why my kitchenaid would not fill up properly

[soberleaf]

that kitchenaid portable that i picked up yesterday and carted home in the rain from columbus (actually towed home since the truck died halfway back) looked like new but would not fill properly. i tore into it tonite after work (my favorite late nite hobby, me with my head buried in a dishwasher)

here's some pics of the fill valve and solonoid i took apart tonite to see why it was not filling properly. it had a very small flow of water into the tub when in the "fill" mode. here is why!

i found a screen at the inlet just as i was told i would and it was indeed all gooked up with crud. i also found a small device to basically cut down the flow at the end of the valve before entering the rubber hose that leads to the wash tub. it also had a lot of gook around the 3 small holes in it. screens i am used to seeing on washers and dishwashers, this water metering device is a new one to me.

i basically took em both out, put it all together and it fills up like crazy! i like a lot of water in the tub and i could not care about energy saving when it comes to my dishwashers so goodbye metering device!

it fills great, runs great, does not leak a drop anywhere! it's my first portable kitchenaid front loader and i think it's a nice little addition to my kitchenaid collection. craigs list comes thru again!

you guys like pics and i love lookin at the one's i find here so this boring little valve is now on display for all to view

here it is partially dissasembled showing the screen and water metering triangular shaped device. both were clogged a bit.

 

[soberleaf]

screen fits here

that clogged screen came out of this entrance to the valve, it was full of crud

 

[soberleaf]

another possible problem area

the little metering device that i removed.

 

[soberleaf]

dirty!

it's full!

 

[soberleaf]

last pic

this is the valve again for those who have to have another look! isn't it exciting!

 

[soberleaf]

motor

motor looks clean, no evidence of leaks, runs very quietly and smoothly.

 

[soberleaf]

past water leakage

looks like water has leaked around dryer at some point, nice and rusty! but it's not leaking now so i'm not gonna worry about it. this machine will hardly be used anyway, maybe once a month for fun.

 

[DADoES]

The "metering device" is a flow restricter or flow washer. Dishwashers by-and-large fill by time, not by pressure switch as do washers. The water flow rate is controlled by the flow restricter so that the fill level is correct under varying ranges of household water pressure. A portable unit can be controlled by the kitchen faucet, a built-in cannot. Overfilling is perhaps less of a risk with a toploading portable, but it could leak out of the air duct for the drying fan if the water got that high ... or affect spray arm rotation.

 

[soberleaf]

where it ought to be!

here is the valve back in it's home next to the drain valve and the machine has been run thru 5 cycles tonite and it sounds great, fills great, drains great, doesn't leak so it is great!

it has joined it's family of fellow kitchenaids in my kitchen. but once i get that top load kd-5 delivered that i bought a few months ago this kd-57 will go to the living room as a plant stand ( i haven't told it yet).

 

[toploader55]

Rust around the Dry Unit

As I have been told by Our "Resident Hobart Man" stevet, this occurs when the machine is running and hot inside. When you open the door to add a dish or check the operation of the machine, the cool air that enters the machine creates an unbalanced "pressure" (if you will) inside the machine. So when you close the door to restart, The Hot water against the cool air, the cool air rushes out the vent in the front of the machine and sometimes pushes some water into the Dry Duct

 

[soberleaf]

sounds good to me

that makes sense!