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Thread Number: 61235
/ Tag: Modern Dishwashers
Modern GE Dishwashers, Good? |
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| Post# 838860 8/31/2015 at 15:49 (3,158 days old) by johnb300m (Chicago) | ||
Hey all, long time periodic lurker, first time poster.
My parents' awesome TritonXL GE dishwasher from 2003 seems to have kicked the bucket. It wasn't draining. I checked hose lines, cleaned filters, even replaced all the check valves....and it just hasen't solved the issue. So they're fed up (I would fix it more, it's awesome) and my dad went out on a whim and ordered a gdt550hgdww. It's a new model GE with top controls and their 500 wash system. It washes half racks at a time, with long cycle times....but it seems well built and it has a boat load of features they'll like. Including TWO silverware baskets. I was trying to read reviews on new dishwashers, all over Lowes, Home Depot and GE's websites, and it seems like these reviews are ALL over the place. People love their machine or HATE their machine. GE, Maytag, etc etc. Most common complaints are things not getting clean, from soap cups being blocked by the front silverware baskets, to dishes not drying at all, to water leaking inside the doors. Maytags seem to have issues with the rack holders breaking off. Control boards going out, etc. Are these reviews legit? Or is it just a slew of ignorant, troglodites who don't know how to use appliances, and just beat the crap out of their stuff? The gdt550hgdww looks like a GREAT machine. Will my parents have good years of use with it, like the old 2003 Triton XL? I told them to get the 3 year extended Home Depot coverage plan. It was only 60 bucks, and I don't want to go over there and fix it constantly if they have a lemon. Cheers :D CLICK HERE TO GO TO johnb300m's LINK | ||
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Post# 838878 , Reply# 1 8/31/2015 at 17:07 (3,158 days old) by cuffs054  (MONTICELLO, GA) |
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that looks good especially for the price. | ||
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Post# 838887 , Reply# 2 8/31/2015 at 19:26 (3,158 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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GE GE Hi-End DW | ||
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Post# 838888 , Reply# 3 8/31/2015 at 19:32 (3,158 days old) by whirlykenmore78 (Prior Lake MN (GMT-0500 CDT.)) |
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GE DW | ||
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Post# 838894 , Reply# 4 8/31/2015 at 20:09 (3,158 days old) by imperial70 (MA USA) |
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johnb300m, go with your gut. Read reviews carefully, you can tell who the lunatics are writing them sometimes. Enjoy your GE dishwasher. | ||
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Post# 838900 , Reply# 6 8/31/2015 at 20:47 (3,158 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.) |
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I've owned 4 dishwashers since we bought our first home in 1987. The first one was a builder grade GE and I never had any complaints with it during the 7 years we owned the home. When we moved to our current home in 1994 there was a BOL Whrilpool that the sellers installed in 1991. It was fast and loud, but it always cleaned very well. By 2005 the racks were rusting thru pretty badly so we bought a MOL Maytag. That dishwasher was terrible. It never cleaned well, there was always some food left on at least 1 or 2 dishes. The racks started to rust thru just after the warranty period was over and the door latch also broke right about the same time. I was still able to close the door and operate the machine so I just left it broke, I wasn't interested in investing any $ on this POS. I bought some "re rack" on Ebay and was able to cover the rusted spots on the racks for a while. Finally, in Jan of this year I bought a GE GDF520PGDWW. This dishwasher is quieter than the Maytag, has nylon coated racks so I hope I won't have rust issues for a long time. The normal cycle with heat boost takes the same 134 mins. that the Maytag did, but the dishes are always spotlessly clean. I never rinse, just scrape off the dishes and I also put the pots and pans in the dishwasher. I use Finish Powerball paks or Cascade Platinum, but the Finish Powerball paks work better in my opinion. I would agree with Ben about the door latch, it could be a better design, but since I'm aware that this could be a weak point I just don't latch the door unless I'm going to run it. As far as the filters, I clean them about once a month, it only takes a few mins. We run the dishwasher about very 2 or 3 days, and even with the unrinsed dishes sitting for a couple of days they always come out clean, All in all I'm much happier with this GE than I ever was with the Maytag and would recommend this machine without hesitaion.
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| Post# 838902 , Reply# 7 8/31/2015 at 20:59 (3,158 days old) by johnb300m (Chicago) | ||
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Thanks everyone.
