Thread Number: 58048
/ Tag: Vintage Dishwashers
Machines of Ill Repute, Volume VI: Return of a Classic |
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Post# 805258   1/21/2015 at 21:51 (3,375 days old) by Roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Ralph...
:-)
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Post# 805260 , Reply# 1   1/21/2015 at 21:53 (3,375 days old) by Roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Post# 805261 , Reply# 2   1/21/2015 at 22:02 (3,375 days old) by Roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Do you miss me, Ralph?
I miss you...
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Post# 805265 , Reply# 3   1/21/2015 at 22:22 (3,375 days old) by Gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)   |   | |
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Post# 805266 , Reply# 4   1/21/2015 at 22:28 (3,375 days old) by Roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Post# 805268 , Reply# 5   1/21/2015 at 22:39 (3,375 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)   |   | |
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Oh, Nate.
I'm concerned that you've taken this brand of masochism to the next level.
It appears you've been bewitched, bothered and bewildered yet again by a steamy beauty with a heartbreaking agenda. You opened it for inspection and when the door latched closed, it was all over. You were spellbound.
I may have to come down there and stage an intervention.
Then again, experience indicates time is on my side. ;-)
Let's just start with therapy. I want to know everything, from the beginning. I think everybody else does, too!
This post was last edited 01/21/2015 at 23:59 |
Post# 805275 , Reply# 6   1/21/2015 at 23:43 (3,375 days old) by Roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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It does have a sort of Film Noir quality, doesn't it?
I'll flesh this out with more pics and the punchline Friday. It's a hoot of a story that just gets funnier the further it goes. Ralph, Gordon says the same thing, and has already marked his calendar to guess as to when the GE 1250 will make its triumphant return. :-) |
Post# 805299 , Reply# 7   1/22/2015 at 06:32 (3,375 days old) by toploader55 (Massachusetts Sand Bar, Cape Cod)   |   | |
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Post# 805307 , Reply# 8   1/22/2015 at 07:27 (3,375 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Post# 805309 , Reply# 9   1/22/2015 at 07:45 (3,375 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)   |   | |
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Post# 805321 , Reply# 10   1/22/2015 at 09:21 (3,375 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Post# 805350 , Reply# 11   1/22/2015 at 13:32 (3,374 days old) by rpms (ontario canada)   |   | |
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Post# 805352 , Reply# 12   1/22/2015 at 13:40 (3,374 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Wow, John--a real Thermador Masterpiece in the mix, too! Now THAT's something I'd love to check out. Talk about a hen's tooth!
Your Waste King is lovely--and I loved the part about it sitting mostly unused. :-)
This one is not a basketcase, but as you'll see--needs a tune-up, is missing a couple of key parts, and has some mild-to-moderate issues. *puts hand over Ralph's mouth*
I ran the maiden test load in it last night, and it seems to have passed, but underscored the need for some adjustments. More on that Friday evening.
This article will be a two-for, comparing Ralph's original model--our first encounter with the Norris Industries' Thermador/Waste King universe--with this one. Some intriguing differences have arisen.
Stay tuned! ;-) |
Post# 805356 , Reply# 13   1/22/2015 at 13:51 (3,374 days old) by revvinkevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land)   |   | |
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Post# 805360 , Reply# 14   1/22/2015 at 14:14 (3,374 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)   |   | |
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It all started innocently enough (alas, it was not a dark and stormy night) on a mild weekend in early January, 2010.
There we were, like two proud foster parents, having ponied up the fees to rescue a rare THD 3600 from a dank San Francisco garage. We worked together to give it a loving home, with high hopes for a bright, sparkling future, abundant with a level of satisfaction only a steam-cleaned casserole dish could provide.
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Post# 805361 , Reply# 15   1/22/2015 at 14:18 (3,374 days old) by revvinkevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land)   |   | |
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Post# 805376 , Reply# 16   1/22/2015 at 15:56 (3,374 days old) by dishwasherfan (Phoenix, AZ)   |   | |
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Post# 805381 , Reply# 17   1/22/2015 at 16:20 (3,374 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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The spiral staircase is/will be going to the demo kitchen upstairs!
