Thread Number: 61039
/ Tag: Vintage Dishwashers
It came with the new house so.... |
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Post# 836615   8/14/2015 at 13:45 (3,176 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Yes folks, it's time once again for one of those 'Turquoisedude Torture Tests' involving a vintage dishwasher. Cover the kiddie's ears and send Granny to bed, just in case the language gets colourful...
So, while it wasn't a key factor in our decision to purchase the house in St-Liboire, I thought it was kinda interesting that the kitchen included a Maytag Jet-Clean dishwasher and on our second visit, I determined it was indeed a reverse-rack model.
It's a model WU404 and the serial number is 202018 BW. There may have been another marking between the '8' and the 'B' in the serial number - something may have been scratched off but I can't be sure.
It's pretty basic - the pushbutton seems to simply toggle the heating element on and off for washing and drying. The dial is self-explanatory - no push/pull functionality. I had initially thought this was one of the models where the drying heater was controlled that way but nope.
Before we moved in, I tried out the machine sans vaisselle to see if it worked and all seemed normal for the most part. We'll come to my initial observation in a moment... |
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Post# 836616 , Reply# 1   8/14/2015 at 13:50 (3,176 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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We've been in the house three days and I figured I'd batch up the dishes, glasses, cups, pots, and pans for the 'maiden wash'. I briefly owned a Maytag RR dishwasher back in the early days of Ogden so I remembered a little bit about how to load it. It held more than I remembered!!
The dishes were good and dirty, so I used the Pots and Pans dial setting and pressed the Sani Wash/Power Dry button.
Oh, and I didn't think to take a 'before' shot of that Corningware dish but it had been used to bake a tuna casserole (with Flair, of course). It wasn't that bad, though. |
Post# 836617 , Reply# 2   8/14/2015 at 13:53 (3,176 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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I was pretty well expecting this... The detergent dispenser didn't trip in the main wash; this was what I had observed in the water test I did about a week and a half ago. I flipped the lid manually and let the 'Tag do its thing for the rest of the cycle.
Overall, though, I observed no issues with leaks or funny noises. Timer runs smoothly and the machine is pretty darn quiet. I was a wee bit disappointed that there's no heated-air dry...
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Post# 836618 , Reply# 3   8/14/2015 at 13:59 (3,176 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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And for once it's a good 'but'!!
The wash results are what I would call TD-Rated - everything came out pretty darn clean. I found out this week that the water here is nice and hard (and a bit smelly, too) so despite that and with dried-on goo on the dishes, the 'Tag did a good job.
So, now I'll be having a look-see at how to fix that darned dispenser. I think I actually still have the one from the WU901 I sent to Kia a few years back and if I can find it, I'll see if I can swap it out. Are there any pitfalls associated with these dispensers or any 'dear heaven above DON'T do this...' tips that I should be aware of?
Now, I do have the '62 KDS54 in the new kitchen as well, so I don't have to rush, but I'd rather not run my lovely KA until I get a water-treatment system installed here. Yeah, I know...
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Post# 836690 , Reply# 4   8/14/2015 at 21:06 (3,175 days old) by toploader55 (Massachusetts Sand Bar, Cape Cod)   |   | |
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Post# 836691 , Reply# 5   8/14/2015 at 21:09 (3,175 days old) by mjg0619 (Scranton, Pennsylvania)   |   | |
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Post# 836699 , Reply# 6   8/14/2015 at 21:47 (3,175 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)   |   | |
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Is that a speck of shmutz on the side of the Corning pan? |
Post# 836802 , Reply# 7   8/15/2015 at 13:45 (3,175 days old) by nmassman44 (Brooksville Florida)   |   | |
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Post# 836805 , Reply# 8   8/15/2015 at 13:59 (3,175 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey)   |   | |
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very nice machine, definitely a keeper.....
congrats on the new house as well......but didn't they do a water test before you purchased it?, most times those water issues must be addressed....at least around here they do, if the water is too hard or has a bad taste/odor....a system to correct must be installed by the seller... keep us posted as to how you make out with that dispenser repair |
Post# 836813 , Reply# 9   8/15/2015 at 16:14 (3,175 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)   |   | |
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Martin, I know they did a water test as I drove Paul to the lab for the water analysis before the sale was concluded. I don't think any seller has to address issues with water or sewage systems here, it's the buyer's responsibility to check that and fix that (and adjust it's purchase price accordingly!). Most banks will require any serious issues with water (non drinkable or no septic system) to be fixed so the buyer can get a loan and municipalities often that the purchaser of a house with a septic system that's not respecting the current norms will update it but they rarely ask long time owners who bought or built their homes when septic tanks weren't even required unless their sewage water causes nuisance to neighbors or to a lake or river nearby.
