Dishwasher recs?

[Alley]

Had an old dishwasher catch fire in our house. Replaced it with this pot scrubber kenmore from Sears and loved it. We never had to rinse the dishes and they came out spotless. We moved to our condo with all new whirlpool (I think it is gold something) appliances. Within the first 3 months the new dishwasher needed two repairs. I cannot wait until the thing breaks is that wrong?! It does not clean the dishes as good as the kenmore did and takes forever. In all fairness when I was having our whirlpool microwave repaired for the 50th time (another whole story) I discussed the dishwasher with the repairmen. They said the kenmore probably had a grinder which made it work so much better. If I understood them correctly very few dishwashers have the grinder any more. They did recommend a bosch dishwasher and washing/dryer to me.

[John Arnold]

Had an old dishwasher catch fire in our house. ...

Here's a little known fact about dishwashers: they can explode! Apparently, if the house is vacant for some time, hydrogen gas can build up in the water heater, and if you turn on the dishwasher before running hot water out of the faucets (like at a home inspection!), the gas can wind up inside the dishwasher and go boom!

eLCOSH : Dishwasher exploded

[Hospitalitygirl]

I'm reviving this thread since I need a new damned dishwasher. Mine is craptastic, thanks to freaking planned obsolescence. Can't appliances last for at least 10 years? You're lucky to get 5-7 at this point. Anyway, I currently have a KitchenAid, that isn't cleaning dishes and glasses any longer. It's been acting up literally all of this year, but has gotten progressively worse. I want to know about the dishwashers others have mentioned and whether they still like them. Also, Cya, what did you finally decide to buy?

Thanks.

[Marc]

Still loving my Bosch. Haven't had the problems others have mentioned, though I haven't tried washing my kettle in it.

[John Arnold]

We're happy with our Kitchen Aid Model KUDS30. It cleans well and is very quiet. But can't vouch for longevity since we've only had it for 1-2 years.

[Scoats]

I bought a Bosch from Lowes about 6 years ago. I have never been pleased with it. We only use the pot scrubber setting since the others seem to be useless. Even after two hours of churning away, a good percentage of the dishes still need to be washed by hand.

I am wondering if buying an appliance from Lowes or Home Depot might be the issue. I know their plumbing and lighting supplies are lower quality than what you would find at a plumbing or electrical distributor. Maybe the same is true with appliances.

[AsYouWere]

Once any brand has been used a couple of years there's two easy things that should be checked if dishes aren't getting clean: water temp and spray arm/strainer.
For temp interrupt the first wash cycle by opening door and use a candy or meat thermometer to check water in tub. They say it must be 140 to 160 degrees. If not I can tell you next steps.
For spray arm it should really be removed and cleaned regularly and it's not hard to take off. While that's off clean the strainer since it may be clogged.

[Hospitalitygirl]

Well I can say for certain that any Bosch model is off the table.

[Scoats]

Thanks, that was very helpful.

Once any brand has been used a couple of years there's two easy things that should be checked if dishes aren't getting clean: water temp and spray arm/strainer.
For temp interrupt the first wash cycle by opening door and use a candy or meat thermometer to check water in tub. They say it must be 140 to 160 degrees. If not I can tell you next steps.
For spray arm it should really be removed and cleaned regularly and it's not hard to take off. While that's off clean the strainer since it may be clogged.

[Cya]

HG, Funny you should ask...

I went with the Maytag. I loved it!! Nice and quiet, etc.
I guess it's about 1.5yrs old? A couple of months ago, it started to not clean the dishes and glasses so well.
I bought the stuff you put inside to boost cleaning and it worked for a round or two.. then back to crappy cleaning.
Honestly, I've been so busy with other things that I haven't given the diswasher a good look-- but I suspect the reason it's acting up is because the person in my house who usually loads the dishwasher thinks it's ok to put frying pans and pots in the dishwasher without rinsing them thoroughly. I should really have a chat... but I'm afraid of discouraging any type of interesting in keeping my kitchen clean

[Cya]

Thanks, that was very helpful.

Yes it was! I'm sure my water temp isn't the problem... so it's gotta be the spray arm and strainer. I have a weekend project!

