Thread Number: 41943
What Was YOUR First Dishwasher
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Post# 617959   8/17/2012 at 20:14 (4,241 days old) by jakeseacrest (Massachusetts)        

jakeseacrest's profile picture
Sort of a take on the washing machine thread.

Mine was a 2001 Kenmore Ultra Wash portable. Still going strong at my sister's house.





Post# 617968 , Reply# 1   8/17/2012 at 20:33 (4,241 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)        

dadoes's profile picture
 
First used, KDI-17 (at a relative's home), and KDI-17a (our home).

First bought, KUDS22.

Second bought, DD603.


Post# 617969 , Reply# 2   8/17/2012 at 20:33 (4,241 days old) by peteski50 (New York)        
Hotpoint Portable!

peteski50's profile picture
1972 model ghdb650b

Post# 617970 , Reply# 3   8/17/2012 at 20:33 (4,241 days old) by Maytagbear (N.E. Ohio)        
My family's first dishwasher

was a 1973 Maytag reverse rack portable, it lasted nearly 20 years, with a few comparatively minor repairs.


Our second, was a 1994 Maytag portable. It's still running well at another person's house (we sold it when we sold the house.)


My first apartment had a near BOL Whirlpool, with the tower. It cleaned very well, but was pretty noisy.


Next two apartments had BOL GE's. The one with a single dial, and a rocker switch to turn off the drying element.


Now, the dark ages, from October 2002 to August 2005, when I did not have a dishwasher at all. Dark days, indeed.


My current dishwasher is a GE Nautilus portable which kind friends bought for me. It was a return at Home Depot, and was very inexpensive. I have found that if I use the HotStart cycle, it can clean very well. My stash of phosphated Cascade makes a difference.



Lawrence/Maytagbear


Post# 617972 , Reply# 4   8/17/2012 at 20:34 (4,241 days old) by peteski50 (New York)        
Hotpoint Portable

peteski50's profile picture
dw1

Post# 617973 , Reply# 5   8/17/2012 at 20:34 (4,241 days old) by peteski50 (New York)        
Hotpoint Portable!

peteski50's profile picture
dw2

Post# 617974 , Reply# 6   8/17/2012 at 20:35 (4,241 days old) by peteski50 (New York)        
Hotpoint Portable!

peteski50's profile picture
dw3

Post# 617975 , Reply# 7   8/17/2012 at 20:36 (4,241 days old) by peteski50 (New York)        
Hotpoint Portable

peteski50's profile picture
dw4

Post# 617976 , Reply# 8   8/17/2012 at 20:36 (4,241 days old) by qsd-dan (West)        

qsd-dan's profile picture

Grew up with a KDS-20 and later, a BOL-ish reverse rack Maytag.

 

Currently, I'm using Hobart Kitchenaids with 2 KDS-18's and a KDS-19 in my collection.

 


Post# 617980 , Reply# 9   8/17/2012 at 20:46 (4,241 days old) by vintagekitchen ()        
First I had contact with

1995 Maytag TOL portable, reversible front panel for black or white front, with chrome edging strips to hold on the panel. It was portable, but installed permanently next to the fridge, as Mama refused to give up a cabinet, and wanted the butcher block top to put her microwave on. Mama got the first dishwasher in the family, before any of her sister-in-laws, and boy were they all jealous.

I still remember the day Blacks appliance center delivered it, along with a huge GE microwave with no turntable, a wire rack like an oven, and the size of the ones sold in the 80's, to replace Mama's original from 1986, which had given up the ghost. She insisted on a large microwave of the old Radarange size, (but both hers were GE), as she would actually cook in hers, whole meals even, not just reheat things.

Mama was also the first in the family to get a microwave. Guess what gramma and all the sister in laws demanded for Christmas the year after? lol..

PS.-- She still has that same dishwasher, still working perfectly. Mama was a smart lady, she bought TOL, only ever used Cascade, and made sure it was a portable. Each time we moved there was much discussion over the spot to install the dishwasher, and then much trouble running pipes to a place never intended to have them. (Dad liked to buy and sell places, and actually enjoyed packing and moving. Not me, lol.)