I know people who just can't drink the water from their well and can't find adequate treatment for it. I did drink Paul's water when we moved the appliances and he warned me about the taste and odor (and so did Chris later!) but I could barely smell or taste anything wrong! I have extremely hard water at the garage where I store my appliances, I drink it too (it doesn't have any taste or odor but it's very hard and a single drop will leave a white deposit).
Mike, I think Paul was hoping his Maytag dishwasher had forced air drying like his Kitchen Aid.
Were there ever Maytag reverse rack dishwashers made with this feature? |
Post# 836819 , Reply# 10   8/15/2015 at 17:13 (3,175 days old) by appnut (TX)   |   | |
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Post# 836840 , Reply# 12   8/15/2015 at 21:24 (3,174 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)   |   | |
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I guess I haven't looked closely enough at mine!
I still can find blowers.
Where are they exactly??
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PhilR's LINK |
Post# 836845 , Reply# 14   8/15/2015 at 21:37 (3,174 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)   |   | |
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Post# 836846 , Reply# 15   8/15/2015 at 21:47 (3,174 days old) by bwoods ()   |   | |
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Here is a picture from someone's link, you can see the vent or hood in the right corner.
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Post# 836852 , Reply# 17   8/15/2015 at 22:24 (3,174 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)   |   | |
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Forced air drying didn't come until the mid-70's. My WU-601 does not have it, just like Phil's. Maytag's system used the element in the tank and blew room-temp air into the tank whereas the KitchenAid used an external air heater outside the tank. The blower in the Maytag helped, but KA still had the better system overall.
Check the belt on your machine, Paul. The dispenser circuit is wired through a switch in the motor and until the motor has sufficient load, it will not complete this circuit. If the belt is loose and not lubed properly, it will cause this failure. Also check the water valve and ensure the machine is getting sufficient charge of water as this can cause the dispenser to not open in the main wash, too. |
Post# 836854 , Reply# 18   8/15/2015 at 22:36 (3,174 days old) by bwoods ()   |   | |
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Phil, have you noticed any difference in washability between the direct drive and the belt drive? |
Post# 836855 , Reply# 19   8/15/2015 at 22:39 (3,174 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)   |   | |
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Barry, I haven't hooked up my Maytags yet. I gave a WU601 to a friend but I still have another one waiting to be connected next to the WU600 so I can compare them!
I wasn't aware that Samantha used a WU600 in an episode of Bewitched! I'll have to look for that episode! I currently have the Frigidaire Custom Imperial Spray Tube dishwasher at home, just like the one she had in the early seasons of Bewitched and a similar 1964 refrigerator. |
Post# 836858 , Reply# 20   8/15/2015 at 22:49 (3,174 days old) by bwoods ()   |   | |
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It was Season 8, Episodes 21 and 22 (a two parter) "George Washington Zapped Here." |
Post# 836859 , Reply# 21   8/15/2015 at 23:03 (3,174 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)   |   | |
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Post# 837071 , Reply# 22   8/17/2015 at 14:55 (3,173 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)   |   | |
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Got it, a WU-600 in Harvest Gold!
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Post# 837159 , Reply# 23   8/18/2015 at 04:58 (3,172 days old) by askolover (South of Nash Vegas, TN)   |   | |
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Post# 837209 , Reply# 25   8/18/2015 at 10:38 (3,172 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)   |   | |
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Post# 837291 , Reply# 26   8/18/2015 at 22:58 (3,171 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)   |   | |
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Here are some appliance shots from that episode, the WU-600, a harvest gold gas dryer (can't tell the series but it doesn't seem to be a 806). It seems that they also had a few Westinghouse-inspired paintings on the wall!