[Hospitalitygirl]

Once any brand has been used a couple of years there's two easy things that should be checked if dishes aren't getting clean: water temp and spray arm/strainer.
For temp interrupt the first wash cycle by opening door and use a candy or meat thermometer to check water in tub. They say it must be 140 to 160 degrees. If not I can tell you next steps.
For spray arm it should really be removed and cleaned regularly and it's not hard to take off. While that's off clean the strainer since it may be clogged.

Ok I will give this a try before pitching this dishwasher and getting a new one.

Any other recommendations?

[Polar Cub]

I love my 7 year old Bosch (sears). We only run it a few times a week. Not every day like others might, though. The Maytag before that only lasted 4 1/2 years ! Junk !!
Kitchen Aids are supposed to be good, HG.
A customer of mine has a Samsung, and raves over it. It certainly looks good.

[Brooke]

Bosch should have never made an entry level dishwasher. I replaced an LG (that almost set on fire--don't ever buy ANY appliance that is LG...I had 2 electrical fires in installed within 24 hours above the range microwaves) with a Bosch mid-range in my Fishtown house and LOVED it. I'm now using a 1990's Bosch in my Germantown house that was here when I got here. It's awesome.

I have learned to use only Finish dishwasher detergent in it that Bosch recommends. Bosch are SOOO much quieter than anything else. And my brother worked for them and they were an awesome employer. So that's a reason to support them IMO.

[boognish]

I love my Bosch. Had it for about 2 years, no problems. My parents have one as well, and they love it.

Two things though: I have no idea how to load it properly & I think Jet Dry compartment may leak since I'm finding suds in the bottom of the unit after running it. We'll see about the 2nd thing. As for loading it, it's not a big deal, but there's only 2 of us. When the baby comes, we'll really put the unit through its paces and space may be at more of a premium.

Also, keep in mind that Bosch's don't have grinders, so you have to scrap your plates, etc first.

[Eastcoast]

Have/had a 7 year old GE Profile SS tub, Ultra quiet type model. I has done very well overall although there are certainly quieter models out there it runs and cleans without any major surprises.

I did have to replace the wheels on the lower cart at 5 years, apparently GE didn't realize that the plastic wheels would be subjected to water and heat in a dishwasher and used a low grade plastic for the casters!

[Cya]

Once any brand has been used a couple of years there's two easy things that should be checked if dishes aren't getting clean: water temp and spray arm/strainer.
For spray arm it should really be removed and cleaned regularly and it's not hard to take off. While that's off clean the strainer since it may be clogged.

This was exactly what we had to do to our dishwasher. Took it apart- not difficult- and cleaned out the grinder and filter.
We found 2 toothpicks and a piece of peach pit clogging up the filter.
What a difference!! Back to original cleaning condition.

[boognish]

Just wanted to bump this make a short report. We still love our Bosch dishwasher...quiet, efficient, etc, but now that we've had it about 2 years, the rinse agent leaks into the main cavity. Every time it's done with its final rinse, I open it up to find the bottom filled with bubbles. It's not a big deal as I can't really see any difference between with and without rinse agent, but it's still somewhat annoying that it happened. Now I just pretend that red "rinse agent" light isn't on all the time as I would like my final rinse sans chemicals.

[capnjax21]

Bosch should have never made an entry level dishwasher. I replaced an LG (that almost set on fire--don't ever buy ANY appliance that is LG...I had 2 electrical fires in installed within 24 hours above the range microwaves) with a Bosch mid-range in my Fishtown house and LOVED it. I'm now using a 1990's Bosch in my Germantown house that was here when I got here. It's awesome.

I have learned to use only Finish dishwasher detergent in it that Bosch recommends. Bosch are SOOO much quieter than anything else. And my brother worked for them and they were an awesome employer. So that's a reason to support them IMO.

What is their entry level line of appliances? The 300 series or the Ascenta? I may be in the market for a dishwasher soon and looking at Bosch and interested to know what to look out for.
According to their site, their Ascenta line won a few awards: http://www.bosch-home.com/us/product...?source=browse