Waste King will Make You a Queen in Your Kitchen

[gansky1]

I saw a golden treasure in one of the estate sales posted at estatesales.net, so I stopped by on my way downtown Friday mid-day. Still there, $25 and looked very low-use so plunked my money down and picked it up today after a fun family filled weekend. Here she is, a 1972 Waste King Universal.

 

[gansky1]

Money shot 1

 

[gansky1]

Even had the original manual inside.

Dry as a bone, the screen on the water valve was plugged tight and the hose washer was crumbling. Quick 2-tool fix and it ran through the Full Cycle (normal) wash perfectly.

A neighbor had this same portable when I was growing up, but I never saw it running. I picked one up behind lowes once but it was rode hard and the tank seams were rusted through so I threw that one back. I'll give it a run for a while and report back later, with post-detailing pics. I have to admit I can already see some quirks that live up to the brand's "Machine of Ill Repute" moniker. The first thing I noticed was there is no way to cancel a cycle. The timer must run it's 60 minute sequence back to off before another cycle can be started. The indicator dial is just an indicator behind a plastic window, no touching-no turning.

 

[gansky1]

As found in native habitat.

No, I didn't bring home the Electromatic percolator. Or the mixer. I have too many already,
Must be strong!

 

[gansky1]

First page of manual. Isn't she adorable with that verse?

 

[bigalsf]

SS 911

Great find!! WasteKing's were definitely unique machines; I gave my sister this same machine back in 1988 when we were both living in San Francisco; she needed a portable dishwasher and this one fit the bill. She loved it!

You're very lucky; the "small items" covers for the silverware basket are still with the machine! Usually they are missing.

Have fun with it! Here are some pics of a WasteKing I picked up a few months ago

 

[bigalsf]

Pic #2

 

[bigalsf]

Pic #3

Love those big rectangular wash arms!!

 

[washer111]

DROOL

Absolutely LOVE those turquoise, thick racks!!!

And the stainless interior really is GLEAMING for its age. Do you have soft water in your area, or was the machine un-used most of its life?

 

[appnut]

timer behind plastic window

I've seen mentioned here a time or two that little plastic besel can be removed and one can advance the timer. DON'T DO IT!!! We had some sort of issue with ours and my dad turned the timer around before he placed the plastic besel back on. He got the timer out of "sequence" and the start button had to be held in for an entire timer increment until it advanced. It also didn't drain on its own at the end of rinse & HOLD. A simple explanation. There's like 5-10 second portion of the timer mechanism with the intent the timer is turned off (for R&H) as well ass final rinse thermostatic water heat hold. When the timer motor is activated again after being "held" it's about 3-5 or so seconds before the timer advances to the next increment. (I think you understand what I{'m trying to say).

 

[turquoisedude]

Great score, Greg!!  I was always captivated by the wash-arm design of the Waste-King machines.  It's funny to think that an all stainless machine would wind up being a less-than-stellar dishwasher!   Use it lightly and have fun with it!

 

[bajaespuma]

Aferim (and may we assume that the dryer with the window

is in your place?

Yeah, the inability to do a "Cancel-Drain" bothered me with my Waste-King, but in the 20 years + or more I watched my Mother use a dishwasher, I don't think she ever needed to stop a cycle once it had started. WK dealt with that a few years later.

What's the story with the detergent dispenser? I've never seen one on a WK/Thermador like that one.

 

[peteski50]

Waste King!

Greg - Real cool machine. I never got the opporunity to load one of these animals.
It does seem like it may be hard to load but I could be wrong. I am surprised it didnt have a cancel button. Is it possible if you pushed a combo of buttons it would cancel?
Best Of Luck with it
Peter

 

[ovrphil]

Congrats! - when I first read "Waste King" I thought of disposals ; didn't know they made dishwashers. It's really a good looking unit.

 

[a440]

What a great find Greg! I have never seen one in such great shape. Usually when I find them (and it is getting rare) the tanks are about shot and racks are rusted through.
I have never seen a portable version of a WK.
How heavy is it compared to the Kitchenaid portables of this vintage? I have always thought the portables did not get much use because the housewives could not push them to the sink. They were so heavy emptied and weigh a ton when filled with dishes!

 

[rp2813]

"I can already see some quirks . . . "

Indeed.  The biggest one will have you seeing spots before your eyes.  

 

These machines earned their reputation as documented by Nate and experienced by us both, but to their credit, they dry more thoroughly than any other machine I've ever owned.

 

They're beautiful and I loved the look of mine, but it only added insult to injury when, after removing my earplugs, I found a load of dishes that often needed to be washed again by hand.

 

Loading was always a challenge, as WK's rack design aimed at maintaining order was tough to defeat, and in hindsight that was done for good reason -- these machines needed all the help they could get.

 

Pictured below for those who haven't seen it before is a bit of cramming I achieved that finally broke down the WK barrier against amassing a BobLoad.  It can be done but they don't make it easy for you, particularly with that tower coming up through the middle. 

 

Greg, I'm sure you'll be captivated by your machine just like Nate and I were and you'll forgive its quirks and shortcomings for a while, but it would behoove you to keep your daily driver on deck.

 

[lightedcontrols]

Congratulations!

Greg, I had a machine just like this in my first apartment! I absolutely LOVED it. When I bought my first house, the old GE went to the curb, and a new THERMADOR steam machine was installed. While those dishwashers didn't have a filter in them, they still did a great job. I left the Thermador in the home when I sold it and wished many times that I had kept it. Who would have ever thought they would stop making them???? ... and that Thermador would be sold......

 

[combo52]

WK DW

Fun Find Greg, It does not hurt the timer if you advance manually, the service manual tells you that it can be advanced manually if you unlatch the door first to kill the power. We had several customers that left the silly plastic cover off so they could skip the heated dry cycle on models that did not have the energy saver dry option, and I am sure I manually advanced a few dozen of these when servicing them with no ill effect.

The best thing about your new DW is that it is a portable, so not only will you not waste time installing it but it will also be easy to push aside when you find out that it is not that great of a DW.

 

[neptuneguy27]

Say Greg

Any chance you could do quick video of the machine running? It's one dishwasher I've never heard in action before. As a child my babysitters mom had one and she forbade it from ever being run due to the noise...which of course made it all the more intriguing to me. lol

Chris