I don't know what's the brand of the side by side fridge or the wall oven. |
Post# 837324 , Reply# 27   8/19/2015 at 07:07 (3,171 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Post# 837335 , Reply# 28   8/19/2015 at 10:02 (3,171 days old) by whitetub (Montreal, Canada)   |   | |
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It's funny how they put black tape on the Maytag name, on the dishwasher and the dryer. I wish we could still buy these appliances, brand new. Martha Washington was lucky to witness these marvels.. lol. |
Post# 837336 , Reply# 29   8/19/2015 at 10:08 (3,171 days old) by bwoods ()   |   | |
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Good screen shots, Phil. I never even noticed the Westinghouse appliance renderings on the wall. You have a good eye! |
Post# 837359 , Reply# 30   8/19/2015 at 15:35 (3,171 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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I had a look at the rear of the tub and there is a vent port as described; I did a little messing around with the fan and found it had gotten stuck. During last night's test wash, I felt hot air blowing out through the door vent, so methinks I got pure dumb lucky here!! A heated dry was the only way to go last night with nearly 90% humidity here... But it seems to work now, so YAY!
I also found a supply valve to the dishwasher (it's all permanently connected copper pipe - THAT's gonna fun when I remove the dishwasher for the installation of new floor tiles...); it wasn't quite open all the way. I opened it up fully and during last night's run, the detergent opened at least partially in the main wash phase of the cycle. A little more tinkering will be required, I think. I will need to pop the front panels at some point soon anyway - I think they'll be undergoing a colour transplant. Unless I suddenly decide that the '58 Spin Tube needs to be paired up with other Frigidaires... LOL
But so far, to say the machine has been exposed to seriously hard water all its life, it's doing a pretty decent job of cleaning! I'll continue to observe, though... |
Post# 837385 , Reply# 31   8/19/2015 at 19:55 (3,170 days old) by Kenmore71 (Minneapolis, MN)   |   | |
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Post# 837393 , Reply# 32   8/19/2015 at 20:21 (3,170 days old) by bwoods ()   |   | |
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We trust you, Mark!! |
Post# 837423 , Reply# 33   8/20/2015 at 06:59 (3,170 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)   |   | |
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I believe you, too! I'm kinda surprised it was that late in the 70's, how interesting. My mother's aunt bought a TOL Maytag around 78-79 for their new house "in town" when they retired from the farm (also had a TOL Maytag there) and I remember watching for the burst of steam laden air when the fan would start.
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Post# 837506 , Reply# 34   8/20/2015 at 19:06 (3,169 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Really helped a lot, before they added a blower MT was besieged with complaints about drying performance by customers that had had a KA, a Whirlpool and even a GE DW before they got the MT, [ D&M-KM DWs were also lousy at drying ]
MT RR DWs drying problem was the vent in the door was too small and not high enough on the door, so little if any drying took place unless the heater was still on, and what really made matters bad for many users was having the SWB in the top rack, if you didn't remember to pull out the top rack first and unload and remove the SWB all the water in the webbing in the basket would shower the items in the lower rack. MT redesigned the SWB several times trying to minimize this problem.
In some ways it was a shame that the MT RR DWs were discontinued , they were one of the last of many unconventional DW designs that were built in the post WW2 period, sometimes you just can't win with a different idea in this world.
But for MT it was a great decision to change to a conventional design machine, DW sales nearly doubled in just a few years for MT after they abandoned this unusual and widely hated design [ by most of their customers ]. |
Post# 837509 , Reply# 35   8/20/2015 at 19:55 (3,169 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Post# 837516 , Reply# 36   8/20/2015 at 20:27 (3,169 days old) by appnut (TX)   |   | |
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Post# 837583 , Reply# 38   8/21/2015 at 07:31 (3,169 days old) by Combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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I worked with Maytag for many years and I have far more experience with customers and dishwashers than you will ever have. I have literally talked to hundreds of customers about their experiences with this and many other dishwashers I found very few customers that really liked this machine none were too disappointed when we replaced with a different brand DW either.
I attended dozens of Maytag sales meetings and it was a constant selling job to sell and resell this dishwasher to customers because it's unusual design.
Maytag could have easily built a reverse rack plastic tub machine and brought the cost down but THEY made the decision to abandon it and sales took off after that the facts are facts the price did not come down that much if at all on MT DWs dishwashers after the change they were still charging premium prices. This post was last edited 08/21/2015 at 09:17 |
Post# 837601 , Reply# 40   8/21/2015 at 10:05 (3,169 days old) by pierreandreply4 (St-Bruno de montarville (province of quebec) canada)   |   | |
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Post# 837609 , Reply# 41   8/21/2015 at 10:50 (3,169 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Post# 837613 , Reply# 42   8/21/2015 at 11:10 (3,169 days old) by countryguy (Astorville, ON, Canada)   |   | |
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I bought my Maytag RR new in November '91 from the local dealer when I moved into my house. The RR was great...cleaned everything, top and bottom rack, was very versatile in loading IMO, dried everything well including plastics and the cycles were quick. The only complaint would be the noise compared to today's dishwashers.
