[jaketrades]

I'm looking for a reliable 24" stainless steel dishwasher. Price range $500-800. I was reading through some home depot reviews on Whirlpool & GE d/w in said price range and it's sounds like there are a lot of issues.

Can someone recommend a reliable dishwasher. I'm not so concerned about bells & whistles?

Thanks.

 

[raylo32]

The only one like that I am familiar with is the Whirlpool Gold series SS interior dishwasher I installed for my GF. I really like it... super quiet, well arranged racks, cleans well, reliable electronics. Only one small issue... these have a little rubber shaft seal on the bottom that seems to have about a 5 or 6 year life. Then it leaks slowly out the bottom and if you don't catch it in time you might have some drywall or flooring damage, depending on what you have under it. The part is cheap and trivial, but you have to pull the DW to replace it. I replaced this seal last year and put in one of those plastic leak pans that divert any leakage out to your feet so you will see it right away. I posted a thread here about this issue with photos. If you are interested you can search for it or ask me and I can post a link to it. Not sure if newer models have a revised seal or not.

Edit: here is that thread. See post #26 for photos of the leaky diverter grommet. It might could be replaced without removing the DW but in our case it had to come out anyway to fix the drywall and to install the pan.

(180) Dishwasher damaging paint and drywall | Page 2 | DIY Home Improvement Forum (diychatroom.com)

I'm looking for a reliable 24" stainless steel dishwasher. Price range $500-800. I was reading through some home depot reviews on Whirlpool & GE d/w in said price range and it's sounds like there are a lot of issues.

Can someone recommend a reliable dishwasher. I'm not so concerned about bells & whistles?

Thanks.

 

[A. Danger Powers]

If you need a new one right now, start with what's in local inventory. Appliances coming from overseas are backlogged 6+ months. It doesn't have to be in stock at your store but if it's not at the distributor's warehouse, you'll probably be waiting a while. All the chain & local appliance stores out here are promising 14-day delivery on everything; a few days after purchase they let you know it's 3+ month wait.

These commodity appliances are often rebadged/relabeled units coming from the same factory. One of the GE models DW we looked at last year was sold by 3 big labels as well. That makes getting parts a bit easier. Get a few model numbers that are in stock and check the online reviews.

 

[huesmann]

Also, unless you're dying for brand new, consider Craigslist of FB Marketplace. Although unfortunately, you may have to deal with flakey people.

 

[raylo32]

Yup. A little while back I had a minor issue with my ancient DW and that had me casually browsing new ones. ALL of the ones I was interested in were showing ~6 month wait. ALL of them.

Appliances coming from overseas are backlogged 6+ months.

 

[raylo32]

That would be brave. A DW is probably one of the very last things I would ever get off CB or FB. Better to just hand wash for 6 months than to go down that rabbit hole.

Also, unless you're dying for brand new, consider Craigslist of FB Marketplace. Although unfortunately, you may have to deal with flakey people.

 

[huesmann]

Been using a d/w bought from CL for $50 for the past 2.5 years with no issue. 🤷‍♂️

 

[raylo32]

Just seems like the question would be why they are on CL in the first place. Except for those doing remodeling DWs are not something that most folks replace when they are working. So broken... or stolen? Maybe I am getting to be too much of a cynic in my old age.

Been using a d/w bought from CL for $50 for the past 2.5 years with no issue. 🤷‍♂️

 

[huesmann]

Lots of people remodel, and some get rid of old appliances. Some folks just can't stand to see old appliances with new cabinets and counters. I'm not one of them—if it still works, and is in decent cosmetic condition, I see no reason to get rid of it unless it just no longer fits the new space.

 

[jaketrades]

If you need a new one right now, start with what's in local inventory. Appliances coming from overseas are backlogged 6+ months. It doesn't have to be in stock at your store but if it's not at the distributor's warehouse, you'll probably be waiting a while. All the chain & local appliance stores out here are promising 14-day delivery on everything; a few days after purchase they let you know it's 3+ month wait.

These commodity appliances are often rebadged/relabeled units coming from the same factory. One of the GE models DW we looked at last year was sold by 3 big labels as well. That makes getting parts a bit easier. Get a few model numbers that are in stock and check the online reviews.

