Yikes - need a new dishwasher - what to look for?

[wellyes]

So ran our dishwasher last night & there is a big puddle of water at the bottom that will not drain. DH tried to clean out the .... whatever it is that makes it not do that. But it's looking grim.

Guess I'll be handwashing for a little while - not so so bad, but we have my parents from out of town this week. Plus, after Christmas bills is never a fun time to pay for a new appliance. PLUS our dryer is acting very scary too *sigh*. Oh well.

I've never had to buy a dishwasher & I don't know the first thing to look for! I only know what color I want to match our kitchen, other than that, no clue. Any advice?

[egoldber]

It may not be broken. It's more likely that the disposal that it drains into is clogged. Or the U-bend in the pipe after the disposal is clogged. Or the internal filter in the dishwasher may have become clogged. Check those things before shopping too much. :)

[ThreeofUs]

It may not be broken. It's more likely that the disposal that it drains into is clogged. Or the U-bend in the pipe after the disposal is clogged. Or the internal filter in the dishwasher may have become clogged.


:yeahthat: ITA, or invest in a plumber's visit before you buy another.

Otherwise, I look for (1) ability to sanitize, (2) warranty and (3) stainless exterior.

GL!

[hillview]

I regret not getting a real lock for the door -- DS #2 LOVES to open it mid cycle!
/hillary

[TwinFoxes]

To me, decibel level was important. We wanted a really quiet machine because we have an open floor plan, and it would suck to have to hear a loud dishwasher for 2 hours at a time.

One feature we have that's nice, but is a total extra, is a timer that digitally counts down the time.

[catroddick]

We have trouble with our silverware tray. It is in the door, rather than the middle of the machine. Food particles get trapped in it, and the silverware is GROSS!

[jenandahalf]

Mine did that, all over our hardwood floor. A quick run of the waste disposal took care of it. Definitely get someone to take a look.

Features I like: lock on the door, delayed start, quiet, flatware basket in the door (my daughter always misses the basket and I have to fish around the bottom!)

[michellerw]

:yeahthat: ITA, or invest in a plumber's visit before you buy another.

Otherwise, I look for (1) ability to sanitize, (2) warranty and (3) stainless exterior.

GL!

I always look for a hard food disposer (but not the stainless, I'm an appliance white girl) in addition to the things above. The ability to sanitize may not always be billed as such, BTW. It may be called an "extra hot" wash, but if it gets over a certain temp, it's a sanitizer wash.

If you have a truly dead DW, you may also be looking for the quickest install on top of those other things. We did last year. In our case, even though I typically go with Kenmore, we found that Home Depot was our best bet because they had it in the warehouse and, unlike Best Buy, they didn't outsource their installations.

[MelissaTC]

We recently purchased this one- http://tinyurl.com/y86uheu . It is great and such a difference from my older model. I have an open floor plan (family room and kitchen are open to each other) and you can barely hear it when it is on. I actually forget it is on. I love the adjustable racks and the turbo zone jets. We were able to get it with some wheelingand dealing for under $700 by paying cash.

[viba424]

DH does pretty extensive research before he buys appliances and we ended up with a stainless Bosch and are super happy with it. The best feature is how quiet it is. Its practically silent, even when you are standing right next to it. It has sanitize and all that too. Not sure if this is the exact model, but its close. Controls are hidden, on the top of the door for a cleaner look.

http://www.abt.com/product/42979/Bosch-SHX4AP05UC.html

[Nyfeara]

We had to replace our original DW earlier this year. We wound up with an LG. We also have an open floor plan & are thrilled with how quiet this one is compared to our old one. Ours has the controls on the top of the door and has steam/sanitizer cycles.

We got it on sale at Home Depot with an additional % off, then they honored another 10% off due to a Lowe's coupon. All in all, we wound up with a $1000+ DW for $700, everything included. So, if you go with Home Depot, definitely find out if they'll honor a Lowe's 10% off coupon.