Now THAT is style. I want a demo kitchen accessed via spiral staircase!!! This post was last edited 01/22/2015 at 21:54 |
Post# 805398 , Reply# 18   1/22/2015 at 18:17 (3,374 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)   |   | |
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Post# 805399 , Reply# 19   1/22/2015 at 18:23 (3,374 days old) by appnut (TX)   |   | |
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Post# 805507 , Reply# 21   1/23/2015 at 13:17 (3,373 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)   |   | |
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Post# 805526 , Reply# 22   1/23/2015 at 15:09 (3,373 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)   |   | |
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Post# 805562 , Reply# 23   1/23/2015 at 19:27 (3,373 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Hi Nate, Ralph, Kevin, Jon, Bob and others, The GWODs will house 22 DWs, they are just piled in place for now, but I have roughed in the electrical circuits and drain plumbing already. Electrical supply is often the biggest limiting factor in trying to install nearly 100 appliances in the museum. In the GWODs I have 7 120V 20 AMP circuits and one 208V 20 AMP line for the 1966 LKM 180 Degree DW that Kevin got for us. The way I am setting it up will allow one DW to be run in each tier at a time. as each tier will share one circuit.
I would still like to find a few additional DWs even though I already have 22 DWs. A poppy FD would be great, A Tappan with the revolving drum wash system would be cool as well. I am debating putting my Gas Preway DW in the line-up, I could get gas to it fairly easily.
The spiral staircase is completely installed and leads to the museum kitchen. This kitchen will house the worlds largest collection of COMBINATION Microwave-Thermal- Self-Cleaning ovens in the world, there are already 8 different ones there representing almost all the major designs that were built, including one gas-convection-microwave Self-Cleaning Range. There will also be an additional dozen or so early and interesting MW ovens and a 1/2 dozen cool and unusual cook-tops.
You can also see in the picture with the staircase in the background a rolling steel staircase which is there to allow the loading and use of the top row of DWs. |
Post# 805563 , Reply# 24   1/23/2015 at 19:28 (3,373 days old) by appnut (TX)   |   | |
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Post# 805564 , Reply# 25   1/23/2015 at 19:31 (3,373 days old) by appnut (TX)   |   | |
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Post# 805574 , Reply# 26   1/23/2015 at 20:19 (3,373 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Good eye, guys. ;-)
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Post# 805576 , Reply# 27   1/23/2015 at 20:29 (3,373 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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*does best Sophia Petrillo*
Building materials resale store, Sicily, 1929. I was a buxom young woman... So a rogue visit turned up a familiar sight, which caused me to swoon, since this is only the second Norris Industries Thermador (okay, Waste King/Thermador, but that's too much to type, so let's call it a "Thermador" for now) we've encountered in our travels--Ralph's THD-3600 being the first. Roger and I cracked our knuckles and rubbed our hands with delight, while David seethed and vowed to have me sleeping in the yard. As you'll recall, our experiences with the THD-3600 were...not positive. And I had always wondered, deep down, if the 4500/4600 suffered the same issues that the 3600 had demonstrated. Since I have held onto Ralph's owner's guide and installation manual all this time, they acted as tiny, magnetic beacons that caused another Thermador to find its way home to us. As it turned out, it happened to be the exact model I needed to test my hypothesis. She was dirty, but in overall good shape. The door gasket is hard as stone, but seals just fine, so I'm willing to overlook that for the moment. Here she is as we found her: |
Post# 805577 , Reply# 28   1/23/2015 at 20:30 (3,373 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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...after some serious wiping-down and toothbrushing:
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Post# 805579 , Reply# 29   1/23/2015 at 20:31 (3,373 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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The first pic. Isn't that silver highlighting a little gold? Isn't that panel more almond than white?
It's not your imaginations, and it's not artifacts of digital photography, folks. After I did a test run on the unit, I noticed that the kitchen smelled awfully familiar. Oh, that's right:
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Post# 805580 , Reply# 30   1/23/2015 at 20:35 (3,373 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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The environment from which this machine came was SO smoky that the panels were discolored evenly, and the motor--when warming up--exuded that patented Eau d'Ashtray.
Picture it, again: The stale yellow sunlight streaming through tinged glass and dingy drapes, highlighting smoke curls that waft across the ceiling, and stretch like clouds to the floor. I can see the avocado-shag carpeting now, and the ghost outlines behind the pictureframes. When you get cigarette smoke into the motor of a built-in dishwasher that's behind cabinets and a kick panel, THAT is impressive. |
Post# 805581 , Reply# 31   1/23/2015 at 20:36 (3,373 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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A good scrubbing-down with Gain-scented Mr. Clean stripped the olfactory enhancers, and restored the THD-4500 to its original lustre:
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Post# 805582 , Reply# 32   1/23/2015 at 20:38 (3,373 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Well water only in the main wash, or...?
