Buying a New Dishwasher

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: Jugernot
2. Look for a dish drawer unit or a traditional type that has a top rack wash only setting. It uses much less power/water.

How does that work in your unit?

MotionMan

 

[Jugernot]

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: Jugernot
2. Look for a dish drawer unit or a traditional type that has a top rack wash only setting. It uses much less power/water.

How does that work in your unit?

MotionMan

Works good and it lowers the wash time to boot. On a side note, it also cleaned some plates that were on the bottom rack that my wife forgot about... not that I recommend this.

As for the Ramma2 had, the granite interior of the some Frigidaire and Whirlpool models gets rid of that problem. It's a special plastic that resists staining from grease and tomatoes. We had spagetti on Saturday and it didn't stain in the least when we did a load on monday.

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: Jugernot

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: Jugernot
2. Look for a dish drawer unit or a traditional type that has a top rack wash only setting. It uses much less power/water.

How does that work in your unit?

MotionMan

Works good and it lowers the wash time to boot. On a side note, it also cleaned some plates that were on the bottom rack that my wife forgot about... not that I recommend this.

So it just turns on the jets and stuff for the top and not for the bottom? It is not that the top and bottom are actually separated in some way?

MotionMan

 

[Jugernot]

Mine has three agitators... one of the bottom, one in the middle and one of top. The top rack only setting, turns off the bottom agitator (which is the largest).

I can't remember, but it may have some jets on the side too.

EDIT: No, they are not seperated. We had a Fisher and Paykel double dish drawer model before this one that we spent $1100 on and it didn't fit nearly as many dishes, though it cleaned just as well and was just as quiet. Althought the drawer concept it cool, It was double the price. We ended up returning it because one of the hoses had a rip in it and it drained water all of over kitchen floor () the repair guy they sent out pretty much destroyed the thing taking it apart and ended up telling us it was damaged in transit, which was bullshit. Anyway, we returned it and got the Frigidare instead.

 

[JeepinEd]

I've had a Fisher & Paykel double dish drawer for a few years now and absolutely love it.
The fact that it's basically two separate dish washers with independent settings, makes it very convenient.
You can run a wash cycle on just one drawer, or both at the same time.
I just scrape the thick stuff from the dirty dishes and stick them in the washer (no pre-rinsing). The dishes come out spotless.

BTW I installed it myself in about 1 hr.

 

[Yreka]

Originally posted by: Jugernot
Link

EDIT: Ohhh, I forgot. The unit I bought was branded Frigidare, but is actually made by Electrolux (sp?) which is a highend appliance producer equal to Bosch. This is the same unit, but branded differently. Ohh, it's also half the price!

Damn, small world... We just bought the same one last week except in stainless..

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: Jugernot
Link

EDIT: Ohhh, I forgot. The unit I bought was branded Frigidare, but is actually made by Electrolux (sp?) which is a highend appliance producer equal to Bosch. This is the same unit, but branded differently. Ohh, it's also half the price!

We have an Electrolux vacuum - it was a gift and is suppose to be the Rolls Royce of vacuums. It is nice, but, at the same time, it sucks

MotionMan

 

[Dirigible]

I go to Sears outlet for appliances. Cheap.

I think I went for lower end than you're thinking. When I bought mine a few years back:
* I didn't care about quiet - it's at the other end of the house from the bedroom/living room.
* I didn't care if the plastic liner was going to get discolored. The dishwasher is closed most of the time and when it's open you usually see nasty dirty dishes that are worse than any liner discoloration anyway.

* I agree with the energy star.
* I agree with the separate spray thingies for top and bottom, rather than needing something to pop up from the bottom in order to wash the top.
* I like having a delay timer so I can tell it to start a few hours after I push the button.
* I like having a top rack that slants, so it's not limited to small sizes. Have to learn where to put big stuff on bottom and remember to put the smaller stuff on one side of the top, but it's a plus and makes it easier to fit a lot of things in. The adjustable top rack might be better, but I didn't want to spend much.

When I was looking, some of the expensive models didn't deal with food left on plates as well as the cheaper ones. Don't know if this has changed. But if you're not a pre-rinser it might be something to look into.

 

[Skel]

Thanks for making this post as I've just started looking into it myself and didn't have a clue where to start either.


