Dishwasher Problem

rickmacheske · Jul 14, 2006

There are dishwashers out there with food disposers in them. Cost me a little more but now I don't have to mention that the dishes need to be pre-rinsed. Haven't had a problem yet...

Iplayfarmer · Jul 14, 2006

Bird said:
...I always wondered why anyone would want a dishwasher if you've got to wash the dishes before you put them in the dishwasher...to me, they're the most worthless appliance ever invented.

Growing up we had a worn out old dish"washer" that came to be known as the "dishrinser". Mom insisted that we continue to use it, though, since it got the dishes out of sight for her. I guess it was worth what we paid for it ($0.00).

On the flip side, though, I work in the food manufacturing industry. I have seen dishwashers the size of a small house that you put machinery parts and pieces in absolutely filthy and they come out "sparkly clean" and ready for the next production run. Count up the man-hours that saves you and the ROI comes in pretty quick. Now there's a usefull appliance. I think the most significant difference between the two is in the 6 inch drain line and on-site industrial waste water treatment facilities.

I have to also add (since I've admitted to working in the food industry) that household dishwashers do serve a purpose in that they can wash with water much hotter that the average housewife or considerate husband might tolerate. If a dishwasher uses water in excess of 165 degrees it sanitizes the dishes too.

MossRoad · Jul 15, 2006

Ours started dripping lots of water out the front panel a couple weeks ago. We've been hand washing for two weeks. I had forgotten how many loads of dishes we have to do every day in the sink compared to one load every other day with the dishwasher. What a time and water saver.

I finally had time to get into it today, as I've been spending all my free time with the kids' monitoring their 4H projects and working on the backhoe I'm building. I took out the eight screws that hold the inside of the door to the door frame. YUCKY! Lots of limey stuff and food particles blocking the drain ports behind that panel and the vent that lets the steam out the front. After a hose out in the driveway, I put it all back together and it is working fine.

We never pre-wash our dishes. Just dump any large scraps into the trash and stick the dishes in the dishwasher. If there is lots of red stuff like tomato sauce and we aren't going to run the dishwasher for a day or two, I'll run the rinse and hold cycle to get the red color washed out to avoid staining anything.

midlf · Jul 18, 2006

We had some friends that kept their cereal, potato chips, crackers and etc in their dishwasher. They had sponged all the water out of the bottom before doing this. When asked why she said "I don't have enough cupboard space and I have two teen-aged daughters so I don't need a dishwasher". The daughters were not allowed a vote on this procedure.

Bird · Jul 18, 2006

Steve, that sounds like the kind of family I grew up in. I guess I was 6 years old when my mother had an appendicitis attack and the doctor came to the house that evening (yeah, doctors really did make house calls back then). When the doctor arrived I was standing on a stool at the sink washing the dishes, one younger sister was also standing on a stool drying the dishes and the other sister was putting them away. Mother always loved to tell about visiting the doctor later and the doctor telling his nurse how she "had those babies on stools doing the dishes." We didn't know there was anything unusual about it; I always had to wash the dishes and my younger sisters dried them until I was 10 years old. That's when I was able to quit washing dishes because I had to take over the milking chores and the girls were old enough to do the dishes from then on.

firemanpat2910 · Jul 19, 2006

It was always a heated debate at home when I was a kid, when I was born mom said "look, a dishwasher!" Dad said "no woman thats a TV remote."
How old does it make me to remember why they call it "TURNING" the channel on a TV.

Bird · Jul 19, 2006

I don't know how long TV remotes have been in existence, but I sure do remember the first one I ever saw. It was 1965, my wife and I were assistant managers of an apartment complex, and the manager got a new TV with a remote control. If you dropped a key in the floor, if the phone rang, or if the doorbell rang, the TV either turned off or changed channels. I think they had it about 2 weeks before they sent it back and got one without a remote control.

bdb121 · Jul 19, 2006

make sure that you have an anti syphon loop in the drain line to stop any water from comming back from garbage disposal (drain line should be looped up higher than the bottom of the sink)

MarEng · Jul 19, 2006

My best DW was one left on the side of the road when my neighbors remodeled. Seems it made too much noise. Once I pulled the chunks of broken wine glass out of the impeller it was quieter than the grumbling noises I made hand washing. I miss that machine. When I got married my wife came with a Maytag. Don't believe the ads - what a piece of junk. When it finally died I bought the cheapest model at Lowe's - my usual approach. It does as good a job as my Mom's $600 version and I won't feel near as bad when it dies in 5 years.

In the mean time, I clean the suction screen when my wife starts complaining about dishes being as dirty coming out as going in. I also run a load with vinegar every month or so - just to get the gunk out.

rickmacheske · Jul 20, 2006

Good point on the expensive ones..... Our Jenn Aire stainless steel version is not near as good as the GE (mid grade) that I used to have. I'd buy another GE in a heartbeat but would never buy Jenn Aire again.