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Post# 805584 , Reply# 33   1/23/2015 at 20:40 (3,373 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Hiding, all cute-like, where anyone'd put it: Underneath the overflow float. :-)
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Post# 805585 , Reply# 34   1/23/2015 at 20:42 (3,373 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Like I said, it has needs. Like a new seal around the heating-element post.
When I first ran it, water dripped gently off the wire, but did that stop me? No. We've lived dangerously before.
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Post# 805586 , Reply# 35   1/23/2015 at 20:43 (3,373 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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...no kick panel. Damn it!
I'm hoping to come across one, rather than rig something up that will look somewhere between awful and just mildly stupid.
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Post# 805587 , Reply# 36   1/23/2015 at 20:46 (3,373 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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I'm going to publish my full article (with pictures!) Sunday, but to tide you over, here's some of the good stuff--the rest of the pics are on tap for the article features. It'll be à la Consumer Reports, only bitchier.
>Thermador THD-4500: The door latch demonstrated >Starting it up! >Washing >Drain >The legendary steam phase begins >Listen to the sizzle of the steam generator |
Post# 805590 , Reply# 37   1/23/2015 at 20:49 (3,373 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Post# 805591 , Reply# 38   1/23/2015 at 20:53 (3,373 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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The unit came with a double water-valve like the built-in KitchenAids, but one of the valves had grown weak, and water only dribbled in enough to fill the sump. I had a new single-solenoid generic valve in the box, so I installed it; it sounds healthier now, but is still underfilling (consistently) by a couple of quarts. If I add that much to each fill, it sounds happy; otherwise, with the default fill, you can hear the system cavitating periodically, which causes a really cool fireworks-show sound in the machine as the water collides with the tank in high-pressure fits and starts.
I think this valve needs to have the restrictor enlarged or removed to allow the machine to fill to a level that makes it happy. |
Post# 805604 , Reply# 39   1/23/2015 at 22:32 (3,373 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)   |   | |
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I still have the lovely dark maple access panel cover that matches the cabinetry from whence the 3600 came . . .
After seeing the pictures, I must admit that I'd have fallen as hard as you did for such rare beauty, in hopes that its higher model status would right all the wrongs of the 3600.
Alas, after hearing it wash, I know it thunders as much as the 3600 did. A kick panel would make little difference. I hope it does a better job of cleaning. That's not asking for much, considering the performance of the 3600. |
Post# 805639 , Reply# 41   1/24/2015 at 03:41 (3,373 days old) by toploader55 (Massachusetts Sand Bar, Cape Cod)   |   | |
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Post# 805682 , Reply# 42   1/24/2015 at 10:52 (3,373 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Post# 805683 , Reply# 43   1/24/2015 at 10:59 (3,373 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Sunday came early, so here's something for your morning coffee. The link is for the PDF of the article, all twelve pages of it. Please be patient as it downloads; it's about 15 MB in size with all the pictures. CLICK HERE TO GO TO roto204's LINK
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Post# 805689 , Reply# 44   1/24/2015 at 11:30 (3,373 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Post# 805692 , Reply# 45   1/24/2015 at 11:37 (3,373 days old) by peteski50 (New York)   |   | |
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Post# 805693 , Reply# 46   1/24/2015 at 11:41 (3,373 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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The cabinet is from the Vardë line, but I can't find links to it, so I fear it may have been discontinued. It's so great, because it comes with adjustable leveling feet and little stainless cuffs to hide them, giving a true built-in look. I just nixed the cuffs and feet altogether, and stuck a base on the bottom, along with a cubby behind to store the hoses.