Yeah I noticed the delayed delivery window yesterday when buying my fridge. Home depot says 9/22 is the earliest while Lowes says 11/1. I did the live chat thing with HD, and they said the dates are updated by the vendors themselves. GE in my case. I'll use my old fridge until then.

Went to HD today to look at some dishwashers. The stainless steel GE & Whirlpool around $750 looks good to me. Buttons on the top, solid rollers, no handle (cleaner aesthetic). One of them had a third rack for spatulas and stuff.

I checked the expected delivery date online. 9/2. I won't be done with my kitchen by then.

 

[A. Danger Powers]

The CL or FB thing is definitely depends on your area. We got rid of all our appliances as part of a remodel. A LOT of people are remodeling the past year+ just for something to do.

DW are actually one of the easiest appliances to work on. As long as the motor & seals are good, it could be an easy pickup. The heating element seems to be one of the first to go and if the parts are available, it's a easy fix. Many times, the heating element also includes a new control board for about 1/2 the price of just new control board.

 

[lenaitch]

All the appliances in our house are 25-30 years old, and when the fridge pooped out - in the middle of lock-down - we decided it was time. I wanted to go through an actual appliance store and with manufacturers that are serviced locally. I did a lot of research, to the point of 'analysis paralysis' and landed on Maytag and Whirlpool. They all have their quirks and I am under no illusion that they will last as long as the old ones, but some of the off-shore brands tended to weird electronic or construction problems.

We ordered in June and were told mid-August. Still waiting. In their defence, some items might be in but we told them we wanted them in one delivery.

 

[Two Knots]

We have a whirlpool, it’s whisper quiet. Has a one hour wash and a three hour wash.
What is the best feature is - how we can take out the bottom ( for cleaning purposes ) without any tools, it just pops out, wash everything up and pop it back in. It’s a great feature.

 

[raylo32]

Watch out for that diverter grommet leak. Not a difficult or expensive repair but if the DW sits on a wood subfloor and/or has a lower floor below it with a drywall ceiling seriously consider installing a drip pan.

We have a whirlpool, it’s whisper quiet. Has a one hour wash and a three hour wash.
What is the best feature is - how we can take out the bottom ( for cleaning purposes ) without any tools, it just pops out, wash everything up and pop it back in. It’s a great feature.

 

[Two Knots]

I’m talking about the inside where food and gunk clog up the inside and the fan.
It sits on a ceramic floor with a basement underneath.

 

[Midwest Man]

Whirlpool for the win...easy to work on and parts aren't outrageous.
Still running a 40 year old whirlpool dryer and 25 year old whirlpool dishwasher.
I have taken the whirlpool apart three times to have to clean out old debris like little chunks of wrapper..gristle and some old un dissolved powder back from the powder days...about a 20 minute job working through the front of the dishwasher.
Dryer...had to buy a new bimetal temperature switch for about five bucks...5 minute job.
When the dryer heated up then cycle the heat off the heating element wasn't coming back on until the dryer cooled back down to 95 degrees.
Yep the rollers squeak

 

[Old Thomas]

I buy $350 to about $425 Whirlpool dishwashers. That last 5 to 8 years running about a load per day or more. When I have a problem with one that I can’t fix in about 15 minutes I jettison it and get a new one. My wife doesn’t want to wash dishes and I would rather buy a DW than wash them myself. If ours died tonight, by noon tomorrow I would be installing a new one. The last time Lowe’s wanted to order one but Best Buy had one in stock. I bought online and drove over , they loaded it in my truck for me.

 

[raylo32]

Yes, I know what you are talking about. Just saying that these DWs commonly develop that specific diverter shaft grommet leak, if not sooner then later. Just BOLO. The drip pans shunt any leakage out to the front where you can see it as soon as it starts so you can hopefully avoid any flooring or drywall damage. See the link in my post above.

I’m talking about the inside where food and gunk clog up the inside and the fan.
It sits on a ceramic floor with a basement underneath.

 

[raylo32]

The other crazy thing... I was in Lowes the other day getting stuff for a project and went to browse the dishwasher offerings... Zero. And not just dishwashers, my Lowes has zero appliances of any kind. In fact it looks like they have repurposed the entire area where they used to display refrigerators, stoves, washers, dryers, and dishwashers by the dozens. Not sure if this is a permanent thing or just because of the current shortages.

 

[huesmann]

Polly the latter. No point wasting display space if you have nothing to display except the display models.