Gary |
Post# 837689 , Reply# 43   8/21/2015 at 19:20 (3,168 days old) by toploader55 (Massachusetts Sand Bar, Cape Cod)   |   | |
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Post# 838326 , Reply# 44   8/26/2015 at 08:36 (3,164 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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So I did some baking yesterday and that generated some dirty dishes and baked on residues. What better to test the Maytag WU404 with!
Lets see what happens with that Corningware loaf pan in a 'Pots And Pans' cycle... |
Post# 838327 , Reply# 45   8/26/2015 at 08:40 (3,164 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Some good news - the detergent cup is tripping all by itself again! I think it may have been stuck with old detergent residue (I extracted the remains of a couple of tabs...) and I somehow think the former owner didn't use this machine all that frequently.
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Post# 838328 , Reply# 46   8/26/2015 at 08:44 (3,164 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Not great, alas.... Not as bad as the recent Torture Test of the '65 Kenmore Roto-Rack but still a tad disappointing. I hate to say it, but I think the '70 Mobile Maid would have been better able to cope with this. I think next time I'll have to try out the KDS54 and see how it does.
Fear not, I am not rushing to decommission the 'Tag yet. It will have to be removed at some point though (I want to install a new floor in the kitchen - that linoleum is kinda awful...). You can start taking bets on whether it gets re-installed or if a certain '58 turquoise Spin-Tube takes its place. LOL
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Post# 838336 , Reply# 47   8/26/2015 at 10:12 (3,164 days old) by pierreandreply4 (St-Bruno de montarville (province of quebec) canada)   |   | |
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Post# 838398 , Reply# 48   8/26/2015 at 19:18 (3,163 days old) by nmassman44 (Brooksville Florida)   |   | |
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Well wait a minute there...what did you use for a detergent? And how hot was your water? I have found with a Maytag JetClean reverse rack dishwasher that they normally can clean anything you throw at them. That said, I had an issue with my WC302 that seemed to be losing wash power and come to find out that the lower arm split at the sides. It lost power in the lower arm and center tower and dishes were not washing well. Once the arm was replaced, the entire wash system was repressurized and it could clean anything I threw at it, and with a good detergent like Cascade.
The other thing is if you sprayed your pans with a nonstick spray before baking, that helps the dishwasher do its job properly too.... |
Post# 838469 , Reply# 50   8/27/2015 at 07:28 (3,163 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Mike - I am using Cascade powder at the moment (I figure if it cleans dishes in one of the impeller machines... LOL) and the hot water tank is set a 150. I also used the 'Sani Wash/Heated Dry' option on the Maytag to help boost the temperature. But the water here is pretty hard and I think the machine may have mineral build-up. I'm going to do a little more cleaning of the machine before the next load.
Funny, but I've tried using nonstick cooking sprays in the past and found they made no difference to soil removal in the dishwasher. Maybe the formulations of the products here in Canada are different, but I found that good old-fashioned greasing and flouring gave me better results (mostly when removing the finished product from the pans).
Brent - I guess I've had the same Corningware experiences you've had! I found they need a darn good soaking and scrubbing to loosen heavy soils! That's very likely why my Electromatic skillets are used as 'warmers' more than 'cookers'....
I'll do a little more tinkering with the Tag and hopefully we'll have a water treatment system in place soon!
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Post# 838470 , Reply# 51   8/27/2015 at 07:32 (3,163 days old) by countryguy (Astorville, ON, Canada)   |   | |
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Post# 838479 , Reply# 53   8/27/2015 at 07:56 (3,163 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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I use almost nothing but CW in oven cooking, mainly because it is an ideal cook-ware in my micro-thermal ovens. I DO use cooking spray which really helps it come clean. I always put the highly soiled items directly in the DW and am almost never disappointed with the results.
