Hey guys,
Our dishwasher conked out (pump died, it was about 15 years old). I’ve already repaired this thing a couple times and it’s not worth it now.
Are any reputable brands around anymore? Aren’t they all owned by whirlpool?
I’ll pay the extra money if it means longevity. Budget probably $1200 or so.
Any recommendations?
Good luck. My recommendation is to buy one from somewhere like Costco that adds an additional year to the warranty. Or check to see if any of your credit cards do the same.
A lot of modern dishwashers don’t even have heating elements anymore, but instead do a fan dry. There’s even one model that pops the door open when the cycle is over with to let out the steam and prevent condensation.
A lot of modern dishwashers don’t even have heating elements anymore, but instead do a fan dry. There’s even one model that pops the door open when the cycle is over with to let out the steam and prevent condensation.
There’s a technology beyond even those two approaches that works really well. Bosch only in their high end 800 series model (and their higher end Thermador brand) called “Crystal Dry”. It uses a crystal desiccant in a compartment in the back of the tub. During the heating phase it forces heat through the desiccant drying it out from the previous run making it VERY moisture absorbent. Then during the drying phase it cycles air through the desiccant pulling nearly all water out of the air inside. The solid desiccant is used continuously without replacement.
The result is that the dishes, including plastics, come out bone dry (unless you have a bowl that flips over collecting water during a cycle). This also uses a small fraction of the energy needed for traditional drying and is significantly faster to dry. No door popping open, not cloud of steam when you open the dishwasher after it runs.
Can attest to the zeolite drying performance. Fucking love my 800.
I got a Bosch 300 series with top controls about 18 months ago and it’s been great. There’s nothing else in a similar price range I would’ve considered buying. The only drawback is the drying of plastic, but all you have to do is open up the door to let it dry overnight or throw everything on a drying rack when it’s done. I’ve been trying to reduce plastic in my kitchen anyway.
Another upvote for Bosch. Idk what Series/model I have but its around 4 year old and still works like its brand new. Pretty quiet, dries pretty well too. Only issue is plastics. Like you say, just pop the door open before bedtime and everything will be fine.
+1 for Bosch. Have had it installed Going on 2 years. Works great!
Plumber told us most are now made offshore and won’t last long. Got Bosch, but it needed a lot of manual cleaning and had trouble with egg dishes. Kitchenaid has been OK, but every once in a while the controls freeze.
Best tip has been what type of detergent to use: https://youtu.be/DAX2_mPr9W8
tldr: add powder in pre-wash and make sure water from faucet is running hot.
Holy shit a 41 minute video…
Thanks for the tldw
There’s a sequel, and I can’t express how happy I was that there was a sequel.
That guy will make you love whatever he’s obsessing over. It’s magic.
From everything I’ve heard, avoid Samsung. Their customer service is apparently garbage.
I’ve been using an LG one from Costco for a few years now. It’s super quiet vs our old one. We did have an issue with the motor, and had to pay for a technician. That being said it was an all inclusive service, so he not only installed an updated motor super fast, but also ordered and replaced a bunch of other parts for no additional cost.
I have one hard requirement and one soft for my new dishwasher hunt.
Hard requirement is no connectivity. I don’t need to remotely start my dishwasher and I don’t need to know when it’s done.
Soft requirement is that I’d like the door to pop open when done so it can dry better.
Every Samsung I’ve seen has connectivity and no door pop.
They fucked me with a non-functional computer monitor years ago and I haven’t given them a dime since. I’ve been in IT for almost 40 years, so I think I know how to set up a monitor properly, Miss Helpdesk.
Bosch, but specifically the 800 series.
I dont have specific recs, but hopefully i can give you some stuff to look out for. I have an old dishwasher with electromechanical controls. It is dead simple to fix, but it has a lot of downsides.
- tub is plastic, not stainless (hasn’t actually been a problem, but apparently there is a decent chance for it to crack over time. I think keeping “heated dry” turned off helps prolong it’s life)
- water only comes from lower spray arm. It shoots water from the lower arm to the center of the upper arm, but that only works if you leave space in the rack for that jet of water. Half the time, my upper arm does nothing, and the dishes on the bottom are only cleaned by whatever is blasted up there by the bottom arm.