Update: My parents had to fast switch to a front control GDF540 model. Similar features. Dual silverware baskets, but can't have the flat front with handle. They have a corner drawer that would hit it. I was also wondering how dependent these machines are with peoples' individual water quality? Maybe people have crap water heaters, and very hard water in their area? I know the phosphate-free soaps have wreaked havoc on dishwashers as well. In fact, I wonder if the non phosphate soap helped the Triton's demise? It was full of sludge, which I cleaned out. It does seem that the soap cups in these new GE machines are too deep, and water pressure does not flush them out. If my parents have issue with that, I'm sure my mechanical engineering skills will come in handy tapping a new little hole in the middle wash arm to flush out the cup ;) Machine arrives to my parents' on Friday for me to install. Updates to follow. Cheers. | ||
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Post# 838905 , Reply# 8 8/31/2015 at 21:21 (3,158 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie) |
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That deep detergent pocket is designed to hold a pac/pod. Specifically, a Cascade Platinum pac, which is what GE recommends. I strongly recommend you convince your parents to use them. I have the PDT750.
I am looking forward to John's (combo52) review, which, judging by the teaser in his post above, should be a humdinger. Make some popcorn and fasten your seat belts, kids. OK, John; we're ready when you are! (Aside: I accidentally added the photo to a new frame, which explains the deleted post below. My bad!) 
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Post# 838907 , Reply# 9 8/31/2015 at 21:29 (3,158 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie) |
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This post has been removed by the member who posted it. | ||
| Post# 838933 , Reply# 11 9/1/2015 at 00:07 (3,158 days old) by johnb300m (Chicago) | ||
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Solenoid or not to solenoid
Thanks Dustin!
The old unit is a Triton XL tall tub with the dual pumps. If the new drain check valves are working, I'm wondering if the water valve is leaking into the machine, or even if the drain pump is only working intermittently now. Or maybe there's more crud in the drain pump, or the boot. Who knows! Either way, my dad wants no part of it, and already ordered the 540. | ||
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Post# 838934 , Reply# 12 9/1/2015 at 00:10 (3,158 days old) by jakeseacrest (Massachusetts) |
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Post# 838940 , Reply# 13 9/1/2015 at 02:25 (3,158 days old) by neptunebob (Pittsburgh, PA) |
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| Post# 838964 , Reply# 14 9/1/2015 at 06:54 (3,158 days old) by joeypete (Concord, NH) | ||
I've used a few different older GE dishwashers. One was from the late 90's and the other from around 2006-2007 or so. Both cleaned really well, though I usually ran them on Pots and Pans all the time. I haven't tried any of their newest ones. I picked a Frigidaire Gallery for my new dishwasher laster year. I love it.
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| Post# 838979 , Reply# 15 9/1/2015 at 08:44 (3,158 days old) by washman (o) | ||
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There goes Frig again promoting PODS! Told ya folks, he's gone over to the dark side of things!
View Full Size
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Post# 839075 , Reply# 16 9/1/2015 at 17:27 (3,157 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie) |
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Ya gotta give me this one, Ben! You've noted a couple of times that your GE required the use of a Cascade pac.
😽 I'm still waiting for John's take on the GE dishwasher he installed in his kitchen. While mine cleans even the crustiest pans very, very quietly, I have one word for it when compared to my beloved 2008 LG or the Maytag prior to that: Flimsy. He's undoubtedly been under the hood and can give us that perspective, as well. | ||
| Post# 839116 , Reply# 19 9/1/2015 at 22:01 (3,157 days old) by Dustin92 (Jackson, MI) | ||
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Oh, the GE I repaired had a single pump with a flapper valve to switch from wash to drain. Not sure of what might be wrong with yours, having two pumps. Maybe a clog or buildup somewhere? | ||
| Post# 839227 , Reply# 21 9/2/2015 at 12:47 (3,157 days old) by johnb300m (Chicago) | ||
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GE Training Matl. | ||
| Post# 839234 , Reply# 22 9/2/2015 at 13:22 (3,157 days old) by johnb300m (Chicago) | ||
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Further Training/Troubleshooting Material
More goodies on troubleshooting GE's current dishwasher systems.
Very interesting. CLICK HERE TO GO TO johnb300m's LINK | ||
| Post# 839728 , Reply# 23 9/5/2015 at 17:41 (3,153 days old) by johnb300m (Chicago) | ||
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Install, Maiden Voyage!
SO! This friday I set up the GDF540. As a mechanical engineer, it was easy to tackle, but....it did take me about 2 hours! It was a bit complicated, and more of "some assembly required."
