Dishwashers -- I HATE them

[Homerboy]

We've lived in our house for nearly 17 years now, and the only major appliance that has needed to be replaced is the dishwasher. This will be at least our 4th one now. I don't get why they keep breaking down. I've purchased KitchenAid, Bosch, Fridgaire... cheap ones, expensive ones. I don't get it.

This time after turning it on and closing the door, it begins to (sound) like it's filling for a few minutes. Then the whole dashboard lights up and everything flashes. I need to but the power at the circuit breaker and let it reset. I'd guess it's "just" a circuit board that needs replacing, but googling tells me it could be 1 of 2 and that it's best just to order both and return the one that isn't needed. Still will set me back $100+ and a lot of swearing.

I'm going out tomorrow and buying another dishwasher and going "Office Space" on this one in a field. Hopefully I can find a scratch and dent discounted one at the local home center(s).

/frustrated

 

[Ichinisan]

Even a fully functioning dishwasher is pointless. I do not understand why people use them.

 

[highland145]

My wife will probably rent you hers. It does require a quantity of beer to operate at full efficiency though.



Added one when we remodeled the kitchen a few years ago. I refuse to use it. It becomes a storage place. Eff that. Wash 'em by hand, dry 'em by hand and put them up.

 

[snoopy7548]

Try a Whirlpool. I've had mine for a little over five years with absolutely no problems. I only do one load per week so maybe that's why; I know some people do a load every night.

 

[bbhaag]

Perhaps it is a water quality issue that is causing so many failures. Are you on a well or city supply? Do you have a water softener?
Our cheapo Kenmore is going on 12 years now with no issues. We are a family of four so it is run daily sometimes twice daily when the need arises.

 

[Greenman]

Even a fully functioning dishwasher is pointless. I do not understand why people use them.

Because I can stuff a weeks worth of dishes in it, push one button, and it will clean them while I read. OK, so maybe it's my wife that does the loading and button pushing, the story is still valid.

 

[daveybrat]

I use this in my dishwasher on every load and it really helps to clean and especially if you have hard water.

https://www.lemishine.com/products/detergent_booster/

It's cheap and can be purchased at Meijer's, Walmart, and any other popular stores.

 

[Ichinisan]

Because I can stuff a weeks worth of dishes in it, push one button, and it will clean them while I read. OK, so maybe it's my wife that does the loading and button pushing, the story is still valid.

"...it will clean them..."

Ignorance is bliss!

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Even a fully functioning dishwasher is pointless. I do not understand why people use them.

You must live alone. They are quite useful when you have a family and cook the vast majority of the meals you eat.

I bought a dishwasher many years ago, an expensive one. I also took the 5 year extended warranty. I have not paid for one since. They never seem to last 5 years, doing every second to third day duty cycle. They send out a tech, he says it is toast, they cut me a credit, I buy another with a 5 year warranty. The features and style of the last one are available on a significantly less expensive newer model. Thus, I get a similar or better dishwasher for less money than the last, allowing me to invest the rest in the extended warranty. The last one from asurion through Home Depot left me with a better dishwasher+5yr warranty+$21 left to spend.

 

[Ichinisan]

You must live alone. They are quite useful when you have a family and cook the vast majority of the meals you eat.

I live with 3 other people. 2 of them keep leaving dishes in the sink that are covered with food or full of liquid (milky coffee, etc). They don't seem to realize how much easier it would be to deal with those later if you immediately pour-out the liquids and rinse-off the solids before you leave them in the sink for hours.

Nope. Wait for everything to get slimy or rock hard. Thoroughly soil everything else that goes in the sink after. Ugh!

You know what? Even though they make it so much more work than necessary, they know dishwasher machines are a waste of time. They just don't get stuff clean.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I have a cheap Inglis and never really had issues, are you loading dishes that are still full of food? I still like to rinse out dishes as best as I can to at least get any solids out. I can't imagine not having a dishwasher. When I moved into my house and saw there was none I immediately planned where I wanted one and ran a circuit for it. The time and effort they save is well worth it.