If you do find one, it comes unfinished, so I highly recommend applying polyurethane to the top. Ours needs refinishing already--we used to follow the instructions for oiling it with mineral oil, but that was a mess, and stray pieces of mail that landed on the dishwasher looked like we'd fried chicken over them. Ugh. |
Post# 805696 , Reply# 47   1/24/2015 at 11:45 (3,373 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Post# 805738 , Reply# 48   1/24/2015 at 15:01 (3,372 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)   |   | |
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Post# 805753 , Reply# 49   1/24/2015 at 16:06 (3,372 days old) by appnut (TX)   |   | |
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Nate, one of the flatware baskets was immediately removed in both our Waste Kings for bulky item arrangement. To avoid disappointment, I could have told you and Ralph that the 3600's Normal or Regular Wash was only for just about fully rinsed dishes. Anything with soil needed a steam cycle. But you didn't ask. |
Post# 805789 , Reply# 50   1/24/2015 at 20:05 (3,372 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Post# 805791 , Reply# 51   1/24/2015 at 20:13 (3,372 days old) by appnut (TX)   |   | |
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Nate, I'm learning to not go by what a label says for a cycle. I find the cycle & option which will do what I expect it to do for the particular situation. That Regular cycle reminded me totally of the Fine China cycle on our 2nd Waste King. That and Rinse & Hold were all my mom used. Even on the rare occasion she did use Full Cycle, after a while she'd push in the start button to get the timer going when it was pausing to "sani-heat"the water because she did it bugged her it made the cycle longer. She did the same thing with the rotorack if she ever used the Sani-Rinse option. On the GSD1200, all she used was Energy Saver, China/Crysta, and periodically Rinse & Hold. I don't think that dishwasher ever saw used Light Wash, Normal Wash, or PotScrubber. Mom did the same thing on the dryer even if she'd set it for auto dry. turn the knob and shut it down when she thought it should be done. (which was a 45 minute limit even for towels). |
Post# 805798 , Reply# 52   1/24/2015 at 21:20 (3,372 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)   |   | |
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Great writing, Nate! What is ATB? Appliance Testing Bureau - Board? Is Roger on the board? Maybe that's why he never has time to call! LOL
I brought home a Waste King from about 1972 last Spring. It was fun to use for a few loads and then pass it along to the Minneapolis boys for their dishwashing enjoyment.
Not being a glutton for punishment, I didn't have much patience for the loading challenges the flat upper rack, and the essentially divided lower rack. Being a lower end model and earlier, the upper rack in Nate's machine looks a little more flexible than the one I had. I found it harder to place larger items with fixed rows of tines. The lower rack looks the same and it's saving grace was being able to remove or move the flatware baskets. After a few loads, I ended up just leaving one out completely. The three large compartments were a bit too large, allowing more accidental nesting of flatware. There weren't good spaces for taller items like a couple of cheapy Ikea cutting boards that I dearly love. They are thin silicone and tent to warp in the hot water and droop into the path of the big upper wash arm.
I thought it washed well and though louder than expected, it did a decent job overall. I can still fit more in my KitchenAid, but the WK was far and away better than the horrid top-loading Norge that also came my way last year. (pic 6)
Ikea is in the process of changing out their entire cabinet offerings so it's not surprising you can't find that d/w unit, though I looked for that a few months ago and couldn't find it then. |
Post# 805805 , Reply# 53   1/24/2015 at 21:39 (3,372 days old) by appnut (TX)   |   | |
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Oversized dishware wasn't popular back when these were designed. Just like my GEs, the left side held more dinner plates than the right side. Thus, the right basket was removed from day one courtesy of my prepubescent BobLoad eyes. The right side was great for mixing bowl and skillet in the same load. College aquantence parents had a KDC15 installed when they built their house. It died by 1976 due to daily use of a family of 9. Was replaced with a PotScrubber II. I opened it up and discovered the big GE flatware basket had been replaced with a Waste King flatware basket. I burst out laughing. then they laughed because I recognized the brand the basket came from. |
Post# 805890 , Reply# 55   1/25/2015 at 07:19 (3,372 days old) by Magic_Clean (Florida)   |   | |
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what an excellent and entertaining overview of the THD4500. You've referred to a GSD1250. What are the differences from a GSD1200? L.P. |
Post# 806005 , Reply# 56   1/25/2015 at 20:13 (3,371 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)   |   | |
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Post# 806089 , Reply# 57   1/26/2015 at 10:23 (3,371 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Thank you all--it was fun to write, and I'm glad you enjoyed it! In my dream kitchen, I'll have a bank of ten bays for dishwashers, a lab coat, a clipboard, and a pensive expression. :-)