Skel

 

[Yreka]

Originally posted by: Dirigible

When I was looking, some of the expensive models didn't deal with food left on plates as well as the cheaper ones. Don't know if this has changed. But if you're not a pre-rinser it might be something to look into.

Many of the machines we looked at (including the one we bought) actually recommended to NOT pre-rinse the dishes.. Apparently, it isn't necessary anymore and just wastes water.

 

[BoomerD]

Our POS contractor quality D/W that came with the house when it was new crapped out on us a couple of years ago. We did some research on teh intarweb, then started shopping. We ended up with a Kenmore-branded Kitchen-Aide that had all the features she wanted; adjustable racks, adjustable slots in the racks, stainless steel inner surfaces, and most of all...QUIET! Definitely cost more than a lot of the cheapo's everyone was selling, but it had the features she wanted at a price that was fair. (even though I HATE dealing with Sears) Nowadays, I'd probably be more inclined to buy from one of the local appliance stores. They can "dicker" on price where Sears can't/won't, and they can make much better deals for things like delivery/installation and extended warranties if you buy those.

Originally posted by: Baked
Ask the expert dishwasher sales associate at Home Depot?

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

That was good...I fell out of my chair laughing...

 

[rivan]

I can't believe noone else has mentioned:

consumerreports.org

 

[compman25]

Originally posted by: Jugernot
1. you want one that has independent agitators. The old school types that the agitator on the bottom and you can't put anything on the bottom rack that will cover up the popup agitator.

2. Look for a dish drawer unit or a traditional type that has a top rack wash only setting. It uses much less power/water.

3. look for one with a sanitize setting. This heats the dishes up to 170F to kill the majority of germs. Also a hi temp wash setting will get that baked on food off better.

4. Look for an energy star unit, as it uses less water and electricity.

5. Some high end units have stainless interiors, others have what they call a granite interior. Basically it's a speckled interior that resists stains (rust, etc.) and stays clean.

6. Look for a unit that has microban builtin for the bottom seal.

7. Look for a unit with a adjustable top rack, it can go up and down, depending on the dishes you're washing.

8. depending on your budget , get a unit with hidden controls. Some even have a digital display that tells you how man minutes are left on the cycle.

9. Last but not least, get a quiet unit. The quietest are around 52db going all the upto 62db (which is twice as loud).

I just bought a new unit, that incorporates all of this, that is how I know about it. Here is the unit I bought Link

EDIT: Ohhh, I forgot. The unit I bought was branded Frigidare, but is actually made by Electrolux (sp?) which is a highend appliance producer equal to Bosch. This is the same unit, but branded differently. Ohh, it's also half the price!

Here's the unit we just got GE and it is very quiet, 47db and you can add a whole bottle of dishwasher detergent to it so you don't have to remember to add detergent each time.

 

[Jugernot]

Originally posted by: compman25

Originally posted by: Jugernot
1. you want one that has independent agitators. The old school types that the agitator on the bottom and you can't put anything on the bottom rack that will cover up the popup agitator.

2. Look for a dish drawer unit or a traditional type that has a top rack wash only setting. It uses much less power/water.

3. look for one with a sanitize setting. This heats the dishes up to 170F to kill the majority of germs. Also a hi temp wash setting will get that baked on food off better.

4. Look for an energy star unit, as it uses less water and electricity.

5. Some high end units have stainless interiors, others have what they call a granite interior. Basically it's a speckled interior that resists stains (rust, etc.) and stays clean.

6. Look for a unit that has microban builtin for the bottom seal.

7. Look for a unit with a adjustable top rack, it can go up and down, depending on the dishes you're washing.

8. depending on your budget , get a unit with hidden controls. Some even have a digital display that tells you how man minutes are left on the cycle.

9. Last but not least, get a quiet unit. The quietest are around 52db going all the upto 62db (which is twice as loud).

I just bought a new unit, that incorporates all of this, that is how I know about it. Here is the unit I bought Link

EDIT: Ohhh, I forgot. The unit I bought was branded Frigidare, but is actually made by Electrolux (sp?) which is a highend appliance producer equal to Bosch. This is the same unit, but branded differently. Ohh, it's also half the price!