Post# 617981 , Reply# 10   8/17/2012 at 20:53 (4,241 days old) by vintagekitchen ()        
First I owned

BOL black Hotpoint portable with a broken timer, given to me by a friend when I moved into my first apartment with no countertops at all except an enamel drainboard by the single bowl enamel sink, just big enough for a dish drainer.

The dishwasher worked, as well as could be expected for a BOL Hotpoint, but the timer motor had crapped out, so you had to advance the timer through each cycle manually. This actually worked to my advantage, since I could let it wash as long as I wanted. When the friend who gave it to me was over once while I was unloading it, she commented it never got her dishes that clean. I laughed and said, "I bet it never turned itself on, got distracted watching a movie, and let itself wash for an hour and a half before it ever drained and rinsed either", lol.



Post# 617983 , Reply# 11   8/17/2012 at 20:56 (4,241 days old) by washer111 ()        

This particular family's first dishwasher was obtained in 2007. A Dishlex DX302WJ (or something along those lines) obtained from the GoodGuys in Perth. I believe the DX302WB was actually from 2003, and our model swapped the Delicates cycle for a Quick30 cycle. Didn't do too bad, but we always pre-rinsed, as we used the Quick 30 with TABLETS (1 wash at around 120F), 1 rinse or the Regular Eco cycle. She worked far better on the Regular 65 and Intense 70 though.

After around 1.5 year without a dishwasher, new kitchen appliances saw the introduction of our current Fisher and Paykel DD60DCX6. About a year in, and one drain filter has separated from my obsessive use of dishwasher cleaner (and past frequent cleaning) and the other is starting to fail. The dishwasher is otherwise mechanically and mentally sound, and performs great!

The first machine in the family was my Grandparents one, although I don't know what brand it was. It had a lot of cycle to choose from on the dial. However, my grandma didn't realize you had to scrape the plates, and the machine was always broken with Chicken bones in it. They got a DishDrawer in 2003/2004, and it perform(ed) fine. Now that my Grandma has passed on, my Granddad and his new wife don't use it, since apparently the detergent doesn't dissolve - although the detergent is at least 6 years old and has lived under the moist kitchen sink, so its little wonder! When I visit next, I may take some GOOD detergent and maybe even clean the machine up a bit. I am also considering giving them the newer wash-arm, if their machine doesn't have the same design as ours.
This particular machine HAS had repairs. Its from the DD602/603 series and I believe it has had a lid failure at some point (around 2004) or an F1 Error. I think its other quite fine.


Post# 617984 , Reply# 12   8/17/2012 at 20:59 (4,241 days old) by appnut (TX)        

appnut's profile picture

The 1961 Waste King that's had owners manual & sales literature available for download

1968 Waste King

1974 Rotorack model just under the LK

Then dishwashers in college:

1965 to 1967 BOL Hotpoint--inside looked just like the one above

1967 Westinghouse with normal & rinse & hold buttons

brand new BOL 1974 GE--same machine in my apartments after graduating and getting on my own

1980 Kenmore

1985 Tappan (sourced by GE, great cleaner)

1984 MOL Hotpoint

1987 GE GSD1200

2007 next to TOL Kenmore Elite Tall Tub


Post# 617990 , Reply# 13   8/17/2012 at 21:42 (4,241 days old) by DirectDriveDave ()        

1989 GE Potscrubber. Still miss that bad boy.



I cannot remember the exact number, but it was the one with the black control panel and the silver colored buttons and the silver colored timer dial you manually turn yourself.


Post# 617991 , Reply# 14   8/17/2012 at 21:50 (4,241 days old) by cehalstead (Charleston, WV)        
first, and only the first dishwasher

Ours was a 1952 HotPoint Electric Sink. We bought the house in 1962, and the dishwasher was used until 1973. There have been several others, but that is not the topic of this thread, so I won't comment.....