GE did not attach the counter clips, nor did they attach the drain hose extension. The rear leg threads were tapped all crooked, so the rear legs don't sit flat on the floor. That was annoying. BUT, the rest of the machine seems quite well made. Pictures included of the cleaned load. Comments: - It's certainly quiet. There's almost no motor noise from the wash pump. It makes a faint DC current whine, but it's barely noticeable with the kick plate on. The drain motor is the familiar groan they all make. There's a different sound for when it switches between lower and upper wash action. But it's nowhere as annoying as Frigidaire's old system where the middle arm got its water from the ceiling. - Loading will be a learning curve for my parents. The layout is different. But we were impressed how much you can actually get in it, even with the slightly smaller racks. - The silverware baskets sure are different. And the soap dispenser totally encroaches upon the lower basket. If you notice, one basket has a handle. The other does not. It seems best to put the one with the handle on the bottom, in order for soap to clear. Which is too bad, since it would make more sense to have the handled basket on the top for ease of pulling the top rack. Oh well. - There's hardly ANY room underneath. It's SO low profile. And the door is lower to the ground, which helps interior space. But if you have standard 'man' hands like me, it's best to do all the hookups, if possible, BEFORE you push the machine back. - Maiden voyage was run on AutoSense with Heated Dry. It honestly didn't take as long as I thought, or heard people complain about. The load was a mixed load with some dinnerware and non-stick pots and pans. Took about 70min or so wash. Did 2 pre-rinses, main wash, and 2 post rinses. No idea how long the dry took. We went to bed. Everything WAS clean in the morning. Only one issue. Where two bowls were touching, some crud got stuck. But as long as there's space between all items, everything came clean. The spray DOES sound quite forceful, from each alternating arm. More forceful than what it sounds and looks like from Whirlpool's alternating systems. - Drying performance was noticeably different from the old 2003 machine. All the dishes were dry, but the interior does leave a lot of moisture, including the silverware racks. But the silverware was dry. Just not the baskets. It's BEST to unload the lower rack first of course. Then top. - I inspected the fine filter and there was a thin film of gook on of the quadrants, but it was no big deal. The rest was clean. I instructed my parents to just check it once a week, and rinse it out as needed. To my surprise, they were elated that it was easy to remove and clean. Instead of calling their son to take it all apart to clean ;) - Other complaints I saw online were from water dripping from the exhaust vent. After the cycle in the morning, there was noticeable condensation around the vent. And it could leave some drops on the floor when you open the door. But nothing too different from our old machine when heat boost was used. (shrug). Overall, we're impressed and I think my parents will enjoy it. I rather liked it too. Now here's to hoping it lasts for a few years, problem free. | ||
| Post# 840727 , Reply# 25 9/11/2015 at 11:08 (3,148 days old) by johnb300m (Chicago) | ||
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Detergent Cup issues
Well it's been 1 week my parents have been living with the GDF540, and they're really liking it.
(This model is now discontinued by GE btw :/ ) There's just one glaring issue. The detergent pods, like many have said online in various reviews, often get stuck in the soap cup. It just seems like not enough water gets to it. And if the pods are moist, they stick in the cup. I'm thinking the next time I'm over, of tapping a little rinse hole in the middle spray arm to splash at the soap cup. We'll see how that does. Despite that, they say it's cleaning very well thus far. | ||
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Post# 840729 , Reply# 26 9/11/2015 at 11:30 (3,148 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie) |
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| Post# 840734 , Reply# 27 9/11/2015 at 12:16 (3,148 days old) by johnb300m (Chicago) | ||
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Quad Blade
Frig, when I get my own house in the next several months, after I save money from the W/D purchase, the DW will be next. And I TOTALLY want one of those quad blade Profiles.
Your reviews have been very reassuring. Then again, there's the idea of getting a 500 series GE, and just twisting on some quad blade upper arms to both the top and bottom. They're only $20. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!!!! It's aliiiive! | ||
| Post# 840735 , Reply# 28 9/11/2015 at 12:19 (3,148 days old) by johnb300m (Chicago) | ||
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oops
I was wrong, they middle arms are $48......
Might as well just get a Proife. CLICK HERE TO GO TO johnb300m's LINK | ||
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Post# 841008 , Reply# 29 9/13/2015 at 11:14 (3,146 days old) by Combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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New GE dishwasher model GDT 514
I have been testing this dishwasher in my house for about a month and done about 12 loads in it so far.
First impressions it's impressively quiet although the drain pump is very annoying as a pulse is on and off and I can hear it in the office in the next room over. The racks feel cheap and I can't stand the almost black color of them it makes it very hard to see to load the racks themselves are very sparse and don't hold much compared to the K DSS 20 KitchenAid that I had. Most items come out clean but about one and four dishes have to be rejected because they are particles on the glasses in the corners of the upper rack absolutely don't get washed the X arms are stupid they're not long enough to get into the corners. Overall if it were the only dishwasher I had I might get used to it but the performance is just not there it just doesn't have enough water Force to dislodge particles were two dishes are touching slightly drying performance is nonexistent. The problem is when you compare it to the performance of my 1987 whirlpool there's just no contest and this GE dishwasher will not be here long. | ||
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Post# 841304 , Reply# 31 9/15/2015 at 12:50 (3,144 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie) |
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John--- Spoiled by the brawny, versatile racks and cavernous interior of the 2008 LG, I also find GE's racks lacking versatility and kind of flimsy. They make that cheap 'scraping' sound when you move them in or out, too. I have the PDT750.
