OT - appliance conumdrum

I you have to call someone in rather than try to repair it yourself I would definitely replace rather than repair. Bruce

You could always call and ask them what they charge to come and look. I had to do that with my microwave, it's one of those microwave combo hood vents so was a $500 investment four years ago.

I was glad I had the man in, it was a relatively simple repair, a solder joint had popped on the board, it cost me $120 altogether and if it happens again, I shall repair it myself :) I figure it likely was steam from the stove. Of the $120, you're correct, $75 was for coming here but I did get a years warranty on the repair.

It beat out replacing it because I like it, and I checked, to get the same again would have been $400 now with the shift in our dollar.

Dishwashers are not that expensive and are far more energy efficient and clean better than they did ten years ago. $75 plus parts and labor goes a long way towards buying a new one.

Just my two cents.

Linda

I would probably replace it too. I don't think most appliances are made to last a lot longer then 10 years and once one part goes it's likely others will follow.

Lucille

I've never had a dishwasher last ten years. Last time we had to replace it, we bought the top one we could afford - stainless steel interior. I figured with our track record, putting the money into a really solid machine was worthwhile.

So my advice would be buy a new one, and don't skimp on getting a cheap one "to get by" if you can afford it. (And buy a warranty!)

If you're in the U.S., check ads to see if anyone has extra promos with the "tax refund" - that's been a come-on at some appliance places.

Sue

I changed mine after 20 years ,, But than it sort of was finnished mirjam

And ask whether it's got a food screen in the drain.

My current one was purchased because it had a taller than usual bottom section for baking pans, etc., which didn't fit in my old one. And after a couple months it ceased to function. According to the repairman, I need to wash the dishes before I put them in the dishwasher, because the bits of food were clogging the water intake; the old machine had a screen to prevent that from happening. (Helpful hint ... when that happens, toss a big pot of water in, then "cancel" so the machine drains, repeat until the food bits float away from the water intake.)

They save $1 on a square foot of screening, you pay $80 a visit for the repairman. *sigh* It's all a money-making scam, I tell you.

Or buy one with built-in disposal that takes care of most chunks of food (sans bones and really big chunks that won't fit *into* the disposal).

I do still find myself prewashing pots & pans, though, as some of mine are not of the non-stick variety, and if not washed beforehand, food really *really* sticks to them, and then gets baked on in the dry cycle :(

If you read the booklet, some dishwashers have a disposal function which takes care of small bits of food and some do not. I know of three people who have recently bought new stainless steel 2 drawer dishwashers and all have to rinse their dishes before loading. Kind of defeats the whole point of a dishwasher if you ask me. Two years ago my dishwasher buttons stopped working and my washing machine was making a noise so I decided to get the repair guy in since I had two things to look at. He replaced the dishwasher buttons ($90), waived the visit fee since I had the work done, and told me to run my washer until it completely let go and get a new one, not worth fixing. My washer lasted another 6 months, and my dishwasher is still running!

chex

Absolutely! We just went through several weeks of repairs on our 5 y.o. dishwasher - first repair wasn't successful; second repair said we needed a new part, which they ordered but it didn't come, so they reordered; third repair was after the part arrived. Whole process was

Sue

Well, there's the problem. There is no model that includes every feature. For me, the most important thing was the taller bottom section, which was only available on one model.

One thing - don't use the dry cycle. If your water is hot enough (and it should be to sanitize properly) just pop the door open when the wash and rinse cycle are through. You'll save a ton of electricity.

Even when I hand wash dishes, I rarely dry them. I rinse in a sink of hot water, and they dry themselves. The only things I dry are cutlery and glassware (for spots).

The dishwasher at the new house is currently sitting waiting to be hooked up. The one at the old house was 25 years old and getting pretty dilapidated (but still functioning). We actually bought a new one to replace it, but discovered that when they had installed the old one, they had done it before they tiled the floors (ceramic). To replace the dishwasher would have meant taking out the counter tops to get it out. (Dumb, dumber and dumbest).

MargW

In days of yore when I wanted to buy a big ticket item, I'd decide what features I wanted and check out consumer reports and visit quite a few stores. This time, I needed (wanted) the dishwasher immediately so I skipped the research, peeked at a few web sites to get an idea of prices, and then grabbed my car keys.

OY VEY!!!! The stores have so many gimmicky incentives -- spend this much, get free delivery ... buy this item, get a gift card -- some itemize the extras (power cords, hoses, fittings), while others include these things in the delivery/installation charge.

The only feature I paid attention to was the placement of the silverware receptacle. I fell in love with a model that had the thingie on the door, thinking it would give me more space in the main area. The salesman (actually sales boy would be more accurate -- I've got and wear clothes that are older than he looked) pointed out that the water would hit the silverware at an angle, which might not get it clean unless rinsed first. If things have to be rinsed off to the point that nothing's left, why use a dishwasher?

Since I was in a spending mood, I decided to replace the range/oven that I've hated from the day I moved in 15 years ago. It'll be nice to have something that hopefully won't burn muffins, brownies, etc., while leaving roasts underdone.

I hope you heeded his advice, I had one like that, fortunately it was sold with the house lol

Interesting that this should come up here. The other day I posted a notice on alt.sewing asking about washing machines. Mine is 10 years old and malfunctioning, and the thing I do NOT like about it is that it twists the clothes into rope!! I want another top-loader, for various reasons, but I'd like one which does not twist sheets and long-sleeve shirts so badly. Anyone got any input?

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

Yes, it is. The stove that was here when I moved in never worked right. The first time I used it, I set it for 350, put chicken in, went to take a bubble bath, and had barely stepped into the tub when the smoke alarm went off. I knew I had not been home from work long enough for chicken to burn at 350, so the next day I bought an oven thermometer. Sure enough, I set it for 350, it was going up to over 600 (the highest the thermometer would go). Homebuyers insurance replaced the thermostat twice, then insisted I was imagining things. (The appliance parts shop confirmed my suspicion that there was a valve that could get stuck in the open position, so the gas wouldn't shut off when the correct temperature was reached, but that most repairmen wouldn't want to literally rebuild the entire stove in order to replace that unit, because it's 2 hours flat on your back.)

I figured out a work-around. But finally the stove died entirely, and it IS a pleasure to not have to hover the whole time something's in the oven, to manually control the temperature.