- no top nozzle. Gross stuff ends up on the bottoms of cups/bowls that could be simply rinsed off from above.
- it’s loud, so you really only want to run it if you aren’t going to be in the vicinity for a while.
- there are spots that get grease buildup, but i can’t use a harsh degreaser like i could if it where metal.
- initial rinse water is cold unless i run the hot water in my sink till it’s actually hot. In practice, this isnt a problem cause I handwash any pots/pans before running my dishwasher, anyway.
Upsides are:
- easy fixability
- no fine filter or grinder (it connects right to my sink drain which already has a grinder in it)
Things I’d look for in a new one include:
- adjustable height racks (might as well give yourself as much space as possible on the top rack.
- stainless tub -mechanical controls
- top sprayer arm and upper nozzle fed water directly
Things i would avoid:
- smart features. Some, like turbidity sensing seem nice, but if something burns out on a control board, you are screwed. Maybe I’d go for it if it wasn’t wifi or bluetooth.
Miele or Bosch Benchmark.
Avoid any that use a filter instead of a macerator. Those things trap particles and get stinky pretty much every wash. I ended up cutting the mesh out of mine (that’s what causes the stink). The rest of the filter is fine enough to prevent clogs, and it drains into the garbage disposal anyway.
Check out the cycles on any you’re considering. Lower pressure spraying is one way they reduce noise which makes them generally less effective, so longer cycles are required. I’ve seen a Bosch with a 3 hour cycle. To it’s credit it was very quiet. It may have had a shorter cycle available, it wasnt mine so I never looked.
My current dishwasher is the cheap kind - I just don’t believe a box that sprays water needs to be fancy or expensive. It works fine, and we use it hard, as in 1-3 times per day (lots of cooking and prep).
It’s probably 70% quieter than the previous ancient one. You can get quieter ones (like that Bosch) and that’s where spending more makes a difference.
Consumers love a number to point to to determine east the “best” deal is. For dishwashers, decibels is the only number they’ve figure out to market.
Lol, good point.
Yea, dishwashers have been stupid simple forever, frustates me that like washing machines they’ve converted to fancy electronics for the controls.
I could replace the controls with 3 relays and a simple timer.
I should mention i have septic. Any concerns there with a non filter?
I don’t think so - I’ve lived on septic a lot (long before dishwashers had filters) and the dishwasher was never a concern.
Kids throwing toys down the toilet… Well I had to dig up the line or distribution box a few times growing up.
Good to know!
Longer cycles are supposedly better on water usage. I run mine everyday when I go to bed, so I usually don’t mind it running for 5 hours or more
Same as you, had one (a LG) a -long- time… replaced pump and misc parts over it’s lifetime, but when the pump went out the second time, junked it.
Picked up a kitchenaid a few years ago specifically for the heated dry feature. Few models offer that anymore. Works great so far.
The last one i got had a full stainless steel tub and i didn’t know how much i wanted it. I never had one before, it just makes me happy to see it. Maytag, fwiw.
Wash them by hand. If you have kids, that’s one of their chores. (Also, then your kids get to tell your grandkids how bad they had it… and make their kids wash the dishes.)
I grew up without a dishwasher, I was the dishwasher. The one I have in my house now barely gets used, so it’s lasted almost 30 years. Also, when you have to wash them, you’re more likely to rinse out a glass or mug and use it again, rather than reach for a clean one. Washing as you go makes the chore less arduous, when it’s time.
EDIT: I guess “building character” is out of fashion?
If you have a sizable amount of dishes, a dishwashing machine requires far less energy, far less water, produces much more sanitary dishes because it uses water at tempertures that human hands would be harmed by.
Hey I totally get this, but no kids here. Also im not sure punishing them by doing a 1000 year old task we have automated is smart. They could use that time to be learning something. Not that I dont respect the value of hard work, but not hard work thats dumb.
Now if we need to dig a trench to install an ethernet line or some drain tile, by all means have em help!
My son helps load and unload the dishwasher, whichalso uses less water than handwashing
Nothing “builds character” like forcing your kids to do work by hand, that no longer needs to be done by hand, because of a silly choice you’re making in order to make some kind of statement.