Manufacturers: The door and racks are what the consumer has the most contact with---don't skimp on them! The interior of the GE is easily several inches shorter, narrower, and shallower than the LG, too. Things like big, rectangular hotel chafer pans have to hang over the rack a bit to fit. I have a tall soup kettle that won't fit in the lower rack unless I raise the upper rack, which then won't accept large mixing bowls. I could fit all those things into the LG without a problem, and it had a cutlery rack on top of it all! I love how quiet the GE is, and haven't had a problem with redeposits on my tall iced tea glasses in the corners of the upper rack. I regularly put saucepans and saute pans in the upper rack with excellent results, too. Have to admit: If LG hadn't changed their wash system (for the worse, of course) I'd gladly have purchased another one. They are one of the most repair-prone machines according to CR's data, but mine took 5.5 years of almost commercial-level use without a problem. That's like 10-12 years in most kitchens. But when that cracked drain hose ruined my kitchen floor and subflooring, I didn't trust it anymore, so out it went. Most reasonable people would have simply replaced the drain hose and kept it. In fact, after replacing the hose it is still in service in someone else's kitchen. So, no complaints about cleaning ability or its super-quiet operating level, but I miss the more substantial/flexible racking, interior space, and the cutlery/silverware rack of the LG. I never once used the silverware basket, so the entire lower rack was always available for cookware. The interior was lit, too, which seems like a trifle, but I miss it. | ||
| Post# 841325 , Reply# 32 9/15/2015 at 15:51 (3,143 days old) by johnb300m (Chicago) | ||
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Interesting. Thanks Frigilux!
I haven't noticed the racks being any more or less durable feeling than the older GE it replaced. Then again, we didn't have an LG, or any other model with ball bearing racks. The racks certainly are different, and do feel slightly smaller than the ones it replaced. However....we can still cram a surprising amount of stuff in there. And as long as nothing touches, it all comes clean. The parents are grousing about the LONG cycle times, LOL. But they're all like that now. I was over there last night to engineer some kind of fix for flushing out the detergent. But my Dad flip flopped and "didn't want me voiding his warranty." So I re-leveled the machine with a -1 degree level toward the back, hoping that'll help the detergent pods fall out of the cup better. | ||
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Post# 841338 , Reply# 33 9/15/2015 at 18:13 (3,143 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie) |
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Wow...reading my post above it would seem I'm not happy with the GE. It does a great job and I'm very happy with it. It simply isn't as big inside as the LG. A couple of months after purchasing the PDT750, the PDT760 became the GE's new top-of-the-line model, complete with---you guessed it---the cutlery/silverware rack I so coveted. While I have a hard-earned reputation for changing appliances frequently, there was no way I could rationalize getting rid of the PDT750 before the 'new dishwasher' smell had even worn off. And, frankly, the cutlery rack might exacerbate an already tight-space situation.
I'd have no problem recommending the PDT750. Of course, those brand new KitchenAids on the showroom floor at the local dealership have been flirting shamelessly with me, LOL. | ||
| Post# 841647 , Reply# 34 9/18/2015 at 10:36 (3,141 days old) by johnb300m (Chicago) | ||
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Cool to hear, Frigi!
Sounds like that LG really had a hold on ya. I must admit, the more I go home, the more I like that new GE machine. Now that it's re-leveled, my mom had said the soap issues have gone away. They still have washability issues sporadically, because my dad likes to nest things! And once in a while the silverware doesn't come clean, but it's mostly because they're not taking too kindly to the 2+ hour cycles, so they're Under-running the machine. They really bungled the engineering of the soap dispenser IMO as an engineer, as it encroachest on the silverware. It's probably the worst on the market right now. Which is sad because the rest of the machine I think is quite good! Otherwise, it washes fantastically. Drying is a little weak though. I cannot wait to get a Profile with the X-arms like you have when I move to my new place in January. I'm looking at the 720. I think a lot of people are still really hung up on their old dishwashers from 10-15 years ago. And of course while those were literally THE BEST the market ever produced.....They're gone :( But I really think these GEs and new Maytags are the best we got today. I'm still not a fan of the chintzy stuff WP and KA are putting out today. | ||
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