Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/10/05/the-quietest-dishwasher.html
…
4 Likes
Having just replaced my dishwasher - I was faced with the typical conundrum : quiet/expensive or less quiet/cheaper.
So I spoke to a friend of a friend who repairs these things for a living and he was quite clear: do not buy expensive dishwashers no matter the feature - they are engineered to fail in 5-7years.
Why? Apparently in the drive for efficiency, noise reduction, digitalization - manufacturers started to replace large noisy (but effective) parts with interlinked smaller/more complex/quieter parts.
This component linking meant that a failure in one part affects the others as sensors are used to monitor and operate. So - replacing a drain motor can impact the wash motor.
His advice is to avoid spending more than $500, go with brands that build their own units (Bosch, Whirpool, Miele) and if it has a major malfunction it is probably cheaper to troubleshoot on your own, and replace the unit if a major component needs swapping as it’s probably cheaper/less of a headache. Sad though - as it’s an incredible waste of materials.
11 Likes
I hate appliances, I hate appliances, I HATE appliances, I hate dishwashers most of all. (ex appliance service department employee)
7 Likes
I’ve had a two-drawer KitchenAid for at least 10 years, now. I LOVE it! Never had a moment of trouble from it. Perhaps the exception that proves the rule?
1 Like
It’s a dice roll. Nobody sets out to build a garbage unit but it does manage to get there pretty regularly either through bad design, bad fix for the bad design, they cheaped out too hard on quality so the failure rate is high, you just happened to get a unit built on a friday afternoon or monday morning or my favorite of all. Somebody dropped it off a loading dock (it’s ok it’s only a * checks notes * $70 000.00 range)
4 Likes
A dishwasher is hardly loud to begin with. Certainly quieter than a washer or dryer. Read Consumer Reports, buy cheap but higher rated.
1 Like
Which one is it then, spend less than 500 or buy one of the expensive brands you listed?
if you look hard enough you can find deals out there. Miele is one you will have the hardest time with - so you are probably limited to floor models and those with cosmetic defects.
I just picked up a pretty nice quiet Whirlpool from Lowes for $600 CAN.
Who cares if they’re quiet? I wouldn’t mind a washing machine level of noise if the darn thing just worked. We bought a Bosch that is incredibly quiet, but doesn’t clean worth a damn. Nor does it dry the dishes.
And it uses asphalt as the sound deadener, which outgasses chemicals like crazy. They like to call it “bitumen” in the hope that people don’t know what it means, but its still asphalt. Smells like a road that’s just been repaired.
1 Like
4 Likes
Do you pre-rinse your dishes? It may seem counterintuitive, but don’t. Modern dishwashers have sensors that analyze the particle content in wastewater and won’t clean as well if the dishes that go in are relatively clean.
Make sure you use rinse aid. Most modern high efficiency dishwashers use convection rather than heating elements to dry dishes, and they will not dry properly without it.
(Apologies if you’re already doing these things, but when I hear about modern dishwashers either not cleaning well or drying properly, it’s often operator error rather than a design flaw.)
2 Likes
We do use rinse aid. I’ll give the not-rinsing a try. Thanks!
1 Like
Washers and Driers are often placed in rooms with doors.
Dishwashers are often placed in open plan kitchens.
I’m a quiet dishwasher, except for the bouts of profanity.
2 Likes
I like how the posted “Quietest Dishwasher” has a detection system for those jerkbags who just grab one thing out of the washer without bothering to unload it, thus switching off the alert light and causing the next person to drop dirty dishes in there*. I’d ponder paying extra for that.
Also, the label subtext is sooooo Covid appropriate.
*Yes I have a magnet, but we also have a 23-going-on-10-year-old in the house so all bets are off.
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
