What fits in a KA one arm wonder dishwasher?

[chachp]

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">We talk a lot about how careful we need to be when loading the one arm wonder (pre Model 18) KA dishwashers.  And while I agree 100% with Bob and others that there have likely been millions of times these machines have been run with a 1/2 empty bottom rack because the top was full of bowls and pans and other things that would block the water to the top.  Or a 1/2 empty top rack because of the large items we may have loaded on the bottom rack and had to leave the upper basket empty above the large item.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">So for the heck of it I decided to photograph a typical load at my house all stacked up on the counter just to see how much actually was in one of these loads.  When loaded correctly these machines really hold a lot of dishes.  Truth be told on this load there were still a couple of spots I could have put a plate or two on the bottom rack but URGH, I was out of space on the top.  </span>

 

[appnut]

Wow Chach!!  Perfect demonstration of why these are DISHwashers.  When loaded like this KAs do hold a ton, more than many of its contemporary relatives of the day.  I've always been fascinated by all your various dishes when you've posted photos from your house.  Very pretty dish sets.  But how long to accumulate all that?  What about all the utensils, pots, pans, bowls, ... needed to prepare meals.  I know you do a tremendous amount of cooking due to your food allergies kind of like I do myself.  And thanks for the nod of the hat to my 1-arm wonder rants of years ago. 

 

[stevet]

Never a doubt!

That if anyone could fit all that stuff in a machine, it would be you, Ralph! But now..just what was left out?

Now an even better challenge or to simply prove a point, take all the same stuff that was ready for the 15 and reload it, including the overflow items,into the 20 and see if everything would have fit and if there was still room to spare or not!

Then post the pics, of course.

Feel free to use the shortest wash cycle since theya re clean already! LOL
Steve

 

[toploader55]

Extra Credit

There has never been a doubt that these hold a lot and clean well.

 

It just depends on the wares you are putting in.

 

That being said, I think it's time to run the Regency and the Superba 55.

 

They have been resting since last summer, so time to play and get creative.

 

Nice Job Chach with the BobLoad

 

[tomturbomatic]

Great loading!

Have you tried putting those triangular salad/dessert plates over the side pins and trying to put two between the lower side rail and the plates? It's just a thought. I don't know if they would fit.

The 20 might hold less because the newer DW racks have larger spaces between the pins in the lower rack.

 

[whirlykenmore78]

OK:

Now I have to get creative with the KUDS-23 and see just how much it will hold. I'm quite sure a Powerclean driven Hydrosweep system will handle it well.
WK78

 

[combo52]

KA Single Arm DW Loading

Nice job loading, but again where are all the pots and pans, also the dishes in your load are not nearly as dirty as the dishes we wash everyday, I can see a lot of things in the top rack that would not have gotten clean if they had been really dirty.

 

Fun machines however, I have a KDS-16 in our weekend house and like it, but we end up putting all the pots and pans etc in the WP PC machine in the main kitchen.

 

[norgeway]

I NEVER!

Put pots and pans in my dishwasher, for one, lots of my cookware is aluminum and a dishwasher will ruin it quicker than anything, two, my stainless has bakelite handles and in time a DW will eat them up, I do wash all my glass and corning ware baking dishes in the DW, I never had any trouble with the one arm KA machines, they blast so much water it hits pretty much anything no matter how you load it.Ill say this, in my opinion, the one arm KA machines will outwash the very most expensive machine on the market today, and it will do it in 1/3 to 1/2 the time.

 

[toploader55]

Good Point Hans

So realistically,

You could wash two loads in the time it takes a eyedropper spritzer to do a 2 hour wash.

Yup, that's about right.

I remember on Holidays when we had company, our Princess would run two or three cycles. We would by pass the dry cycle and just let the dishes flash dry in like 5 minutes. They were still too hot after 5 minutes to handle.

 

[norgeway]

You got it!

And they will be clean and DRY!

 

[chachp]

Where are the Pots and Pans and bowls?