 

[highland145]

Because I can stuff a weeks worth of dishes in it, push one button, and it will clean them while I read. OK, so maybe it's my wife that does the loading and button pushing, the story is still valid.

Do you really know what goes on in the kitchen?




Ours cleans fine but I can't figure out why bowls get put in concave side up. Boggles my mind.

 

[mikeymikec]

"...it will clean them..."

Ignorance is bliss!

they know dishwasher machines are a waste of time. They just don't get stuff clean.

The way to use a dishwasher that I've learnt so far is:

1) Brush the loose waste off the plates into the bin
2) Rinse the plate and leave it to soak for a bit if need be
3) Do the usual dishwasher care routines like making sure the rinsing blades spin freely, running an occasional maintenance cycle, and allowing the dishwasher to properly air after a wash if need be.

Both step 1 and 2 we'd be doing if we were washing it up by hand.

We get at least as decent results using a dishwasher as opposed to washing it all up ourselves, and I'd say my wife and I save about two hours' work a week by having a dishwasher. Occasionally there's an item I need to give a bit more attention, but that happens approximately as often as if we had washed it all ourselves; stuff gets missed sometimes. With a dishwasher I'd say we spend about 5 minutes each day sorting stuff out for the dishwasher, and maybe another five to unload it after it's been run.

The additional upside of having a dishwasher is that the hard work is avoided and the crockery that needs washing is out of the way. It's also much easier to be disciplined about using a dishwasher ideally than it is to wash up every day as soon as each meal is finished.

 

[Greenman]

Do you really know what goes on in the kitchen?




Ours cleans fine but I can't figure out why bowls get put in concave side up. Boggles my mind.

I can state for the record that I have personally observed the entire operation on several occasions.

 

[mindless1]

I live with 3 other people. 2 of them keep leaving dishes in the sink that are covered with food or full of liquid (milky coffee, etc). They don't seem to realize how much easier it would be to deal with those later if you immediately pour-out the liquids and rinse-off the solids before you leave them in the sink for hours.

Nope. Wait for everything to get slimy or rock hard. Thoroughly soil everything else that goes in the sink after. Ugh!

You know what? Even though they make it so much more work than necessary, they know dishwasher machines are a waste of time. They just don't get stuff clean.

Probably due to people leaving dirty dishes out to dry. I have a long handled scrub brush. It lives in the dishwasher. Dish gets rinsed off not left to dry, and put in dishwasher unless there is cheese/protein/etc stuck on then the scrub brush loosens it. We're talking under a minute for a multi-person meal's worth of dishes. Dishes go into dishwasher 75% cleaned, but that last 25% is a lot more work to do manually than letting the dishwasher do it.

My dishes always come out clean, and yes I have examined them very closely.

 

[mxnerd]

Never used the dishwasher. Just used it to store dishes and cups.

 

[bfun_x1]

I've been through 4 dishwashers in the last 8 years. My latest is a KitchenAid. I'm hoping it last longer than the previous ones.

 

[herm0016]

I live with 3 other people. 2 of them keep leaving dishes in the sink that are covered with food or full of liquid (milky coffee, etc). They don't seem to realize how much easier it would be to deal with those later if you immediately pour-out the liquids and rinse-off the solids before you leave them in the sink for hours.

Nope. Wait for everything to get slimy or rock hard. Thoroughly soil everything else that goes in the sink after. Ugh!

You know what? Even though they make it so much more work than necessary, they know dishwasher machines are a waste of time. They just don't get stuff clean.

it's easier for them to leave them and let you clean them?

 

[monkeydelmagico]

They used to work much better. Now the stupid things use so little water that they have to run for hours. It might even get worse if the regulators have their way and reduce the water usage even further. When you have to pre-scrub everything what is the point? Dishwashers also have the highest failure rates of any appliances. Waste of money and time. I chose to rip the last one out and just wash by hand.

 

[NetWareHead]

We pre-scrub our dishes with water, no soap, before loading. Mainly to knock off the crud and prevent it from hardening onto the dishes until we run a cycle, we only run the dw 2-3 times a week. This saves me from having to reach in and clean the dw filter and prevents the interior from stinking. Since the dishes are half cleaned going in, we always run the quick cycle. The come out fine and done in 30 minutes.

