Dishwashers

Comment:

PURCHASE DETAILS/PHILOSOPHY:<br /><br />We are a family of four, with two elementary age kids. We normally run a load of dishes about 3 - 4x per week. Purchased the unit at a home improvement store in Sacramento, CA using a price match. They delivered it for free and took my 23 year-old Magic Chef unit away too. We got the silver (stainless looking?) model. <br /><br />I did a lot of research on a new DW, and concluded I could buy or repair 3 or more of these units for the price of one expensive, super-highly-rated one. That's the philosophy I'm using for tools too--no more expensive stuff, I buy the cheap stuff and return it or buy it again if it breaks. <br /><br />There were so many varied reviews for this unit both on CR and at other sites, it was hard to determine if it was stellar, a piece of junk, or just 'meh. Based upon my philosophy above, I decided to procure one and just deal with anything that may happen when and if it does. I figure if it breaks or doesn't perform within the first 30 days, I'm sending it back to the store. If it fails after the year warranty, I'm taking on the manufacturer. At some point, the value of my time trying to obtain compensation will be more costly than paying for the repairs or buying a new unit. When I reach that point, I'll just get another one. These days, I think most appliances like this are built with a known service life much shorter than advertised. Planned obselescence if you will. <br /><br />INSTALLATION:<br />The unit was securely packaged and arrived with no damage. To remove the unit, you have to cut the bottom of the box out and lift the cardboard box off vertically. The DW is wrapped in plastic sheeting, and rests on a wooden platform/frame. You have to lift the unit to get rid of the wooden base, but the unit itself was surprisingly light. It didn't feel cheap, but it didn't feel high end either. Got to keep in mind it's the bargain model. <br /><br />The installation instructions and user guide were well-written, and easy to follow. If you get stuck on the installation, there are references in the installation instructions directing you to websites and online videos to help you along. My mechanical/plumbing/electrical skills are high, but I didn't feel I needed any high level skills to be able to successfully install this unit. The installation took me about 1.5 hours, including a trip to the hardware store for a hose clamp I didn't have (see NOTE below). My electrical, water supply, and drain connections were already present from my exisiting DW.<br /><br />Definitely make sure your electrical wires, drain hose, and water supply tubing are long enough to connect to the dishwasher WHILE IT IS PULLED AWAY FROM THE CABINET. This way, you can get to it easily if you ever have to. Also you can make your connections and adjustments without being confined by the cabinetry.<br /><br />Connection for electrical was standard: Hot, Neutral, Ground. The water supply connection was also standard. Make sure you connect the compression fitting to your supply tubing first, then connect the hose fitting to the DW rather than vice versa. The drain connection is a simple barbed connection made by pushing the male and female parts of the hose together and securing with a hose clamp that comes with the unit.<br /><br />Check the height of the DW to the lowest point of your countertop and make any adjustments in height via the adjustable feet BEFORE attempting to slide the DW in place. After adjusting the DW height and making the three basic connections, I was able to easily slide the DW under the cabinet. You may have to slide the unit out and in a couple times as you adjust for plumb and level (hence the earlier tip to ensure the connections are long enough to slide away from the cabinet). I also anchored the DW to the plywood underlayment of my countertop with the two mounting brackets and screws that came with the unit. <br /><br />NOTE: An item you DEFINITELY need to buy for this installation is a 90 degree dishwasher elbow. It DOES NOT come with the DW unit. The male side of this connector is 3/8 compression fitting to attach to your copper hot water supply line and the female side is a 3/4 Hose fitting to attach to the bottom of the DW. Also, if like me you are attaching the DW drain hose to an air gap (between a disposal and the dishwasher) you MAY need a smaller clamp than the one Whirlpool provides. In my case, the bib for the air gap assembly under my sink was a smaller diameter than the rubber collar at the attaching end of the DW drain hose. Fortunately, the collar that comes on the drain hose Whirlpool provides is graduated from a large opening to a smaller one, and I simply cut off the larger diameter portion with a utility knife. The clamp Whirlpool provides was too large to effectively tighten on the smaller diameter portion of the collar, so I had to hit the hardware store for a 1/2 - 1 hose clamp. Depending upon your existing electrical, you may also need a strain relief clamp (available for less than a buck at any HW store).<br /><br />PERFORMANCE: (As of the date of this review, we've had the unit installed for a month.)<br /><br />Noise--This unit is noticeably quieter than our old one. Our kitchen opens into the living room, and with our old DW we had to turn up the TV everytime it was running. This unit is so quiet, we do not hear it except when it drains. Also, with the timer feature we can set it to run while we are sleeping (and the electrical rates are lower!). Overall noise rating 4 of 5.<br /><br />Cleaning--We use liquid soap branded by our warehouse shopping club. Dishes and silverware come out sparkly clean. No puddles of dirty water at the bottom of the DW either. Overall washing rating 4 of 5.<br /><br />Drying--We use the name brand liquid drying agent that's blue. Plastic items dry pretty well. There is still water in the deep ribs of the tupperware lids, but I guess that's to be expected. Also, our coffee mugs and other cups that have a small well in their base have a little ponding, but nothing a quick wipe doesn't fix. Overall drying is about 3 out of 5.<br /><br />Cycle Time--Seems to take a while (2+hrs) for a wash & dry cycle on Normal setting. I guess if we had immediate needs for the dishes this would be an issue, but we usually wash one day and unload/load the next. Cycle time is not an issue for us.<br /><br />Likes--Removable silverware tray. Quiet. Good cleaning. Acceptable drying. Drying agent reservoir appears to have plenty of capacity and an easy to read fill indicator. Controls are easy to understand, see, and use.<br /><br />Nit--The soap/drying agent reservoir is situated a little low on the door. This is not something you will notice until you try to remove the silverware tray while it's loaded. If you put long silverware (knives, serving utensils) in the part of the silverware tray underneath the reservoir, when you try to remove the tray sometimes the silverware catches on the reservoir, making the tray difficult to remove. Not a deal killer, but annoying. <br /><br />Overall, a good product and we're happy so far.

Comment:

We have model DU1055xtvq5. It does have a 2-4-6 hr delay start.<br /><br />Pros: It is remarkably quieter than the older basic-line GE it replaced. Cleans most things very well.<br /><br />Cons: Utensil basket in the bottom of the door is blocked by lower basket when open even halfway. This makes loading awkward and inefficient. The Top Rack has large gaps (mainly on the sides) that make loading additionally complicated since you must be careful with small, light weight items that could be blown or slip off the rack, such as storage container lids or long utensils. Unit leaves most loads fairly wet on top and all loads require some amount of hand/air drying. The detergent hopper is too shallow for some detergent cubes or tablets on the market. Which includes our preferred brand.<br /><br />Recommendation: We do like this unit a lot but would only recommend with some reservations.

Comment:

Moved into new house in October, it is December and the thermistor is being replaced for the second time