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. We are sure there is electricity coming out of the plug.
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.
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!
Hi Pam,
Would you be willing to talk about how you plan to change the front to match your kitchen? Is this a thing several models of Vintage KitchenAids can do? I’m intrigued…
This post has made me begin to consider lobbying for a vintage dishwasher when the modern one in our house peters out…
🙂 Amanda
Hi Amanda, we have actually kept the white panel. We decided we like the look.
I think there may be old instructions on how to do the change-out at the automaticwasher forum. Give them a try, I have found them very helpful.
Hi Pam,
Thanks for pointing out that resource.
I found the answer to my questions on the thread I linked below in case anyone gets curious, too.
I’m glad you found a look that works for your space. Your advice to leave things for a while really does work out quite a bit of the time.
https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?32321
Hi my question. After reading what I felt was an amazing machine . Now having that confirmed makes me so happy . The only problem is Iam having a hard time getting the top rack to stay in place ? Let me know of any input .
Thks so much
Cheryl
Hi Cheryl, try the community at Automatic Washer (linked in story) or Kitchenaid directly. Good luck!