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The Dishwasher that Refuses to Die
Old 10-14-2016, 09:22 AM   #1
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The Dishwasher that Refuses to Die

Lena and I both cheered when our (finicky and noisy) dishwasher's door flopped open, the spring broken. Now we can buy a new one!

However, I couldn't resist opening it up. The spring had indeed broken, but by bending a new hook out of the broken off end, it's now good as new.

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Old 10-14-2016, 09:35 AM   #2
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Good move. My dishwasher is about 25 years old (as are the washer and dryer), and they work. Every time I think about replacing them to get something new and shiny with the latest bells and whistles, I hear a horror story from a friend about how their newer appliance failed after two years, while it was supposed to have a life expectency of about 7 years. And even if the newer appliance exceeded its expected life, it wouldn't even be half of what the old one has given me.
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Old 10-14-2016, 09:51 AM   #3
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Same here, plenty of sturdy 30, even 40 y/o appliances that keep chugging along with very little maintenance.

When these finally give up the ghost I'm thinking, perhaps incorrectly, there must be a durable brand of new machine somewhere. If it costs 50% more but lasts 3x as long, IMO the added cost is worth it. Then again perhaps the premium brands currently available are no more durable.
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Old 10-14-2016, 10:06 AM   #4
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How sad. Our old habits that served us well remain with us. We replaced one this year. I bought new wheels for it last year. The tines were rusty and door that opens for the soap was stuck in the open position. Still perfectly serviceable. DW finally said it had to go. She was very happy when we got the new one.
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Old 10-14-2016, 10:07 AM   #5
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Then again perhaps the premium brands currently available are no more durable.
I don't think they are more durable. They have more stainless steel on the outside (and inside), more programs and "features" (is a display hidden on the top of the door so it can't provide information without opening the door really a "feature"?). The SS interiors look nice, but I've never had a dishwsher interior rust out. What kills these things seems to be the mechanical parts (especially pumps and impellers) and the controls/electronics. People who buy appliances don't seem to make their purchasing decisions based on the quality/likely longevity of these parts, so it seems the manufacturers (incl the "high end" ones) don't invest in better ones. More "bang for the buck" to make a whizz-bang display or add a fancier handle to the door.

BTW, I replaced the pump on our Whirlpool dishwasher, it was surprising easy and the part wasn't very expensive (about $125, IIRC). There are great videos on line for working on things like this.
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Old 10-14-2016, 10:13 AM   #6
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I keep hoping our 13 year old dishwasher will die... It's loud. But it keeps chugging along. We've repaired it twice but they were minor DIY repairs.

Good job repairing it.
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Old 10-14-2016, 10:26 AM   #7
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I had a bearing area leak. It was too expensive a fix to be worth fixing. New dish washer is energy and water efficient, quiet, and cleans much better. I was glad to let that old appliance go.
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Old 10-14-2016, 10:40 AM   #8
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Yes, the new ones are quieter and more resource efficient but they don't dry dishes as well as the old ones.
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Old 10-14-2016, 10:50 AM   #9
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We are on the second dishwasher in 27 years... The current one is a Kenmore, made by Whirlpool. Still going strong after at least 15 years.
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Old 10-14-2016, 11:06 AM   #10
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Yes, the new ones are quieter and more resource efficient but they don't dry dishes as well as the old ones.
The new dishwashers use very little water, but it takes twice as long to wash the dishes. And the new generation dishwashers don't dry dishes with heaters or coils. They use chemical additives in the "soap" and a liquid finisher to shed the water droplets where they don't leave water spots behind. The drying actually comes from the hot water heating up the dishes and maintaining that heat after the cycle's over.

Great appliance companies like GE have been bought out and consolidated. We see Electrolux having many brands, and also manufacturing some in the U.S. Companies like LG and Samsung are coming into the retail market with beautiful appliances that are not of high quality--and cause service problems.

By the way, the Maytag Repairman is a very popular man now. Their products' quality has greatly diminished since the Amish owned Maytag sold out and consolidated with Whirlpool.

We switched from our $200 GE dishwasher to a Bosch, and we cannot even hear the new dishwasher running. And it cleans great--in 2 hrs.
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Old 10-14-2016, 11:10 AM   #11
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My new one is a GE that replaced the Kitchen Aid that refused to fill. It cost less than the Kitchen Aid ($400) and uses way less energy and water, makes far less noise and cleans the dishes much better. I can leave a good amount of crud (I tested this) on them and it's gone when I take them out.

It runs more than twice as long though, but that is really not a problem.
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Old 10-14-2016, 02:00 PM   #12
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Shame on all of you cheap RE members for fixing stuff.

You are supposed to keep the "Consumer Economy " going by buying new stuff, even when not necessary
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Old 10-14-2016, 02:10 PM   #13
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Wait until scientists discover all these new laundry and dishwasher detergents contain chemicals that are carcinogenic or otherwise bad for your health. Not sure I would want to own PG or CL when that happens. Water, combined with surfactants and emulsifiers did the job very well before government decided to meddle with cleaning.
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Old 10-14-2016, 02:33 PM   #14
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Ours died a few years ago and i was very happy. The new one is so quiet but takes twice as long to run. My refrigerator however died at 11 years and we had one repair during that time. Talk about a rip off. Prior ones lasted 25-30 years.
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Old 10-14-2016, 03:07 PM   #15
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my oldest appliance is a Kenmore refrigerator that is 29 yrs old and going strong still. youngest is a Whirlpool top load washer that is 11 yrs old and also working well (the prior one, an Amana, was a disappointment at only 7 yrs longevity). Also had an Amana furnace that lasted 28 yrs, but it was replaced 10 yrs ago, when I found just too much corrosion for my peace of mind, otherwise it too was functioning well
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Old 10-14-2016, 04:16 PM   #16
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I keep hoping our 13 year old dishwasher will die... ].
don't worry, you won't have this problem with the next one.
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Old 10-14-2016, 04:18 PM   #17
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In my lake cottage, we have a "poop tank"...not a septic system, nor public sewer. So, when it is full, I pay someone $250 to empty it. We sprang for a super water efficient DW. Very quiet, hardly uses any water.
If it only got dishes clean, it would be perfect.
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Old 10-15-2016, 05:14 AM   #18
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My wife gets very upset each time I manage to fix our dishwasher and keep it running. I have to say that I'm getting ready to just let it die. It's loud, not very energy efficient, and it doesn't do a good job cleaning either.
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Old 10-15-2016, 10:09 AM   #19
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The spring had indeed broken, but by bending a new hook out of the broken off end, it's now good as new.

Good news Al. Now you can replace that linoleum floor!
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Old 10-15-2016, 01:37 PM   #20
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I keep hoping our 13 year old dishwasher will die... It's loud. But it keeps chugging along. We've repaired it twice but they were minor DIY repairs..
We got a new whirlpool dishwasher, stainless steel inside with the front digital display.
It is soo very quiet, I cannot hear it when I'm in a different room.
Seriously, our old one, was so loud we would not run it while watching tv!

The only downside, is it takes a very long time to wash and dry, but since I only know it's running by listening carefully or looking at the display it doesn't bother me.

It was approximately $400 at HD.
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