Water conditions probably did play a part in the poor cleaning performance here, but the other part is MTs poorly designed cycles on the RR DWs [ there was also never a Hobart KA DW that had well designed cycles for this really tough soil ], The other problem with the MT RR DWs is the lack of water movement and poor distribution patterns, [ you can even see in your test that one side of the dish is much cleaner than the other even though you had it placed in just about the best position possible. When I used to use Jon Cs TOL BD MT RR DW at his house at the cape I often took items out that got missed while everything around it was clean. These DWs just didn't throw the wall of water around that better DWs of the time did. |
Post# 838480 , Reply# 54   8/27/2015 at 08:05 (3,163 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)   |   | |
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Bread pans are the hardest for most any dishwasher I've used - new or vintage. Yeast bread, quick breads, etc. all the same when it comes to machine dishwashing. I should have tried a dried-on loaf pan in the GE 1200 I just put in the kitchen last weekend, but I presoaked the three Pyrex and ceramic loaf pans I used before putting them in. I'm pretty impressed with the GE so far, but have always liked the cleaning in a Maytag RR d/w.
Leslie may well be right about the modern d/w's and longer cycles, we've put some pretty scary stuff in my mom's Bosch and have never been disappointed.
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Post# 838483 , Reply# 55   8/27/2015 at 08:11 (3,163 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Post# 838488 , Reply# 57   8/27/2015 at 09:47 (3,163 days old) by A440 ()   |   | |
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Greg you new GE 1200 looks great in your kitchen! It looks so modern. |
Post# 838507 , Reply# 58   8/27/2015 at 14:53 (3,163 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Right, I figured I'd try cleaning that mesh filter on the Maytag sooner rather than later.
Here's what the tub, filter and cover looked like before cleaning. |
Post# 838509 , Reply# 59   8/27/2015 at 14:55 (3,163 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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And after a good soak and scrub (hmmm....sounds like a good name for a dishwasher cycle... LOL) here's what the filter and cover look like.
A bit of an improvement! |
Post# 838511 , Reply# 60   8/27/2015 at 14:57 (3,163 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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I also gave the tub a bit of a scrub followed by a Rinse and Hold cycle. It's looking better still! I need to find me some Zud for that rust at the rear of the tub (I think that may be the water inlet area) but even Hubby will be impressed.
Now, off to generate some dirty dishes for another test....
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Post# 838523 , Reply# 62   8/27/2015 at 15:33 (3,163 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Post# 838534 , Reply# 63   8/27/2015 at 18:10 (3,162 days old) by nmassman44 (Brooksville Florida)   |   | |
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Wow that's some serious stain at the water inlet Paul. Methinks you have a high iron content in your water. I would also check the water inlet valve to check the screen and possibly clear it if it's clogged with grit or worse.
As far as Maytag being a poor water recirculator, I beg to differ. Those reverse rack machine were power houses and I never had an issue with stuff in the corners not coming clean. Greg that GE 1200 is gorgeous! That dishwasher holds a ton of dishes and that Super upper rack holds an unbelievable amount of glasses and bowls. Washing is superb with that MultiOrbit wash arm too. As far as detergent goes Paul, I wonder if the Cascade Platinum pacs would work better than the Cascade powder your using, especially with your water conditions. The other thing I was thinking that your machine maybe direct drive and not belt driven. Those belt drive Maytags rumbled and I knew the dishwasher was running! |
Post# 838563 , Reply# 69   8/28/2015 at 05:21 (3,162 days old) by appnut (TX)   |   | |
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Post# 838569 , Reply# 70   8/28/2015 at 08:34 (3,162 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)   |   | |
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The individual's credentials were to explain to you how John had exposure to so many Maytag dishwashers which you questioned, not to argue for a machine's performance or lack thereof. |
Post# 838571 , Reply# 71   8/28/2015 at 08:57 (3,162 days old) by bwoods ()   |   | |
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glad to hear it tomturbomatic |
Post# 842997 , Reply# 74   9/27/2015 at 06:57 (3,132 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Sigh... I've got to try a little harder with that detergent cup problem - it's the last hurdle. Otherwise, I have been using the machine and since we got the water softening system, I am noticing a huge improvement in cleaning ability. It's just slightly inconvenient to have to hang around the machine and manually trip the main wash detergent cover; but I'll have to admit the 'Tag is cleaning well... |
Post# 854545 , Reply# 76   12/1/2015 at 13:00 (3,067 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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I have been using the Maytag here in St-Liboire reasonably often - I have to admit that most of the normal to heavy soiled stuff we throw at it (or in it is perhaps more appropriate...) does come out nice and clean. I've gotten used to the capacity and although I don't have a lot of front-loaders in regular use, I do find it's pretty easy to load and unload.