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">This is a typical load for us if I want to really fill the machine.  It really does make the point that if you want to load the larger items you'll likely run the machine before it's completely full. </span>

 

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">To answer Bobs' question about my dishes.  I am a kitchen anything junkie.  Have been my entire life.  I don't know how many sets of dishes I have but there are quite a few and I swap them in and out of the kitchen.  Some by season, some just when I get tired of them and want a change.  Some of those I've collected have been inspired by those I've seen here that belong to other members.  I also have a lot of vintage cookware that I have collected over the years.  I won't put any of that in the dishwasher.  I use vintage Asta everyday that is enamel over steel and a lot of LeCreuset that I generally won't wash by machine either.  I have a few pieces I'll put in but for the most part I do not.  So my choice is I don't use my things or I use them and wash them by hand.  I choose to use them or what's the point of having them?  I just also choose to keep them nice.  Hand washing is therapeutic to my other half!!  Aren't I lucky?  LOL.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">As far as how dirty the dishes are....I don't pre-rinse anything.  We've been eating lighter lately because I wanted to drop a few pounds I've put on over the winter so we're eating more salads and lighter foods that I guess don't produce dishes as dirty looking as other foods might.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">As far as how clean the dishes get on top I don't really have that issue with this machine if I load carefully.  The biggest complaint I have about the 15 is it doesn't have the constant rinse on top so I will sometimes get little baked on surprises on top of the dishes on the top rack.  If I did pre-rinse I probably wouldn't see so much of that.  The 17 does a better job in that area because of the CR in my opinion.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">I'll accept that challenge Steve!  Pictures will follow.</span>

 

[gansky1]

Your kitchen looks like a whole day's fun! Good coffee, good food and fun dishwashers to clean it all up.

I have a KDS-18 in my kitchen for a daily-driver and of all the dishwashers I've played with and had in and out of my kitchen, I always come back to a KitchenAid. It is surprising how much the two-arm machines hold as well, I just unloaded mine this morning and should have taken pics. It was one of those "inadvertent BobLoad" days and I had bowls stacked as high as the plates and leaning on anything that would hold them up. Always spotless and never a reject. You're right about the Constant Rinse sprayer at the top, a very good improvement especially in the single arm machines.

I love that blue Vita-Mix - so pretty.

 

[toploader55]

It just boggles my mind...

(It doesn't take much anymore to boggle my mind. What's left of it...)

 

Why, Why, Why KitchenAid dropped the Constant Rinse.  I know the originals hung down way too low, so people would put something tall in the center of the top rack and snap them off.  They were a very flimsy part which is surprising for Hobart.

 

But I can't get over the fact that they never redesigned that constant rinse with a more sturdy part.

 

That is my biggest complaint with the 19 and up series machines. The 19-23 clean well, but there is always the risk of Yibbles on the top of glasses and coffee mugs.

I like my KDS-20 but it's always a crap shoot on the Top Rack when you open that door after washing a BobLoad.

 

Now it boggles my mind why you can't get a decent dishwasher that cleans in under 1 hour.  It Broke my Heart when Hobart sold KitchenAid. A Very Very Sad Day in Appliance Land.

 

[chachp]

SHHH don't tell anyone...

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">I have hoarded a few of them as I find them new on eBay.  I think I have two or three in the package for the 17 series machines.  I have popped one myself.  Wish they would have made one that was one piece like a wash arm and maybe that would have made it a little sturdier.</span>

 

[tomturbomatic]

The nastiest, dirtiest part of the sale of KA to WP was what the GD, SOB, MF WP Corporation run by that wonderful Upton Family did to make all of the older KA machines obsolete by destroying the back inventory of parts. KitchenAid Dishwashers ran for decades until the Uptons decided that not only the new, crappy machines would not last any time, but the older, quality-built machines would be destined for the scrap heap in short order also because they would become "unfixable."

 

[DADoES]

Constant Rinse

 
My family had a KDI-17a installed in 1975.  We moved in '80 or '81.  We never damaged the Constant Rinse, can't say what happened to it after that point.  The house we moved to had the same model KA which was used until end of 2002, also with no damage to the Constant Rinse spinner.

 

[tomturbomatic]

I still have the original constant rinsers in both of my KDS18s. I guess it's the difference between use and abuse.

 

[chachp]

I am much more careful now.

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Ever since I busted mine I have been very careful.  I didn't realize they were so fragile until it was too late.  I keep the top rack as low as I can while still accommodating some of my larger dishes and that helps too.</span>