The other possible subtitle of this story is: I have some good news and some bad news. Which do you want to hear first?
I am a glass-half-full kind of person, so I will start with the good news:
I have a new-to-me vintage Kitchenaid dishwasher installed in the kitchen! Woooooot! Needing a new dishwasher and disgusted by the short lifespans of current dishwashers, I turned to my tried-and-true method: Buy vintage.
To research this topic, the automaticwasher “Imperial” forum was my go-to place. There are several of models that seem popular among the experts, including old Kitchenaid dishwashers still made by Hobart or using Hobart technology. These are apparently a DREAM in terms of longevity. And automaticwasher.org is a DREAM in terms of expertise! So fun!
So I started regularly searching craigslist. Finally, I went for the pounce and recently, drove four hours roundtrip to buy this beautiful KDS-21 Kitchenaid Superba dishwasher. The dishwasher was in wonderful condition — the seller was remodeling. I also got two original booklets, a features-and-usage booklet and an installation guide.
My plumber Paul — who also had installed my Dishmaster — came the same week I called and was a dream to work with in terms of getting the dishwasher into the space and all hooked up.
Okay, the bad news:
She won’t turn on. The KDS-21 Kitchenaid had been hard-wired. My plumber took the plug-in cord from my circa-2005 Bosch and wired it onto the Kitchenaid. Could this be the issue? Or — ??? We are sure there is electricity coming out of the plug.
Midmorning update #2: A commenter expressed concern about wiring the dishwasher this way. I will call my electrician or appliance repair asap to consult on the safety of this approach, and if they recommend otherwise or wanna come take a look at it, I will set that up! I wanna Be Safe Renovate Safe! Get with your own pros on these types of issues, dear readers!
Mind the Gap: The plumber had to add wood supports to the bottom of the dishwasher to close the gap underneath my countertop. My floors are not level, so I recall that when we installed the cabinetry, the entire line of cabinetry along this wall had to be shimmed so that the countertop was level. The dishwasher has little adjustable legs on it that also can adjust the height. Even with those extended to their fullest point, we had a 5/8″ or so gap. Yes, I need to detail clean the dishwasher’s exterior.
Before I try and find someone locally who can help get my darling Kitchenaid going, I will be reaching out to automaticwasher for help.
Midmorning update #1: The folks at automaticwasher responded immediately to my “Damsel in Dish-tress” post on their site. Within the hour, “toploader” asked me if a “white rubber pointy thing” was where it should be, providing more info.
Well golly, wouldn’t you know it, but indeed, a little white rubber pointy thing HAD popped off the dishwasher at some point early on, and we couldn’t figure out where it had come from. Fortunately, I had saved it. And even more fortunately, I put it somewhere where I found it.
So now I need to glue it back on. It’s some kind of sensor trigger or something — when you close the door, the white rubber pointy thingy presses a metal thingy. Maybe this means “the door is really closed”? I don’t know.
I also heard from another helpful automaticwasher-er where I could get a replacement if the glue does not hold.
Another reason I went for this particular Kitchenaid model: The front panels can be changed out. I plan to swap out the white plastic (yes, that’s a sheet of some sort of plastic) for the aquamarine-colored steel panel on my old dishwasher. The steel for that panel was taken right from the side of an extra kitchen cabinet from my salvaged set. I will have to have the current one-piece panel cut into two-pieces to size — one for the door, one of the bottom plate (see top photo to see the KDS-21 with both cover plates).
Interestingly, I am not particularly annoyed by how this played out — update: is playing out. After all, around here we do things The Hard Way. And even sans suds, I give this project “three steps forward” because golly, my vintage Kitchenaid dishwasher is so pretty. So collectible. So substantial. And assuming I can get her working: A proven workhorse!
UPDATE: See my followup video — my dishwasher works like a charm!
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Never was a dishwasher more the subject of legal wrangling than the KitchenAid KDS-21 (details here: https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/612/1009/1576161/ ). Hobart wanted to exit the residential appliance market in 1984 by selling the KitchenAid division to Whirlpool, but several other companies sued to try to block the buyout on antitrust grounds – the combined WP/KA would dominate the dishwasher market. So a an 8-year sweetheart deal was arranged where a third company, Emerson (maker of the popular InSinkErator disposers) would take over building Hobart’s home products, including building the KDS-21 exclusively for Whirlpool using Kitchenaid branding, whilst Emerson could also sell earlier or different Hobart designs under their own Emerson name, or for other companies. They did sell some ISE dishwashers during that time, but they never bothered making any for third-party companies. After the 8 years lapsed, Whirlpool acquired the whole works from Emerson, and soon thereafter replaced the distinctive Hobart design with cheaper Whirlpool-derived dishwashers that lacked most of the features that made Hobart Kitchenaids special. Consumers quickly caught on, and started buying Bosch and other new high-end brands instead. Eventually Whirlpool realized they needed to make their Kitchenaid dishwashers more distinct from the cheaper Whirlpool models, and the current Kitchenaid models are again competitive, better in some ways than the old Hobart units and worse in others, but clearly something worth more than a basic Whirlpool dishwasher.
