Thread Number: 48379
/ Tag: Vintage Dishwashers
Re-conditioned Kitchenaid Hobart Dishwashers |
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Post# 701123 , Reply# 1   9/4/2013 at 11:26 (3,858 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)   |   | |
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Most people here can appreciate your dilemma - "modern" electronic controls on today's dishwashers are a frequent source of frustration, to say nothing of expense. Your feeling that a vintage KitchenAid would be a good way to go is correct - they're very sturdy, and when they're in good repair, very reliable.
As you note, the problem is finding a good one. I do not know of anyone who has a business doing complete refurbishment of vintage KitchenAid machines. The best suggestion I can come up with here is for you to start looking at your local Craigslist for vintage machines, and then be willing to roll up your sleeves and learn about refurbishing one yourself. Here are some pointers about selecting one from a Craigslist seller: 1- KitchenAid model numbers in the vintage years always began with the letters "KD," followed by another letter. The third letter specified the model: "C" was Custom (the bottom-of-the-line, or BOL), "I" was the middle-of-the-line (MOL) Imperial and "S" was the top-of-the-line (TOL) Superba. So, a KDS-19 would be a 19-Series TOL Superba. 2- Most KitchenAid customers went whole-hog and bought the Superba, so they're the most plentiful machine out there. If you have a choice, a Superba always has a few more features than other models, and is a little more satisfying to own. 3- You should check certain areas for damage. The condition of the inner porcelain tub is very important. You should try to find a unit with a tub that is still shiny and with no rust. A dull tub could have mineral buildup, which is removable, or it could be dull from age or poor treatment, which is not fixable. The major area to check for rust is called the "sump"; this is the indented area in the middle of the tub's bottom, where the filter and wash arm hub are located. Rust here can be major, unless it's surface rust or rust stains from something else. Rusted racks are also a problem, but you can usually find a replacement rack here or on eBay. 4- You should rotate the wash arm, and see if it spins without grinding or chattering noises; those could indicate a worn wash arm support. Supports can be a little tricky to replace, due to parts scarcity. 5- Do not listen to anything a seller tells you about how "It was working fine when we took it out," or "I don't know nothin' about it - we got it with the house." Do your own inspection, and make up your own mind. 6- Try to resist buying the first machine you find. You would be amazed how often machines with very low use turn up - maybe it was in a house where the wife didn't like dishwashers, or she got it as a gift when she didn't really want one. Keep your eyes open. 7- KitchenAid is now owned by Whirlpool, and parts for older machines are not as easy to get as they used to be when KitchenAid was part of Hobart. This group can help you find resources for parts, so don't let that bother you. 8- You need a service manual for whatever machine you get. This site's sister site, Automatic Ephemera, sells downloadable PDF copies of some of them. A service manual is the same book that Hobart service technicians were trained with back in the day. Go to: www.automatice.org... to see what's available. It's a lot! 9- If all else fails, stevet here is the King of KitchenAid; he knows everything. Asking him gets a solid, knowledgeable answer. 10- Shipping a machine from another part of the country can cost some real money, but it's a good way to get a better machine than you can find locally. Look at it this way: Let's say you find a really nice machine in New York State for $150, and shipping is going to be $300. You will not find a new TOL dishwasher for $450, so don't get too hung up on shipping cost. Good luck, and keep us posted on your adventures! You will feel very lost and confused at first, and you will quickly progress to "I can do this!" And again, welcome. |
Post# 701125 , Reply# 2   9/4/2013 at 11:29 (3,858 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)   |   | |
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Post# 701314 , Reply# 3   9/5/2013 at 03:57 (3,857 days old) by volsboy1 (East Tenn Smoky mountains )   |   | |
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Hotpoint makes dishwasher's with mechanical timers don't they?We put those in our rentals they clean really well and real easy to fix. We had to stop buying any electronic dishwasher because they would be broken all the time when we lease them. I don't know how long standard tub dishwasher's will be around G.E. seems to be changing everything to that new wash system the standard tub cost 400 bucks but they last... |
Post# 701389 , Reply# 4   9/5/2013 at 14:57 (3,856 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)   |   | |
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Welcome to the forum!