Post# 618013 , Reply# 15   8/17/2012 at 23:44 (4,241 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)        
Wards, of Course!

rp2813's profile picture

My parents were dyed in the wool, card-carrying Wards aficionados.   Their first dishwasher, and subsequently my sister's first dishwasher and then my first dishwasher, was an absolute BOL 1970 Wardgidaire single cycle portable top loader. 

 

I can't find a picture of one, but located this shot of Mike's (dishwashercrazy) Frigidaire of similar vintage.  Our Signature was even more spartan, without a speck of chrome.  Just an on/off knob that doubled as the lid lock & (push to) release, and a cheap timer dial (not even a knob) that popped out at the end of the cycle and was pushed in to start a new one.


Post# 618045 , Reply# 16   8/18/2012 at 02:59 (4,241 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)        

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AEG Favorit 578.

Pic from the net.


Post# 618049 , Reply# 17   8/18/2012 at 05:04 (4,241 days old) by Philip0603 ()        

First dishwasher in family was a very noisy Colston table top model, had one cycle and was not very efficient. So much so my Mother gave up and we went back to washing by hand.

1St of my own was a Swanmaid. bought second hand, would wash a load in less than 30 minutes, best connected to the hot water as it had a pre-heat kettle underneath that got the wash water hot prior to it going into the tub. A great machine with only one very heavy cast iron spray arm at the bottom, but boy would it clean.

Current for last 14 years or so is our Miele 646 SC Plus, the first machine with the top cutlery tray and bigger wash tub. This machine still flogs away every two to three days (only two at home now) and whilst a very small amount noisier than it's newer models still do not see the need to replace it. Though there will be national mourning if it ever breaks!!!!!


Post# 618058 , Reply# 18   8/18/2012 at 07:49 (4,240 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)        

frigilux's profile picture
The first dishwasher I bought went into the family home (where I was living) a few months after my mom's passing---so, late 1984 or very early '85. It was a TOL Kitchen Aid with the rapid-advance timer. It stayed with the house when I sold it two years later. Loved that it heated the water before the 1st wash began. Noisy bugger by today's standards, but quieter than the rusted-out 1974 Lady Kenmore it replaced.

Post# 618123 , Reply# 19   8/18/2012 at 16:26 (4,240 days old) by whirlcool (Just North Of Houston, Texas)        

The first dishwasher I ever had was one of those total BOL GE models, you know the one only one knob with a Start and Stop notch on it. They sell for $189.00 or $159.00 frequently on sale. During and after college I lived in apartments for a number of years and it always seems the apartments I had that came with dishwashers always had these kind of units. So I actually had several of these.

The first dishwasher I owned was a MOL Kenmore model bought new in 1991. It lasted three years before the bottom of the tub rusted through. Then we replaced that with a Maytag Jet Clean TOL model in 1994. The build quality on that unit was heavy and top notch. I'm willing to bet that unit is still running today.

When we moved in this house it had the "builder's special" version of the dishwasher I discussed in the first paragraph, Kenmore branded. It lasted 14 years but was killed by a power surge that also fried the stove and microwave.

Our current dishwasher is a MOL Maytag Jet Clean. The last of the true Maytag's. We bought it in 2008. It has never had a problem yet even though the build quality is nowhere near the 1994 Maytag we previously owned. But it has held up to being used almost every day.


Post# 618124 , Reply# 20   8/18/2012 at 16:28 (4,240 days old) by firedome (Binghamton NY & Lake Champlain VT)        
Our First D/W

firedome's profile picture
was a ~1962 Frigidaire MOL model liberated off the back loading dock at Luskin's Joppa Road (Baltimore) store around 11 PM on a summer evening in 1971. A "crime of opportunity" if you will, although it was a take-out machine destined for the scrap yard no doubt... we'd cruise through unguarded back docks on a regular basis looking for likely "victims", usually GE Filter Flows destined for my friend Tom's place for parts. After fixing a stuck drain solenoid it was hooked to a kitchen sink via a auto heater hose home-brew poratble conversion of a built-in, and used free standing with no top or sides for 2 years. Love to find another '60s Frigidaire!!!