 

[Thump553]

You must live alone. They are quite useful when you have a family and cook the vast majority of the meals you eat.

I bought a dishwasher many years ago, an expensive one. I also took the 5 year extended warranty. I have not paid for one since. They never seem to last 5 years, doing every second to third day duty cycle. They send out a tech, he says it is toast, they cut me a credit, I buy another with a 5 year warranty. The features and style of the last one are available on a significantly less expensive newer model. Thus, I get a similar or better dishwasher for less money than the last, allowing me to invest the rest in the extended warranty. The last one from asurion through Home Depot left me with a better dishwasher+5yr warranty+$21 left to spend.

Sounds like a good idea, but I've had terrible experiences with extended warranties. It takes the guy two weeks to come out, they never have the parts and it takes at least a month for the part to come in. So every time I need the warranty I'm without service for roughly two months-during which my so-called warranty continues to run. Funny though, if I call a regular serviceman or get the parts myself from Parts Express or some similar website the appliance is fixed within a few days-every time. (Excluding dishwashers, which are essentially now built to not be repairable at all).

Five years would be the near the outside of the range I've experienced with modern dishwashers. I've bought expensive to cheapies, no difference.

 

[Homerboy]

If anyone cares, I did find a nice scratch-and-dent one at the local Sears Outlet. $900 dishwasher for $400. Small scuff on the handle which you can't even notice.
That being said, I have to say this dishwasher kicks some serious ass. I don't know how or why, but the dishes feel/seem "cleaner" than ever before. For some reason though, the cycles are like 3hrs long. that's sort of annoying. In a house with 2 teenagers (not to mention my own eating habits), by the time 1 load is done, we have enough dishes for another load.

I have to pull it out though and reinstall. It's leaning forward quite a bit I've constantly had issues getting dishwashers level in that space.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Sounds like a good idea, but I've had terrible experiences with extended warranties. It takes the guy two weeks to come out, they never have the parts and it takes at least a month for the part to come in. So every time I need the warranty I'm without service for roughly two months-during which my so-called warranty continues to run. Funny though, if I call a regular serviceman or get the parts myself from Parts Express or some similar website the appliance is fixed within a few days-every time. (Excluding dishwashers, which are essentially now built to not be repairable at all).

Five years would be the near the outside of the range I've experienced with modern dishwashers. I've bought expensive to cheapies, no difference.

Excellent point; it is definitely as YMMV experience.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

If anyone cares, I did find a nice scratch-and-dent one at the local Sears Outlet. $900 dishwasher for $400. Small scuff on the handle which you can't even notice.
That being said, I have to say this dishwasher kicks some serious ass. I don't know how or why, but the dishes feel/seem "cleaner" than ever before. For some reason though, the cycles are like 3hrs long. that's sort of annoying. In a house with 2 teenagers (not to mention my own eating habits), by the time 1 load is done, we have enough dishes for another load.

I have to pull it out though and reinstall. It's leaning forward quite a bit I've constantly had issues getting dishwashers level in that space.

I foresee a level and some time with the front adjustable legs in your future.

The whirlpool I have now takes about 3.5 hrs with the sanitizing and heat dry options. It does a great job too. Even a crusted casserole dish comes out commercial clean.

 

[WelshBloke]

I live with 3 other people. 2 of them keep leaving dishes in the sink that are covered with food or full of liquid (milky coffee, etc). They don't seem to realize how much easier it would be to deal with those later if you immediately pour-out the liquids and rinse-off the solids before you leave them in the sink for hours.

Nope. Wait for everything to get slimy or rock hard. Thoroughly soil everything else that goes in the sink after. Ugh!

You know what? Even though they make it so much more work than necessary, they know dishwasher machines are a waste of time. They just don't get stuff clean.

Sounds like your situation is perfect for a dishwasher actually.
As long as you don't let stuff sit till it gets crusty they wash really well, certainly at a higher temperature than you'll be able to tolerate with your hands.