So last Friday, I decided to take off the front panel to see what exactly might be the issue with the detergent cup not tripping. I lucked out and found the original wiring schematic diagram tucked into the sound insulation on the inner panel - bonus! Now that I could get to it, I had to see if the bimetal trip lever was getting power during the main wash. I was very happy to see that it did. But the darn cup cover was still not getting released, so I looked a little closer... And then it hit me - that ridge on the cup cover 'wheel' was not being held down by the bimetal trip lever. The operating instructions said to turn the cup cover to the right after filling the main wash detergent cup. What it didn't say was 'the spring is not very tight, so give it two revs and you'll be fine'... I kid you not, that's all it was. I'm going to be doing some holiday baking in St-Liboire this week so I should have a test-load to try out very soon! Is this a normal wear issue for a Maytag of this vintage? Should I be looking for a replacement cup assembly or will this gap me through until I put in the Spin-Tube?? Oh, no wait, the front-load Roto-Rack... LOL
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Post# 854564 , Reply# 77   12/1/2015 at 13:52 (3,067 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR)   |   | |
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Uhem.............doesn't that sound like a fun change. I remember one of my apartments in college had one. Don't remember a lot about how it performed which probably means it performed well. Although that was about XX years ago and there is lots I don't remember from that time period.
The idea of a spin tube intrigues me but I don't know that I'd want one as a daily driver. I just don't know if they could handle the types of loads I'd throw at them. I could be wrong. I don't have one to test with and I don't think I've ever seen one in the area. |
Post# 855960 , Reply# 78   12/10/2015 at 08:23 (3,058 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Grumble... I seem to have found the cause of the detergent trip dilemma but I still haven't solved it!
Although I seem to have gotten the detergent cup to open during the main wash portion of the cycle, the cup spring seems to lack the recoil to fully open the cup, leading to wetting of the detergent rather than complete dissolution. So, methinks I need a new detergent cup assembly at worst, or the spring-loaded cam unit at best. I did some very basic searching and I'm not sure if these are the correct part numbers (902884) for the entire detergent cup and (902247) for the cam spring repair kit. I tried PartSelect and RepairClinic online - they had a listing for the parts and quelle surprise, they were both NLA.
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Post# 855962 , Reply# 79   12/10/2015 at 08:32 (3,058 days old) by toploader55 (Massachusetts Sand Bar, Cape Cod)   |   | |
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Post# 855979 , Reply# 80   12/10/2015 at 10:05 (3,058 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Post# 862546 , Reply# 81   1/18/2016 at 11:41 (3,019 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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I knew that back in 2009 or 2010 when I parted out the WU901 dishwasher that had been in Ogden originally I had passed the detergent dispenser along to someone. Well, that someone turned out to be Phil!
He very graciously gave me the dispenser when he came to visit in Ogden last week. But now that I'm back in St-Liboire, it's going to go back into active duty! |
Post# 862547 , Reply# 82   1/18/2016 at 11:42 (3,019 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Oh look! The 90s Maytags had a porthole window like the Youngstown Kitchens Jet-Tower machines... LOL
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Post# 862548 , Reply# 83   1/18/2016 at 11:43 (3,019 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Post# 862549 , Reply# 84   1/18/2016 at 11:46 (3,019 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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And while I had the front panel off AND I had to test the bimetal release anyway, I thought I'd shoot a short video of it tripping. The recoil of the spring in this version of the dispenser seems much more powerful than the newer one. Methinks the problem is now solved!
Since the 'Tag is going to stay after all, I think I'll have to paint one of those interchangeable colour-pack panels a kind of bluey-green... What's that called again? Oh yeah, Turquoise!!! LOL
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Post# 862761 , Reply# 85   1/19/2016 at 05:38 (3,018 days old) by toploader55 (Massachusetts Sand Bar, Cape Cod)   |   | |
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Post# 863474 , Reply# 86   1/22/2016 at 08:44 (3,015 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Oh Eddie... You know I'll always need you.. I still have to get a certain Coppertone machine, after all. LOL
So, as I mentioned in my thread about baking an Angel Cake in a glass tube pan, I figured that this would be a good test for the Maytag to see if adding detergent to the wash cycle at the right time really makes a difference.
