The Old Lady retires before she falls apart!

[stevet]

It was a sad day in Sudsville today! I was cleaning out the filter of my KDS-20 when I decided to check to see if the heated drying unit was working properly and getting hot. It seemed to not be putting much air out of the front of the machine and not very hot at all.
So I advanced the timer to the dry portion and bypassed the door switch and it was actually blowing lots of air and then it got hot. I just happenned to reach around the air duct to make sure all was well and I felt a dime sized piece of rust/corrosion which began to crumble.

Well, I did not hesitate a sdecond as to what to do next. I waited for my wife to get home and told her she had to take a trip to the appliance store and pick out a new dishwasher.

She said she didn't feel like going shopping and I told her the store was right out in the garage!

I let her pick among the WP DU590, the KDS18, the KDC21D, the KDS21-M and the Still new in the box KUDP02IRWH!
I even put an optional Kenmore rack in the WP so she would have a larger rack and the silverware basket in the rack and not the door!

Guess what machine she picked!
Well, it was the KDS21M which I did the deliming number on a few weeks ago.
So while she went out again, I pulled out the 20 and installed the 21.
Now this is the Whisperquiet model and while it is not exactly whipser quiet, it is remarkably quieter than any other KA I have ever had regardless of how much insulation I wrapped around it! I just installled it with the factory blanket but this unit also has a bituminous layer attached to the top, sides, back and bottom as well and a layer inside the door.
Once I put the kick panel with 3 inches of insulation and the bottom panel with its 4 inches of fiberglass glued to the back of it, it was one damned quiet machine. Ran a normla cycle with sani rinse and it did a great job. But would we expect anything less?
Pictures will be forthcoming. phonecam pics were lousy. Will take some tomorrow with the digital cam.

So now another box of spare parts and another complete door with wiring and timer etc to throw up in the attic.

The old machine was 25 years old and was in continuous daily use with us since 1989 doing its job as a KDS18 in a 20 tank. Just recently re-mated the 20 door and wiring back to the original tank to make it genuine.
The rust hadnt gotten all the way thru the duct but was showing signs of perforation. Also, the porcelain was gone completely from the underside of the rack tracks so it was becoming time to retire the tank.
Still ran great and maybe I will just put the 20 works into the 19 tank with the hot air blower already installed and leave it at that.
This machine was also the one which I installed the Hobart new style washarm, which did away with the 4 way Hydrosweep. Did a fantastic cleaning job. Never disappointed me in over 20 years!

 

[tlee618]

You have my condolences Steve! After 20 faithful years it must have been hard to see her go. On a happier note, I am so glad you had such a selection in your garage to choose from! Looking forward to seeing your pictures.
Terry

 

[stopmeister72]

Hobart style washarm

Hey Steve,
What all did you have to replace to put the new style washarm on? My WM5H has the hydrosweep but could stand to be replaced.
I have replaced the pump housing several times as it only had 4 bolts holding it together so after awhile, it would warp and loose water pressure to the spary arms. Now I have 4 other screws in it to help keep it from warmping. What kind of material did they make those out of? New, they would be shiny, smooth, and black, then after awhile, fibers would come off it. Would the pump housing for the SR24 fit on mine without much alteration? ml - 33997
Thanks,
John

 

[toploader55]

Hey Steve KitchenAid Virus

Isn't that strange ??? My KDS 18 craps out, I put the 20 in, and now your 20 craps out, and put in the 21 ? I'm interested in seeing pics of that wash arm again. My 20's HydroSweep seems to be "loose". Hope all is well. Eddie

 

[stevet]

Right on, John

Glad to find another person who knows what the SR24 looks like. The wash pump on the SR24 is the same exact one used on the WM5 Series. It looks different because it is the new style. You would have to replace the lower housing as well as the upper housing which actually holds the top portion in with 8 screws now. 4 still hold it to the bottom and go thru the top as well as 4 additional ones. I have used that arm for all these years and it still looks brand new. The only difference is that I dont have the grey plastic coarse strainer on mine since the sump heater would interfere with it. Also, I use the snap in coarse strainer on the KA and when I was at Hobart and the WM5's were the current machine, I had my techs install that snap in Blue coarse filter used on the domestic machines on all of our contract units. That sure saved a load of pumps from broken glass damage which always seemed to get down into the sump.

I will look for the pictures of the arm and post them again.
I am not 100% sure the service kits are still available but when they were, they were very expensive. You will be able to get them part by part, unless I decide to part with mine!

 

[stopmeister72]

I understand about the $$$$$

I called along time ago about getting stainless panels since mine is freestanding but used to be undercounter, and I couldn't believe how much they wanted for those puppys. It was a quick decision. I replaced the motor several years ago as the bearings were going out on mine, i replaced it with a kitchenaid motor made in Mexico to save money. I think is was going to be over $300 just for the motor. They really don't want to part with thier parts when they get down to just a few.
What really sucks is I had a WMC1 before that and the timer went out, called the local Hobart office and they searched around and the last one in the US had been sold about 3 months prior.
But, the WM5H should last me awhile. All the major parts have been replaced, pump, motor, timer, booster element, so not much else to bite the dust. Kinda funny story here - put the new timer on, seemed to fit beautifully, however there was nothing in the cycle sequence that was right. They had given me a timer with a different ml number. Supprised me how much difference that would make. Oh, and when I first got it, my Dad had to weld the split in back right corner of the booster heater. This particilar machine seemed like a lemon, it was always having to be worked on, but haven't had much problems with it at all since I brought it home many many years ago and don't want to depart with it.
What is funny, is that you find them on ebay and the people want about as much as and sometimes get this model that was purchased for $2195.00 originally. If I had to have another one, I would want a LX-40. So why did they stop making the different versions and went just with the LXI models? Can they be programed to wash longer or on a custom cycle? Also, do they still have an upper and lower rinse arm? Last time I looked at the parts manual, it didn't show an upper rinse arm. I would think it would be important to have one.
Cya,
John