(Stove? We need room for a stove? Use the microwave!) Ralph - Yes, you did rule the Thermadorian world that day! I've not come close with the BobLoading you achieved. Last night, we had nine people over for dinner (yes, in this house), and very nearly accomplished the fabled all-plates load in the bottom rack. We could really have used that second silverware basket, though--things were a little crowded in there, so some of the utensils had to wait for the second run. Bob - I ran the lasagna load last night on Heavy/Sani-Steam, and wow, what a difference. There was still a small yiblet issue, but I attribute that to an overfull silverware basket and the partial-underfill issue I still need to permanently address. When I opened the door, my eyeballs liquefied. Talk about generating some steam, holy biscuits! I know what you mean about cycle dedication--my mom only ran the "Short cycle" on our 1978 Whirlpool, no matter what went in there. I was busted the day I dared to run Super Scour and the extended-wash duration was noticed. That's a funny story about swapping in the flatware basket from the WK on a GE. I like the idea of the baskets on the Thermador, but I need a spot large enough for a bowl or whatever to sit in the bottom rack, and most of the time, it just doesn't work out. Even if I scoot it to another spot, then I end up losing parking spaces for plates. Like you said, at the moment, the second basket is mostly hanging out on the counter. For that matter, the second top-rack divider is in a drawer. :-) Our monster dinner plates fit fine in this; unlike the spin-tube Frigidaire, where anything over 9" clipped the bottom of the top rack. Greg - ATB is my inside joke. It harkens back to ChesterMike's post where I referred to "All Temperature Bitch" detergent. But "Appliance Testing Bureau" might come across as a little more couth :-D I'll remind Roger to call, but I think he may be waiting for his Frigidaire to arrive in the mail after sending in his card. ;-) Your Waste King is lovely--they definitely made some handsome machines across the lines. I can see why you'd be annoyed with that top rack--having the "InfiniBasket" like the Thermadors really helps. Thank God they didn't put all those thick, unyielding loop tines up there, or you'd probably have to buy your bowls and glassware from WK/Thermador direct just to have anything fit at all. It reminds me of when Hobart fell in lust with those curlicue tines in the top rack of the 15 series, and the results were pretty much the same. Did the WK come with a WiiFit Plus? ;-) I hope Ikea keeps this cabinet design, or comes up with something similar; it's brilliant, handsome, and durable, and makes an easy conversion to a rolling portable enclosure that fits all makes and models if you cobble a cubby for the cord and unicouple. If you mount the front casters slightly in front of the legs, it won't tip over--ever. Leslie - I'll post the control panels when I get home tonight so you can see the 1200 vs. 1250 options. Gordon and I compared notes to see what, exactly, the differences were. Except for us finding one in Phoenix a while back, I'd never heard of a 1250. Eugene - LOL That would be shooting fish in a barrel, wouldn't it? :-D "Day three: The machine collapsed into a pool of rust chips and oil; we had to pour kitty litter on it and sweep it into the dustbin, clothes and all. The agitator emerged unscathed, so we turned it into a lamp." I don't know why I don't get more excited about reviewing washers, as much as I love playing with them. But I'm much more analytical about the dishwashers' design quirks--in a way, it feels like there are so many more dimensions to dishwasher design than the average clothes washer. What I'd really love to do is assemble a D&M, the Thermador, arm-and-armless KitchenAids, the GE 1250, and a Whirlpool PowerClean, and do standardized testing for the next issue. We're most of the way there on the collection; it would take weeks to generate consistent loads (and loading) and figure out standardized cycles (the not-so-regular "Regular Wash" on the Thermador being an educational point)--but what fun! |
Post# 806093 , Reply# 58   1/26/2015 at 10:48 (3,371 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Greg, that Norge is cute! But even with all the fun impeller machines (and even with the ones that can scrub chrome off a trailer hitch), I've always found that the two best days of impeller-dishwasher ownership match the two best days of having a water feature in the backyard: The day you get one, and the day you get rid of it. :-) As much as I whine about restrictive racking, imagine the grouse-fest that ensues with an impeller rack that demands circular flat-object loading in the bottom. :-)
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Post# 806096 , Reply# 59   1/26/2015 at 11:03 (3,371 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)   |   | |
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Post# 806150 , Reply# 60   1/26/2015 at 17:04 (3,370 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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GSD 1200, and 1250. I think the wash-heat boost is the real difference. The machine pauses to check temperature in the Normal wash and beyond anyway, but this can force it in shorter cycles. |
Post# 806196 , Reply# 61   1/26/2015 at 23:24 (3,370 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)   |   | |
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Greg, that harvest gold Waste King is the portable version of the undercounter dishwasher that I helped loading at the childcare I was attending at lunch time when I was at elementary school. All appliances in the house were Harvest Gold GE (including a washer/dryer set) but the Waste King was apparently newer. I thought it was a mid-late seventies model but maybe it was a bit older. By the time I was there, there around 1984-87, there were some missing rack tines and the racks were rusted but I liked that dishwasher a lot! I was certainly a strange kid but I have been staring at the control panel and the nice timer knob almost every time I passed nearby! That was such a nice-looking machine compared to my parent's 1977 Inglis Royal... But I remember the repairman coming at home to replace the timer in my parent's Inglis who said these were better machines than some more expensive ones. And he told me the Waste King had to be among the worst even if they were expensive. I didn't care much, I liked the Waste King for it's looks!