It did! I regret that my photo of the pan before I ran the Pots And Pans cycle did not come out, but just look at the 'after' photo. It's clean as a whistle. I'm thrilled. Canyon was thrilled. Hubby...well, let's just say he's glad I'll not be doing a 'musical dishwashers' game in St-Lib anytime soon. Although the '58 Frigidaire Spin Tube did say it was getting lonely in the garage... LOL
As we say in French, j'ai fermé la boucle. And I saved a dishwasher in the process! |
Post# 863563 , Reply# 87   1/22/2016 at 20:19 (3,014 days old) by bajaespuma (Connecticut)   |   | |
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Post# 863565 , Reply# 88   1/22/2016 at 20:35 (3,014 days old) by toploader55 (Massachusetts Sand Bar, Cape Cod)   |   | |
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Post# 863616 , Reply# 89   1/23/2016 at 06:08 (3,014 days old) by retro-man (- boston,ma)   |   | |
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I had a reverse rack and the detergent dispenser was blue also. Jon |
Post# 863637 , Reply# 90   1/23/2016 at 09:03 (3,014 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Post# 863947 , Reply# 91   1/25/2016 at 06:40 (3,012 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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I swear, I didn't do anything to it... LOL It was the cup I pulled from the WU902 that was in the kitchen in Ogden when the GE Kitchen Centre in 2009 - I can't help but wonder if it was 'repaired' at some point or another... I know the local repair guy in the Ogden/Stanstead area and 'mix and match rebuilds' would be right up his alley! |
Post# 866337 , Reply# 92   2/9/2016 at 11:32 (2,997 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)   |   | |
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Post# 866387 , Reply# 93   2/9/2016 at 17:07 (2,996 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Post# 866407 , Reply# 94   2/9/2016 at 19:01 (2,996 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )   |   | |
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Either a RR Maytag or a Hobart Kitchen Aid will outclean ANYTHING on the market today, and both will do it in half the time! |
Post# 935158 , Reply# 96   4/28/2017 at 15:27 (2,553 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR)   |   | |
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CLICK HERE TO GO TO chachp's LINK |
Post# 935170 , Reply# 97   4/28/2017 at 17:12 (2,553 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)   |   | |
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Post# 935199 , Reply# 99   4/28/2017 at 20:34 (2,552 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )   |   | |
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I would not trade a vintage DW or any other appliance for ANY new one...I don't have 3 hours to wash dishes, my 30 year old Kitchen Aid is done in 45 minutes! |
Post# 935234 , Reply# 100   4/29/2017 at 01:01 (2,552 days old) by askolover (South of Nash Vegas, TN)   |   | |
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Post# 935428 , Reply# 101   4/30/2017 at 05:54 (2,551 days old) by chetlaham (United States)   |   | |
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I think what made customers dislike these was simply not knowing how to use them. I've been in homes of friends who have these (which were very popular in my old state because the area had a Maytag dealer) and it seemed like everyone loaded them with cups in the top rack, plates somehow crammed in the bottom. To someone who never used on of these, it would be easy to goof and load them much like they've been accustomed to. Personally, all dishwashers outside of the RR have it backwards. I find bowls tend to be more soiled then dishes, and like having to reach short silverware without bending down. But to each his own.
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Post# 935436 , Reply# 102   4/30/2017 at 06:34 (2,551 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR)   |   | |
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I think this group will be divided on this topic until the end of time. The division seems to be around those who use them and those who have had to repair them. I haven't had to do many repairs yet, so we'll see how that goes. I like the concept of the power module but I haven't had to change one out yet. I will always be partial to the older style Kitchen Aid one arm wonders but if I want help with the dishes on a daily basis I need a daily driver with multi level-washing.
I've only had mine a few months and so far I really like it. Now that I am learning it's limits and how best to get the Bob Load certification I am finding I like it. But there is a lot to be said for those who have the traditional rack style ingrained in their heads. For example, my other half. If there are already dishes in there he will follow that example but if it's empty I can guarantee you the cups and glasses will be on top and he will be calling across the house for help because the plates won't "fit."
I like mine so much I am on the lookout for a WU900 series machine. I think that's the right model. I want one with all buttons and the rapid advance timer. I like the look of those machines and I'd love to find one in decent shape or one that needs minor repairs. We are about to put the house on the market so I have been toying with the idea of leaving the Maytag here. I don't want to leave one of my Kitchen Aid machines. However, as I use it more and like it more I may just by some Piece of Crap at a big box store and put that in before we go. We'll see. Most likely the new owner will rip it out because, it's not stainless, or it's too loud, or it's too old, or it doesn't match the other appliances. You know, one of the million stupid reasons we read on Craigslist every day. |