I just sorta went through this, so here's a link to my thread: www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/T... To be honest, I bought the first machine I found, and it was found in Shopper Square post from someone that saw it on craigslist. It was the first machine I saw and bought... Honestly its in better condition than other machines I have seen since my purchase, but I purchased another one just for the parts. If you find a portable, don't skip over it. They can easily be converted to built-ins. This site is an amazing wealth of knowledge. It's taught me a lot! The people here are great! Happy Hunting! |
Post# 702977 , Reply# 5   9/12/2013 at 19:46 (3,849 days old) by cursillista ()   |   | |
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Found a Craigslist ad for one. Lady says its an Imperial 21. She does not know more. What do y'all know about that model? See picture. |
Post# 703060 , Reply# 6   9/13/2013 at 06:52 (3,849 days old) by mattntn (Jackson, TN)   |   | |
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Thanks for all the pointers! I'm also starting the hunt for my first classic appliance - a "real" KitchenAid! Happy hunting to us all! |
Post# 703113 , Reply# 8   9/13/2013 at 12:44 (3,848 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR)   |   | |
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..and I think it is a great machine. It does a GREAT job at cleaning and looks like a nice find. I don't know what she wants for it, nor do I know what the racks look like. The rails on the upper rack tend to rust on these. It it's cheap enough it's something I would grab. I want mine to run forever so as I find parts on eBay I pick them up. I just picked up a Wash Arm support for $30 and a timer for $40 so the parts are around. Racks do come up from time to time. I would grab it if it were me.
Here is a video of it washing and a pic of the control panel. Yours is very close to this one. |
Post# 703229 , Reply# 9   9/14/2013 at 07:18 (3,848 days old) by mattntn (Jackson, TN)   |   | |
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Did you find yours with the stainless steel panels? Or can they be made? Great machine!!!! |
Post# 703237 , Reply# 10   9/14/2013 at 09:28 (3,848 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)   |   | |
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mine! I did a complete rebuild , its not that hard with these machines.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO Jetcone's LINK |
Post# 703248 , Reply# 11   9/14/2013 at 11:52 (3,848 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR)   |   | |
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I got mine from Habitat and it was pretty beat up but ironically underneath was spotless. It's taken a lot of cleaning and I have had to replace the Wash Arm Support (thanks stevet) and the heater in the flow through dryer (thanks stevet). I just replaced the Rinse Aid Dispenser because that quit working. Other than that it is working beautifully and does a great job.
Do an eBay search for B-241677. That is the part number for the Stainless Panels for this machine. They have been coming up often lately. I think someone, somewhere has a stash of them. That's where I got mine. This is what mine looked like at Habitat when I bought it. |
Post# 703254 , Reply# 12   9/14/2013 at 12:15 (3,847 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR)   |   | |
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Post# 703256 , Reply# 13   9/14/2013 at 13:24 (3,847 days old) by cursillista ()   |   | |
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Will these panels fit my KDI-21? |
Post# 703261 , Reply# 14   9/14/2013 at 13:43 (3,847 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)   |   | |
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Yes, those panels will fit. The determining factor is the presence or absence of the "frame kit" around the edges of the door and access panel, and your Imperial has that.
The "frame kit" is the bright-metal strips around the edges of the doors. You remove one of the side strips, and loosen the one on the other side. You then slide out one of the panels in place (there should be two reversible panels, one on top of the other, to give color options for white, black, Almond and Harvest; you need to leave one panel in for proper spacing), and slide in the stainless panel. It's really very easy, and as you can see from the machine above, it gives a very current, updated look. |
Post# 703266 , Reply# 15   9/14/2013 at 15:25 (3,847 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)   |   | |
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Post# 710514 , Reply# 17   10/20/2013 at 23:57 (3,811 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)   |   | |
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Post# 711056 , Reply# 18   10/23/2013 at 13:08 (3,808 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)   |   | |
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Post# 790737 , Reply# 20   10/26/2014 at 20:22 (3,440 days old) by funktionalart (Rison, AR)   |   | |
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I have a BARELY used timer and control panel from a KDC18 (Custom model, not Imperial). I also kept the interior porcelain door liner. If these are of use to anyone, message me here. Came off a machine I bought so I could have a nice motor/pump for my KDS20. There's maybe a week or two of use on this timer--the machine was basically unused for its lifetime.
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Post# 791709 , Reply# 21   11/2/2014 at 12:12 (3,433 days old) by firedome (Binghamton NY & Lake Champlain VT)   |   | |
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Post# 791787 , Reply# 23   11/3/2014 at 08:54 (3,433 days old) by firedome (Binghamton NY & Lake Champlain VT)   |   | |
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Post# 791839 , Reply# 25   11/3/2014 at 15:30 (3,432 days old) by firedome (Binghamton NY & Lake Champlain VT)   |   | |
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Post# 791956 , Reply# 26   11/4/2014 at 05:54 (3,432 days old) by stevet (West Melbourne, FL)   |   | |
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For the tip, Roger. I am going to check that out. We used to have a County forum that people would post such notices on but if has kind of fizzled out. |
Post# 1104090 , Reply# 27   1/10/2021 at 23:43 (1,172 days old) by Hyacinth (Hebo, Oregon)   |   | |
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Wondering if the door Gasket is a generic/common item ? Thanks, Hyacinth |
Post# 1104101 , Reply# 28   1/11/2021 at 03:09 (1,172 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR)   |   | |
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