Post# 618219 , Reply# 21   8/18/2012 at 23:41 (4,240 days old) by AutoWasherFreak ()        

Whirlpool portable mid 80's, it had the pointed cone in the middle of the bottom rack to direct water to the upper spray arm. It didn't last very long 3 or 4 years, the pump started going out on it. Bought another Whirlpool it last about 6 or 7 years, it was replaced with a Maytag.


Post# 618239 , Reply# 22   8/19/2012 at 00:14 (4,240 days old) by tolivac (greenville nc)        

BOL builders model Hotpoint in an apartment house.High rise building in DC area.Building engineer replaced the one in my apartment becuase it leaked with a new one.For my first house-another Hotpoint.

Post# 618281 , Reply# 23   8/19/2012 at 03:59 (4,240 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY)        
Oh God

mark_wpduet's profile picture
Seeing the inside of that Hotpoint portable make me think of a really dumb question:

That inner tub material and color - the blue speckled stuff I always thought looked so cool and almost all dishwashers seemed to have that kind of interior to some extent! Why? I don't know. But now, all the non-stainless interior dishwashers are just plain old white boring plastic. Was there a reason for this? Were manufacturers just trying to make the interior look "more cool"?

The first dishwasher I remember having was a portable. I can't think of the name of it but it was top loading and had one silver dial on it I think and it had the name "maid" in it? Boy did it clean!


Post# 618317 , Reply# 24   8/19/2012 at 06:52 (4,239 days old) by jamiel (Detroit, Michigan and Palm Springs, CA)        

jamiel's profile picture
First DW...a 1950s James which we got from my great-grandmother in Tulsa, OK. White with stainless interior and racks. Smaller than the normal 24" box...would say it was probably 24" wide by 20" deep. Portable on wheels. The lid did lift up to dry. Just like the PoDs which come up, except I don't recall that it had either the 180 degree rinse or a dispenser.

Second DW...a 1968 or so Sears front-load roto-rack portable (2 buttons, aqua interior, white formica top) which we connected permanently soon thereafter next to the sink

Third one: a 1959 Youngstown 30" in a house we moved in to...the one which comes up in the PoD. We kept it for all of 30 days before my mom said "out with it". It was spectacularly useless...we couldn't figure out how to load it, either.

1978 KA Imperial built-in in beeyoutiful coppertone (which my father and I had to jerryrig the build-in within the 30 inch space. Only lasted about 7 years, needed at least 1 motor replacement

1986 GE Potscrubber 1000 (had the good wash system and the turn-dial). My brother and I picked this one up at Slyman Brothers and just slung it in the back of the 1978 Accord he was driving at the time. We were amazed how lightweight it was (PermaTuf to the rescue). My mom really liked this one--it was a very good performer.


Post# 618318 , Reply# 25   8/19/2012 at 06:54 (4,239 days old) by AquaCycle (West Yorkshire, UK)        

aquacycle's profile picture

second hand 1989 Electrolux BW450 Slimline


Post# 618340 , Reply# 26   8/19/2012 at 10:58 (4,239 days old) by appnut (TX)        

appnut's profile picture

Mark, that first dishwasher was a Modern Maid.  Or it could have been a Mobile Maid made by GE.  Most likely the 2nd one. 


Post# 618420 , Reply# 27   8/19/2012 at 16:25 (4,239 days old) by mayguy (Minnesota)        

I don't now what brand/model it was that my parents had.. I think Dad picked up some where very cheap(used), but it only was used for a very short time.

Nothing for a long time till mid 80's got a Maytag portable. I got it from them when the remodel the kitchen. I had it till '01 when I moved to an apt. It still worked!



Post# 618477 , Reply# 28   8/19/2012 at 19:05 (4,239 days old) by Rolls_rapide (.)        

First one that my parents ever had, was bought by me in 1987, a Zanussi DW400.

The first one that was owned by myself in my own flat, was a Hoover "Optima" D820.