Your Norge looks a lot like my top-loading 1965 Frigidaire Super (another D&M), with an added detergent cup! While it's far from being a top-performing machine, I find it much easier to load than my Inglis Liberator top-loading dishwasher with the GE pump and bowtie impeller. The lower rack on the Inglis is really weird. The dishwashing results are similar and the upper rack has the same type of folding sections but I'd rate the Inglis slightly better for that one. The utensil basket being on the lower rack of the Frigidaire seems to get slightly better results. The picture #1 shows my 1965 Frigidaire and the #2 shows my Inglis. |
Post# 806233 , Reply# 62   1/27/2015 at 06:59 (3,370 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)   |   | |
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A neighbor of ours when I was a kid had this same gold WK, but we didn't know them and I never saw it running.
The Norge, like so many water-features in yards - lol, has moved onto a new life. Probably extruded into six new LG or Samsung pedestals. I played with it for a while, and was soundly rebuffed when I tried to send it North to Robert & Fred's kitchen.
It was a fun machine to play with for a while, but like a neighbor's pestering child, it's time here had come to end. I have only so much tolerance for circular loading patterns and as Bob said, it certainly was not meant to hold larger bowls, wine glasses and utensils. There are only a few of my cookware pieces that I will put in a dishwasher and the Norge fought against them every time. Larger chili bowls, platters and tall glasses and tumblers also caused loading angst and often I could hear unrest and rioting among the minority populations inside the machine while it was running.
It sat for a few months in the garage doing double duty as a work-surface and then like an extended family reunion, it was really nice to leave it and get home (to the KDS-18) again. |
Post# 806248 , Reply# 63   1/27/2015 at 09:19 (3,370 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)   |   | |
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Post# 806249 , Reply# 64   1/27/2015 at 09:35 (3,370 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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That's a handsome little Norge--too bad disappointment comes in small packages. Who on earth felt the need to engrave their name on the control panel? Did people lend each other their dishwashers back in the day, and expect to get them back, like Tupperware? :-)
Our little Wards Westinghouse dual-wash was a kick-butt (and quiet) unit, but when I temporarily lost my mind when we moved in and started using it exclusively as our daily driver, the amount of handwashing went through the roof. On the bright side, our pans glistened and deep tumblers gleamed. My hands looked like dried mashed potatoes, though. When the main wash motor died, it was frankly a mercy killing, and the GE 1250 swooped in thereafter to save me from myself. That machine accepts stock pots in the top rack. Rejoice! :-) |
Post# 806305 , Reply# 65   1/27/2015 at 13:54 (3,369 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)   |   | |
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Post# 806386 , Reply# 66   1/27/2015 at 23:24 (3,369 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)   |   | |
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There was a time when those engravers could be borrowed from local police departments and bought (Radio Shack) for pretty reasonable prices. People went nuts engraving their names on everything. In some homes, nothing escaped the buzz of that marking tool and this isn't the first time I've seen a major appliance with a name and/or even a Social Security number.
There were two churches within a few blocks of the house the Norge came from, the closest was our church when I was growing up but nobody recognized the name, nor was it in the directory my mother saved. They might have belonged to the gargantuan Catholic church a little farther away so it would make sense they worried about getting it back after a pot-luck supper :-)
I didn't part it out, a cleaning frenzy weekend a few months ago overtook me and out it went. The recycler guy and his two boys who pick up my cast offs asked if it still worked so perhaps they are using it. They're awfully nice people, so I hope not ;-) |
Post# 806408 , Reply# 67   1/28/2015 at 05:11 (3,369 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR)   |   | |
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I bought a mixer on eBay one time. It has clear glass bowls. When I opened the box I noticed someone had engraved a Social Security number into the bottom of the large bowl. I thought it was a little odd but I guess it was more common than I thought.
It's funny when I saw the engraved control panel I thought of that mixer bowl. |
Post# 806419 , Reply# 68   1/28/2015 at 06:58 (3,369 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)   |   | |
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Post# 806425 , Reply# 69   1/28/2015 at 07:50 (3,369 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)   |   | |
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