Very Powerful.
My only issue was the drying. It's OK. I got very good drying if you use the Heavy Wash.

Once I turned up my Water Heater to 160 to see how the machine would react. It just flew through the Water Heating Periods.

Soak and Scrub : Prewash with intermitten heating,then Prewash (with heating) again, Wash, Rinse, Main Wash, Rinse, Rinse (with heating) and Dry.

Heavy Wash : Real Fast Prewash, Prewash with heating, Wash, Rinse, Main Wash, Rinse,Rinse(with heating) and Dry.

Normal Wash : Prewash with heating, Wash, Rinse, Main Wash, Rinse, Rinse (with heating) Dry.

Fast Wash : Main Wash, Rinse, Rinse, Rapid Advance to Off.

Rinse and Hold : One Rinse, Rapid Advance to Off.

Cancel Drain : Drains and Rapid Advance to Off.

Sorry, Got caught up in the Cycle Sequence. What I was going to say before all that, I found the Best Drying was to use Soak and Scrub, or Heavy Wash. If you can really Pre Heat the Wash Chamber well, You have a decent shot at Drying. Now in 1981, we didn't have "Glad" plastic containers which for the most part are difficult to dry. Every so often (maybe 2 weeks) I use to lift off the Hydro Sweep and pull the filter. When they changed the design to that Black Plastic topped filter, I found that there would be a light scummy build up or film on the underside of the filter. It would not smell or mold, but I knew it was there, so I stayed on top of it.
I really think you'll enjoy this machine. Eddie

 

[re563]

WOW

I've always wondered what the cycle sequence of these 19 series was for each cycle. I had no idea that they did 3 washes. I take it you had to fill both compartments and close them and then fill the little area as well?

 

[toploader55]

Fill the little area as well ?

Yes.
On Soak and Scrub, That will be your detergent for the intermitten Wash and Water Heat periods on the first cycle.

On Heavy Wash, You can fill that area as well, for a Double Blast of Detergent. Heavy Wash is like a condensed version of Soak and Scrub in a way. As the machine fills and does the first pre Rinse everything gets a blast of detergent. When the machine moves to the first Prewash, The motor does not run during that period. It just fills and heats the water. So the detergent does it's job during the heating portion as there is some steam accumulating while the water heats.

 

[mickeyd]

Not used to fan drying.

Till the thread got developed, was gonna ask, don't those KA babies have fan drying? My friend's ancient KA Hobart portable has a fan, and the dishes come out dry,
but since I have no other experience with fan drying, maybe it IS weak and I just wouldn't know. Did KA change their fans?

Love the JACK-O-LANTERN first pic and Eddie's cycle sequences--that stuff just makes my day. Thank You, Gentlemen.

Mike

Hey, while I think of it, this kitchen has a 25 year-old built-in Tappan, spotless cleaning, adequate dying, except Gladware, of course :-> and no fan, but it would be cool to have one. The point, WHO MADE TAPPAN? Anybody know? Thank You!

 

[toploader55]

Hi Mike.

Yes, all KAs have forced air drying. The KDS 19 as far as I know was the only one utilized the heat from the dishes and the wash chamber to dry the contents. If you notice in the Wash Chamber back right cornor, the Air Vent for the forced air system is Plastic. All other KAs are Stainless to withstand the Heat. The Dry fan would pulse on and off intermittenly to dry the dishes. All the other models had a heated forced air dry and some later models you had the option to turn the heat off.

I don't know who made Tappen. I remember they had a Dishwasher that was called the Revera Jet. B+D maybe ???

 

[DADoES]

 
No-heat dry was added to the 17a series which would be mid 1970s. Our first dishwasher was a KDI-17a bought in 1975.

 

[Hometechdoc]

We had the 20 Series

My dad built a lot of high end houses when I was growing up and ww moved usually every three to four years (all within the same neighborhood). The house that they lived in the longest had the Suberpa 20 Seried. (I left for college the year they built the houws). The dishwasher was istalled in December 1981 and when they sold the house in 2007, the dishwashwer was still going strong.
The dishwasher was ran once a day and often twice on saturday or sunday and sometimes even more on holidays or for large friend and family gatherings. Never had a repair. It started having performance isssues around 2000 and we took out an inlet filter, which had clogged with sediment and rust and it immediatly resumed the steller performance. We did not pre-rinse and would add pots and pans to fill to capacity so it could be run after the evening meal. It was not guiet, however.
I would have to say one of the best dishwashers ever made. The daily was cycle was a heated wsad, wash, rinse, rinse, dry.

This house had a JennAire grill and we used it often and washed the grill components on the soak and scrub a combination of heated wash, soak, heated wash soak, and then proceeded into the heavy wash cysle and it did a great job.

 

[mickeyd]

Interesting

This house, remodeled in the early to mid 80's has the Jenn Air built-in electric stove and grill like yours. It'll cook anything.

Eddie & Glenn, I think I've got it. The model in question has no electric coil- heated dry, but an intermittent fanning of the dishes. With all that power, maybe they figured, hey, who needs more heat.? Intriguing that it's the only model made that way. The other models have heated dry AND fan, some models allowing a no heat selection. Mine has no fan, but heat or no heat.

Now i want a fan real bad ;'D.

Thank You

 

[DADoES]

 
Well, I should have clarified no-heat dry as an option in regards to the 17a series. The "Energy Saver" button. The KDI-17a of course also had the famous KA heated Flo-Thru drying.

Here's the KDI-17 without the Energy Saver button.

 

[DADoES]

 
Aha! KDI-17a. This one was in the house we moved into in 1981 .. but the same model KA that was installed in 1975 at the 1st house (except with stainless steel front panels).

 

[mickeyd]

Thanks, Glenn, wonderful scans and sayings!

I really like the stainless steel, the brushed chrome, and the deeply shaded avacado green. AND THE CLEAN COW, is it? ;=>

Do you know who made Tappan Dishwashers, circa 1985?

 

[jamiel]

Tappan have used D&M, Whirlpool and GE at various times. '85 was most likely GE (they had introduced the plastic-tub and were the most efficient/cheapest producer)

 

[mickeyd]

thanks, Jamie

her insides are indeed plastic and sorry I don't know D&M--new guy to diswasher heaven.