Post# 618570 , Reply# 29   8/20/2012 at 07:05 (4,238 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)        
Pink Early 60s Frigidaire Portable DW

combo52's profile picture

Roger I have such a DW that needs a new home, the machine runs and had very little use [ inside looks like new ], but it is missing the wood top, needs new hoses and probably should be repainted, contact me or anyone else for that matter,      John.


Post# 618708 , Reply# 30   8/20/2012 at 16:21 (4,238 days old) by jerrod6 (Southeastern Pennsylvania)        

If my memory is correct:

 

The first Dw I ever knew was my aunts KD10.  I never used it, but would sit in the kitchen and watch her load and run it while she was cleaning the kitchen after dinner.  I loved to hear that thing run.  

 

It actually might not have been a 10.  I think Robert made a video of a 10 with glass installed.  This DW looked exactly like Roberts with the blue arm, timer at the bottom and all,  but I think it acted different in that it did not wait until all of the water was in to start spraying.  The motor/pump would come on and the water would start running in all at the same time, then after 30 seconds the arm would start to rotate, slowly at first and then pick up speed as the water continued to enter.  So maybe this was a KD11 or KD12.

 

The next was the KDS-16.  This was my parents, so I used it quite a bit when helping with the dishes.

 

Next was a KDS 17 that I used in my first apartment.

 

Next was a KDS-18 that was in my first house when I bought it.

 

Last was a KDS -15 that was in my current house when I bought it.

 

So I guess it was the Hobart KitchenAids for a long time.

 

 


Post# 619037 , Reply# 31   8/21/2012 at 19:23 (4,237 days old) by peterlondon (london uk)        
first dishwasher

Mine was a mexican called jaun,but thats another story!

Post# 619121 , Reply# 32   8/22/2012 at 06:16 (4,237 days old) by fido ()        
Watch this space!

I've not yet got my first dishwasher or tumble dryer although such machines have passed through my sheds to be sold on or broken for spares.

Post# 619140 , Reply# 33   8/22/2012 at 08:27 (4,236 days old) by vacbear58 (Sutton In Ashfield, East Midlands, UK)        
Philip0603

vacbear58's profile picture
I see we are almost the same age :)

My parents first and only dishwasher was a later version of your parent's Colston - the Jetstream 303. It was OK I suppose .....

From posting on here I believe that your Swanmaid is based on early Kitchenaid models. You know, this machine featured loads of times in magazine and yet I have never seen one crop up on ebay. Surprisingly although a few 1950s have, I can only think of one from the 1960s - ChesterMike's Hoover/Rex/Janussi Autojet. Whilst I appreciate they were not very popular you would have expected the odd Kenwood (FL not TL) to show up.

My first dishwasher was a 1980 Philips 2000SL, lasted 8 years.

And believe it or not my current daily driver is a Miele 646SC, not sure if it a plus or not

Al


Post# 619185 , Reply# 34   8/22/2012 at 11:55 (4,236 days old) by Philip0603 ()        

Al, '58 was a good year though I see you are a few days older than me!!!!!!!

Whoops! Funny really, you have this white box in the kitchen, and it has been in-situ for ever, then you take a look at the front and guess what? It's not the PLUS. Put the plus model into a friends kitchen when we re-modeled it.

As far as the dishwasher is concerned I think that a company in the '90's were buying old ones allegedly to refurbish them. I remember working in a cafe that had the commercial version. Same machine 2 x 3Kw elements in the kettle. Did wash in 14 minutes or so.

P.


Post# 619191 , Reply# 35   8/22/2012 at 12:10 (4,236 days old) by Docker (Cape Town, South Africa)        
An Indesit 2116

that I had from 1985 until 2006. I still think that it cleaned better than the Bosch that replaced it.

Post# 619244 , Reply# 36   8/22/2012 at 15:27 (4,236 days old) by super32 (Blackstone Massachusetts)        

super32's profile picture
As a kid, we had an old WU482. As an adult it was a GE 2800.

Post# 619313 , Reply# 37   8/22/2012 at 21:57 (4,236 days old) by bwoods ()        
first dishwashers

let's see...

