Thread Number: 59444  /  Tag: Modern Dishwashers
Thoughts on the Frigidaire 2406 Series
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Post# 820483   4/22/2015 at 19:33 (3,262 days old) by washman (o)        

sold at Lowes.

This was the unit installed by the builder who sold me the home. I've done several loads in it and used Cascade Platinum paks and the Finish Powerball tabs.

Typically I run the load after it has sat for some time. This means food and beverages have plenty of time to really get baked on and hardened. This is certainly a stern test for any dishwasher.

It has 3 cycles, heavy, normal, light. All my washing was done on the normal cycle.

Other than, like the GE, the drying element not staying on long enough to really get stuff dry, this basic machine works quite well. Right off the bat, the wash pressure is much stronger than the GE as it flipped over my microwave bacon tray within the first 15 seconds of wash. This was on the lower rack.

It seems to spend more time, overall, powering the lower wash arm than it does the top arms however I have not noticed any lack of cleaning for the top rack. 5 day old cereal bowls with dried bran flakes are removed without a trace. Ashtrays cleaned completely when using Cascade; Finish leaves some ash residue behind.

The biggest drawback is the noise. It is without a doubt the noisiest unit I have owned to date. You can really hear the water splashing around during the cycle. As such with the open living plan where the kitchen, dining area, and living room are all one area, I usually run it before retiring to bed or before I leave for work in the AM.

It does have a water heat option which I use. It has a glass trap that is a pain to remove but alas, no filter to clean. You can delay the wash start by 2,4, or 6 hours. I have never used this feature on any machine. I use Jet Dry rinse aid as per instructions.

While Frig recommends the Finish powerball things, I get better results with the Cascade paks. I have the same water supplier as I did at the other place. Water temp incoming is about 135 give or take, from a Bradford White 220v electric water heater. Yes I set it higher than the lukewarm 120 factory setting.

Wash time does indeed vary. I clocked the quickest at 1 hour 40 minutes to just over 2 hours again using the normal cycle. It is about 23 feet from WH to dishwasher and my plumbing is under a concrete slab and the water comes out very cold during this time of year. At least the DW can sense that and extends the cycle as needed for the water temp to come up. That I can appreciate.

Loading is certainly different than the GE. The plates will tilt towards the right no matter how I arrange them. Same with bowls up top, they will tilt forward when placed on the tines as indicated in the manual.

The weakness is the silverware basket. Just a plastic basket with 5 open individual compartments that create a nesting situation with spoons. Would be nice if they had a lid for at least one to separate the spoons from each other. Also it is not very well secured, in fact I had to put 2 plastic ties to hold it against the lower rack because when removing things as it flopped around annoyingly.

First Frigidaire unit I have owned. I'm willing to bet this is a sub $400 unit. But having said that, it does the job albeit with lots of noise. Not much in the way of cycles and I cannot comment yet on heavy or the light cycle. It does not autosense anything except the incoming water temp. I have not used plain jane powder and probably won't since the Cascade paks seem to carry the freight just fine.

We'll see how it holds up. I am impressed with the force of water that comes from the lower arm. I mean the GE would NEVER tip over anything. As old school as I am, I do believe that some force is necessary to remove gunked on food. Along with plenty of HOT water to boot! If it lasts longer than the warranty then I would say thumbs up.





Post# 820491 , Reply# 1   4/22/2015 at 21:16 (3,262 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)        

frigilux's profile picture
Thanks for the review, Ben. Glad to hear a new, lower-end Frigidaire model cleans well. I replaced a problematic, noisy MOL KitchenAid--one of the first years (mid/late 90's maybe?) every model had a stainless steel tub--with a substantially quieter TOL Frigidaire which cleaned everything but really crusty pots/pans very well.

I was living in a warehouse apartment at the time, so the quieter Frigidaire was a welcome relief. Bought a house a couple of years later and put a stainless steel TOL Frigidaire in the kitchen. It also performed well, but after replacing two control panels under warranty (the START pad failed both times) I went with a Maytag, which cleaned pots/pans well and had better racking.

I prefer Cascade pacs over Finish, as well. I'm using Member's Mark pacs now, but still have one container of Cascade Platinum in the pantry. Funny how ashtrays are a good test for dishwashers and detergents, but it's true; I remember that from my smoking days.

Keep us posted about the dishwasher's reliability. Too bad it isn't quieter, but if it gets the job done then there are probably more pressing things you need to spend money on in the new place.


Post# 820543 , Reply# 2   4/23/2015 at 06:07 (3,262 days old) by joeypete (Concord, NH)        

joeypete's profile picture
I have the 2445…it's higher MOL I'd say. A Gallery model, does not have stainless interior, but a speckled gray. I've had it since October and it's been an excellent dishwasher. I looked at the BOL models but I'm glad a picked a quieter one, due to the location in my condo. I liked the quality of the Frigidaire's…they seem to be solidly built. I've always had GE dishwashers but the new ones seemed more flimsy to me…though they have beautiful designs!

