The one that DID NOT get away!

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stevet

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Joined
Jun 3, 2007
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2,138
Location
West Melbourne, FL
I need to seek professional advise and counseling. I just cannot pass a decent Kitchenaid machine at the curb and leave it there!

Was passing my usual hunting ground in Orange City, FL today and came across this unit. (see pics to follow) Went inside and asked permission to take the machine and the guy said okay.
It is a KDC-21 Original Hobart Vintage with the water heat light, actually built on the 114th day of 1984..even the heated dryer unit is date stamped March 20, 1984.
Three Cycles..Rinse/Hold, normal,and light/china..missing the pots and pans but seems to have the same space on the dial as the other KDC I have with the pot/pan cycle. Will test it and see.
Looks in perfect condition except for the panels. Top on has small dent but I have spares.
Will install the Jet Dry dispenser and the flex-o-divider top rack. This one has the non adjustable top rack and NO China Guard!
The Porcelain is so shiny and looks like it was just hanging around, there were dust balls in the bottom of the tank!
I will fill it and run it in the next day or so.And let you know what happens!
Now Seriously, if anyone is interested in it or any of the other units I have, I will entertain any and all offers! I really cant keep all these machines in my garage!

1-15-2008-21-13-43--stevet.jpg
 
pic 5

last of this KDC! Check the Jet Dry basket.. this unit doesnt have the built in dispenser which I will install but it does have the dual detergent dispenser which my other Custom 21 doesn't have.

1-15-2008-21-40-29--stevet.jpg
 
the other custom 21!

here is the front of the other Custom 21 I have..with all the buttons but no heat light! But a really sleek looking control panel in like new condition like the rest of the unit!

1-15-2008-21-43-32--stevet.jpg
 
KDC21

Steve,
Real nice unit. I am surprised their is no china gaurd under the upper rack. I thought all models from that time had the china guard. Did the 21 series use the same amount of water changes as the 20 series?
Peter
 
Maybe the china guard has been removed?

It's odd to see a Custom with a sump heater. One button is no-heat dry, what's the other? Didn't the Custom series traditionally have only Normal and Rinse/Hold cycles, with Soak or Pots/Pans an added feature on the Imperial? I imagine Rinse/Hold is a separate sequence on the timer due to the assured water heating, which wouldn't be done on Rinse/Hold.

Your "other Custom 21" pictured, what's the story on the 21 series having different feature sets for the same labeled-model?
 
I could never understand...

Why KitchenAid never designed any sort of top wash arm or spray device. I know in the mid 80's they designed the "Constant Rinse", I had a KDS 21 ? TOL I bought in 1981. The machine cleaned beautifully except when you had the machine Jammed Packed there would be food particals on the glasses and coffee mugs in the upper rack. Of course I think the following year they started to use the Constant Rinse.
Nice Machine Steve.
 
~I need to seek professional advise and counseling. I just cannot pass a decent.......machine at the curb and leave it there!

There, there. Don't be too hard on yourself.
(That is what other people are for......ducks and runs!)

I think just about ALL here have this affliction!

It IS a nice one though!
 
That's wierd.

My KitchenAid I bought brand new in 1981 was the Superba Series. it was the Energy Saver IV machine. It did not have the Constant Rinse over head spray. I'm pretty sure it came out 1-2 years later. I remember distinctly as I was so "upset" that it came out a year or so later. I liked the machine, but as I said if it was jammed packed there would be food particals on the top of the glasses and coffee mugs.
 
You missed out, Toploader!

The machine you had "Energy Saver IV" was the KDS19 which as you well know, did away with the top rinse sprayer. When you think of it, it was a rather anemic little jobber. The original design was always being broken off whether it was a 16, 17 or 18 series. They redesigned the 18 replacement and that design has made its way into the whirlpool and some kitchen aid units of more recent vintage. They now seemed to have returned to the older design like the 16/17 sprayers, albeit, a bit heavier duty.(see picture for the newer style 18 series sprayer)

Now here is the Kicker!
I just checked the 21 machine pictured above as well as well as the 18 machine in a 20 tank machine I have in the kitchen...
the upper part of the manifold that supplies the water toi the upper washarm has a slit cut into it and water is diverted into that area and would spray out over the tops of the dishes when the pump is running. I would hjave to take it out of the machine to photgraph and highlight it to show how it would work, but it does! I never have a problem in the 18 with particles on the tops of the cups and glasses and I rarely scrape or prerinse my dishes so well that there is nothing to wash off. I checked to see if I had any more of them laying around to offer to you but I apparently don't.

1-16-2008-20-43-16--stevet.jpg
 
Oddball Units??

Peter, the china guard was not included on the following units per the specs in the KD21 original service manual..KDA-21,KDB-21B,KDC-21,KDB-21B.

The fancier 21 with all the buttons I pictured was a later style machine made after the sale to whirlpool and doesn't say anytwhere on the machine "Hobart."

The 2 buttons on the one above, DADoes are a "Start" button and the energy saver dry. Per the manual, you had to advance the timer to the cycle and press start on this one, on the other one with the buttons, you could select yur cycle and the timer would slowly advance to the start position of the selected cycle and run thru it without user intervention.
The later one also had the big loop element in the tank bottom and only the Superba had the regular sump heater we are most familiar with.

I will have to hook this one up and see if it fills and stops to heat like the 19 and 20's or just interrupts the timer from advancing. This is the first of this vintage that I have had.
 

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