My family-- 1968 we first got a dishwasher, Modern Maid with "Robin's Egg
Blue" interior, Often left ground up bits of food deposited
deposited on glassware. Replaced with GE Potscrubber in 1973 with
celery green platisol interior. A really good machine. Quantum leap
improvement.

1st Apt-- 1980 Whirlpool dishwasher. Noisy, but gave dishes a very good
scrubbing. Large food wastes tended to collect in the removable
removable trap. Typical to all Whirlpools I have owned glassware
and dishware didn't have the shine and sparkle like GE, and I had a
water softener. But overall a competent machine and did pots/pans
well

1st condo-- GE 1200 rapid advance timer machine (3 final rinse model). with mult-
multi-oribt wash arm. Excelled in producing sparkling glassware and
about as close to perfection as a dishwasher could come

1st house-- GE 2800G What can you say about a classic of classics? Had it had
a third final rinse, it would have met my idea of perfection


Post# 619347 , Reply# 38   8/22/2012 at 23:44 (4,236 days old) by JoeEkaitis (Rialto, California, USA)        

joeekaitis's profile picture



House came with the cheapest Hotpoint builder's special, replaced it with a Maytag 3-rack (call me naive) and when that one gave up the ghost, bought a Kenmore model 1389 with my final bonus from work. Kenmore's still cleaning like a champ. We let it have some me-time with a quart of white vinegar every four weeks.




Post# 619397 , Reply# 39   8/23/2012 at 03:14 (4,236 days old) by DishwasherRules (Italy)        

dishwasherrules's profile picture
My parents' first dishwasher, which came with the kitchen furniture they bought just before getting married, was a 1974 Rex (Zanussi) Special S2-85 more or less like the one shown in the YouTube video I'm providing below my post, although ours was a higher-end machine without central feeding to the upper rack and a built-in water softener. It lasted till 1990 and was a good performer despite being as noisy as a steel mill.
My first was an AEG Oko_Favorit 80850 I bought in 2002 when moving out of my folks' place. It was the TOL model for that dishwasher range but only lasted 4 years...


CLICK HERE TO GO TO DishwasherRules's LINK


Post# 619443 , Reply# 40   8/23/2012 at 09:03 (4,235 days old) by firedome (Binghamton NY & Lake Champlain VT)        
John ...

firedome's profile picture
I'd be interested in the Frigidaire, this is a spin tube? will call...

Post# 620734 , Reply# 41   8/27/2012 at 20:46 (4,231 days old) by mixfinder ()        
Tubed

My first dishwasher was a 1964 Frigidaire portable spin tube with a wood top.  It cleaned well if loaded correctly. 


Post# 767223 , Reply# 42   7/1/2014 at 11:11 (3,558 days old) by BEHZAD (Home Appliances Lab)        
MY FIRST DISHWASHER

HEY
my first was AEG-TELEFUNKEN FAVORIT TS,
extremely powerful and good


Post# 767380 , Reply# 43   7/2/2014 at 06:19 (3,558 days old) by richardlxixxx (Old Westbury, New York)        
First Dishwasher

richardlxixxx's profile picture
My family's first dishwasher was a TOL Kitchenaid Superbad by Hobart purchase in 1963. It was still going strong and in perfect condition when the house was sold in 1998. In 35 years of heavy use, it never had a problem. A tribute to the way appliances used to be manufactured.

Richard


Post# 767382 , Reply# 44   7/2/2014 at 06:22 (3,558 days old) by mrb627 (Buford, GA)        
1ST

mrb627's profile picture
The first dishwasher I purchased for myself was a Kitchenaid. Although it was a Whirlpool built machine, I suspect. And as far as I know, it is still washing away in the house across the street.

Malcolm


Post# 767496 , Reply# 45   7/2/2014 at 16:45 (3,557 days old) by miele4life (UK )        

the 1st dishwasher we had was a Hoover CrystalJet D820 from May 2000-September 2008, it was reliable but it wasn't exactly the best @ cleaning though, should of had a Zanussi with it's nice sounding timer and pump lol. :)




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