Wow! Who knew! Now we all do! Thanks so much, la573! Fascinating!
I scanned fast – seems like this led to an injunction on the deal! There must be even morrrrrre to the story!
In our previous house, I did the entire kitchen renovation MYSELF! New cabinets, with tinted glass to show off my Franciscan Starburst pieces, O&M stove, GE retro fridge. I installed the then-porcelain interior unit (my understanding because of some wing nut’s complaint about the recyclability of said interior) Kitchen Aid dishwasher, brand new. Still had manual buttons. SO fantastic. The absolute best I have ever seen.
So, flash forward five years, we move to a larger home, and I decide to replace all the appliances with Kitchen Aid. Thousands of dollars wasted. The window came loose in the microwave (how can that even happen). The circuit board controlling the dishwasher went out FIVE TIMES. The inside racks disintegrated. The stainless steel constantly stained, although on the stove, with matching stainless, it did not! The fridge just self destructed, the ice maker constantly failed, all the bins and drawers inside broke. Within two years it was all trash and I replaced everything AGAIN.
I have now a super rare 6 burner American Crown stove which has never failed me, and the second to cheapest dishwasher that Home Depot sells, a basic Whirlpool, which has a wonderful 60 minute wash (try finding that even on expensive units) that the manual cautions “remember, it takes more energy and water!”. Duh, that is what cleans effectively!
So a $369 dishwasher is better than the $600-$900 models that I have burned through within a few years.
How’s that for a shock….
You will love that dishwasher, Pam! They have the shortest wash cycles, and I read somewhere they were called “Hurricane in a box!” I have a KDS 17A, it was white, but we found an auto paint store here in Mesa that fixed me up with a good match of harvest gold. It looks so great with the cute gold stove and fridge! 😄
Are you still interested in knotty pine projects? We did one!
Great post! I just bought a house with this exact model of dishwasher and I looove it! What are your thoughts on rehabbing the removeable insert? I inherited the knotty pine one and sadly it doesn’t match our all-grey kitchen decor. Its reverse off-white side is encrusted with 25 years of kitchen residue. Would love your insight on what I can use to make the dishwasher look fresh and clean!
I am not an expert on this. Give the threads at automatic washer a try … 25 years of kitchen residue often can be cleaned!
Another thought: Get a new piece of laminate cut to size to use as an insert…
Our house was built in 1984 and we still have the original KitchenAid Superba appliances, including the KDS-21 dishwasher and KEDO-275SS oven. Unfortunately the dishwasher racks are starting to rust and we can’t find replacements. We also are torn whether we should buy a new one, as we don’t know if the new ones are as durable. Does anybody have a source for replacement racks? Are new KitchenAids as durable as these older models?
Racks often can be found on ebay, I think. Also get on to automaticwasher.org – some folks collect old dishwashers for parts.
I know this doesn’t solve your problem with rusting racks, but I can’t help but think about my serendipitous experience with that problem several years ago. A few of the prongs that hold things in place had rusted right off the bottom rack, and one morning I was out for a walk and there at the curb someone had put a dishwasher just like mine out for junk collection. I opened the door, and sure enough, there was a perfect rack! Needless to say, I carried it home, feeling like I had just found a real treasure.
The dishwasher is gorgeous and looks wonderful in your kitchen! I’m in the process of trying to find a vintage Kitchenaid dishwasher in white. So far, I have only found black and almond. Now that I know the panels can be swapped out, I may just buy a black or almond one and find a new panel to match the rest of my white appliances. I have slowly been replacing all my newer appliances for vintage. I have purchased a 1963 GE Spacemaker fridge, a 1963 Hotpoint stove and a very nice 1979 Maytag washer and dryer set. I have gotten lots of help over at automaticwasher.org with advice and troubleshooting problems. The people there are absolutely wonderful and so helpful!
You’re post just helped me get my dishwasher running again. It’s incredible ! I have the same model. Here all this time I thought we had an electrical problem. My junk drawer is so close to the dishwasher that I can only open it when the dishwasher door is open. The junk drawer had bent that rubber point, and it wasn’t aiming where it needed to rendering my dishwasher inoperable. I was just bored and googled my dishwasher and found your post, and viola . Thank you !
Voila! 🙂