Here's the unit we just got GE and it is very quiet, 47db and you can add a whole bottle of dishwasher detergent to it so you don't have to remember to add detergent each time.

Jeebs... I didn't even know they made 47db DWs. The quiestest I found locally was 52db in the Bosch and Fisher Paykel.

 

[Yreka]

Originally posted by: compman25

Here's the unit we just got GE and it is very quiet, 47db and you can add a whole bottle of dishwasher detergent to it so you don't have to remember to add detergent each time.

$1549 Est. Retail Price :Q

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: Yreka

Originally posted by: compman25

Here's the unit we just got GE and it is very quiet, 47db and you can add a whole bottle of dishwasher detergent to it so you don't have to remember to add detergent each time.

$1549 Est. Retail Price :Q

Yipes. Does it unload itself, too?

MotionMan

 

[compman25]

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: Yreka

Originally posted by: compman25

Here's the unit we just got GE and it is very quiet, 47db and you can add a whole bottle of dishwasher detergent to it so you don't have to remember to add detergent each time.

$1549 Est. Retail Price :Q

Yipes. Does it unload itself, too?

MotionMan

We were able to get it for $999. And no, it doesn't unload itself. My other dishwasher unloads it.

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: compman25

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: Yreka

Originally posted by: compman25

Here's the unit we just got GE and it is very quiet, 47db and you can add a whole bottle of dishwasher detergent to it so you don't have to remember to add detergent each time.

$1549 Est. Retail Price :Q

Yipes. Does it unload itself, too?

MotionMan

We were able to get it for $999. And no, it doesn't unload itself. My other dishwasher unloads it.

Some would say that is also a good reason to have kids.

MotionMan

 

[MotionMan]

Anyone have anything else to add?

MotionMan

 

[BoomerD]

Be sure to pay attention to inside dimensions. We were surprised at how much difference there was in models of the same outside dimensions. You also want to pay attention to the little details, such as fold-down/adjustable racks and such. The top rack on ours adjusts in height, many of the rack dividers are adjustable or fold down for extra space.

 

[compman25]

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: compman25

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: Yreka

Originally posted by: compman25

Here's the unit we just got GE and it is very quiet, 47db and you can add a whole bottle of dishwasher detergent to it so you don't have to remember to add detergent each time.

$1549 Est. Retail Price :Q

Yipes. Does it unload itself, too?

MotionMan

We were able to get it for $999. And no, it doesn't unload itself. My other dishwasher unloads it.

Some would say that is also a good reason to have kids.

MotionMan

Well, for now I guess the wife will have to do!

You should go to an appliance store and have them run the GE washer for you, it is so silent.

 

[Xavier434]

I don't have much more to add here since the feedback has been spot on other than once you pick a few washers which suit your needs it is a good idea to compose a list of all stores that sell the units. From there, visit Slickdeals and run a search for the store names on both their Hot Deals and Coupons forums to find out if there exists any deals for them. They list discounts, printable coupons, and coupon codes all of the time.

 

[OutHouse]

bosch hands down the best. it heats the water to 180 or so and uses filtered heated air to dry the dishes so no heating elements on the bottom. we paid 899 at lowes for ours and its a awesome machine and whisper quiet. my old one sounded like a harley in the kitchen.

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: Citrix
bosch hands down the best. it heats the water to 180 or so and uses filtered heated air to dry the dishes so no heating elements on the bottom. we paid 899 at lowes for ours and its a awesome machine and whisper quiet. my old one sounded like a harley in the kitchen.

I would not notice the sound of a Harley in our kitchen with our current machine. If you are too close, it makes you jump when it switches cycles.

I am really looking forward to getting a new one!

MotionMan

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: Citrix
bosch hands down the best. it heats the water to 180 or so and uses filtered heated air to dry the dishes so no heating elements on the bottom. we paid 899 at lowes for ours and its a awesome machine and whisper quiet. my old one sounded like a harley in the kitchen.

I would not notice the sound of a Harley in our kitchen with our current machine. If you are too close, it makes you jump when it switches cycles.

I am really looking forward to getting a new one!

MotionMan

i paid lowes to come out to install it. not that i couldnt do it myself but i wanted the old one taken away, that alone was worth the 50 bucks.