Appliance Repair

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This is where we discuss how to repair appliances, large and small. We are not waiting for #right2repair law to be enacted. The civil disobedient practice of repairing instead of wasting and re-buying is welcome here. I will also turn a blind eye toward “piracy” of manufacturer service manuals that are otherwise unavailable to the general public.

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diyrebel@lemmy.dbzer0.com

New Dishwashers that aren't junk (America)? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 2 weeks ago by bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works to c/appliance_repair@lemmy.dbzer0.com

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Hey guys,

Our dishwasher conked out (pump died, it was about 15 years old). I've already repaired this thing a couple times and it's not worth it now.

Are any reputable brands around anymore? Aren't they all owned by whirlpool?

I'll pay the extra money if it means longevity. Budget probably $1200 or so.

Any recommendations?

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[–] evasive_chimpanzee@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

I dont have specific recs, but hopefully i can give you some stuff to look out for. I have an old dishwasher with electromechanical controls. It is dead simple to fix, but it has a lot of downsides.

tub is plastic, not stainless (hasn't actually been a problem, but apparently there is a decent chance for it to crack over time. I think keeping "heated dry" turned off helps prolong it's life)
water only comes from lower spray arm. It shoots water from the lower arm to the center of the upper arm, but that only works if you leave space in the rack for that jet of water. Half the time, my upper arm does nothing, and the dishes on the bottom are only cleaned by whatever is blasted up there by the bottom arm.
no top nozzle. Gross stuff ends up on the bottoms of cups/bowls that could be simply rinsed off from above.
it's loud, so you really only want to run it if you aren't going to be in the vicinity for a while.
there are spots that get grease buildup, but i can't use a harsh degreaser like i could if it where metal.
initial rinse water is cold unless i run the hot water in my sink till it's actually hot. In practice, this isnt a problem cause I handwash any pots/pans before running my dishwasher, anyway.

Upsides are:

easy fixability
no fine filter or grinder (it connects right to my sink drain which already has a grinder in it)

Things I'd look for in a new one include:

adjustable height racks (might as well give yourself as much space as possible on the top rack.
stainless tub -mechanical controls
top sprayer arm and upper nozzle fed water directly

Things i would avoid:

smart features. Some, like turbidity sensing seem nice, but if something burns out on a control board, you are screwed. Maybe I'd go for it if it wasn't wifi or bluetooth.