Keep us posted and congrats!


Post# 820558 , Reply# 3   4/23/2015 at 07:59 (3,262 days old) by washdaddy (Baltimore)        

I have in my apartment a Frigidaire unit FFBD2407LW1C that they provided when the older model Kenmore (rebadged GE) finally bit the bucket. (Thank God!)

It sounds like we have similar machines by what you describe althoough yours has the stainless ext. panel and mine is white. Besides the cycles you mentioned mine does have a rinse n hold cycle also.

I have been relatively happy with the dishwasher since it's been here. Although I thought that I might go nuts over the cycle times but I have adjusted to it. I just run the DW when I go to bed and unload it when I wake up. The one thing I always do before running it is run the hot tap at the sink to ensure hot water from the start plus also do it to the DW as well.

I use the Finish Quantum tablets and that's it. I've never tried the Cascade packs.
Was using the loose detergents but wasn't happy with the performance. I also use the Normal cycle, temp boost, and heated dry. The one thing that I do when loading is put the plates on the door side of the rack and put everything else in the back of the lower rack. I do that to ensure that the detergent cup isn't getting blocked by any large pans that I may have in there. The machine does alternate between racks when washing and it does make a little bit of noise but not like the old machine that was here. The more packed it is the quieter it is. The vinyl on the racks doesn't seem to be the greatest. I have seen a little nick here and there in the year that it's been here. I would expect it to last longer than that.

We will see what happens. I'm just glad the old machine is gone- it was too noisy, and I hated the way it loaded.



Post# 820634 , Reply# 4   4/23/2015 at 15:09 (3,262 days old) by cuffs054 (MONTICELLO, GA)        

I've had my gallery for years (12) its been great. Switched from Cascade Plat powder to the tabs, I'm not keen on them. Why have two "wash" cycles when only one detergent dump? Currently using regular Cascade powder as a test. Seems to be doing well. Going to be interesting to see how my thrift store Whirlmore does in new house.

Post# 824199 , Reply# 5   5/19/2015 at 17:09 (3,236 days old) by cuffs054 (MONTICELLO, GA)        

Not sure the regular Cascade test is going so well. Last bob load did not come out completely clean. I had let some of the dishes sit for a couple of days (ok, five) but the DW assured me that the load was Clean and Sanitized. It lied. A plastic cutting board looks to have mildew (?) growing on it and one of the coffee mugs looks funky in the bottom. Both got a liberal dose of bleach.
I also note that the dw doesn't smell as nice as with the Plat Packs. Rinse aid light is off so it must have some in it. Looks like I'll be going back to X number of rinses and only one soap wash!


Post# 824210 , Reply# 6   5/19/2015 at 17:59 (3,235 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY)        
Get this!

mark_wpduet's profile picture
When my house was built in 2004, the builder installed a BOL Whirlpool. I think it had ONE turn dial and a switch to switch air dry/to heat dry. It was POWERFUL and noisy. About six months went by, and I got A MOL (at that time) Whirlpool which was much quieter, and was the point voyager, to replace the builder model. I'm not sure what wash system the builder model used, but I sold that to my friend Joanne, (who's dishwasher died) and she was remodeling her kitchen and she wanted something white, so she was happy to buy it. Well, 9 years went by, and NEW dishwasher I bought for myself to upgrade from the builder model died, while the builder grade dishwasher I sold to my friend still LIVES ON!!! LOL

Sometimes I think the simple lower end machines can last longer, which is totally the case with my situation....

Glad to hear the dishwasher is working well. But once you get used to a quiet dishwasher, I can imagine going to one of the louder ones would be such a pain.


Post# 824221 , Reply# 7   5/19/2015 at 19:03 (3,235 days old) by appnut (TX)        

appnut's profile picture

I think some of the issue is just your Frigidaire dishwasher. 


Post# 824233 , Reply# 8   5/19/2015 at 20:10 (3,235 days old) by cuffs054 (MONTICELLO, GA)        

Oh, Appnut, you hurt my feelings...my Frig DW has been a joy (till now). Ok, maybe after 12 yrs it's beginning to slow down. I'm trying a different tactic tonight. I shall rpt back!

Post# 824252 , Reply# 9   5/19/2015 at 21:58 (3,235 days old) by washman (o)        
I agree with others on the noise

If I pack this thing as full as possible with pots, pans, and the like, it really isn't too loud.

I believe the noise is due to 1. less insulation than the GE at the condo, and 2. much stronger pump really pushing water against stuff at a higher velocity.

Nonetheless, it does clean well. I am impressed thus far. Now how long will it hold up before it needs replaced? Good guess!



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