Appliance. net

Appliance news, reviews, ratings, forums, reports and buyers guides.
Locate repairs and parts. for home and kitchen appliances.

You are here: Home / Archives for Dishwasher

Dishwasher

Tips for Saving Money and Energy Around the House

By

Looking for ways to save money? Look no further than your kitchen. The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) offers these simple energy savings tips to consumers looking for ways to cut energy bills this summer.

The energy consumed by home appliances has dropped sharply since 2000.
Refrigerators, dishwashers and clothes washers combined account for a 43% decrease in
energy consumption since 2000. Replacing an eight year old refrigerator, dishwasher and
clothes washer with new appliances of average efficiency will save consumers about
$95.00 per year in energy bills. Replacing an eight year old clothes washer will save
more than $60.00 in electricity costs and nearly 5,000 gallons of water per year.
Additional savings can be obtained by purchasing Energy Star appliances.

Energy savings can also be obtained by following these easy tips:

• If you are replacing your refrigerator, do not use the old refrigerator as a second
refrigerator. This will not yield energy savings. Properly recycle the appliance.
To find recycling options in your area, call 1-800-YES-1-CAN.

• Allow hot foods to cool before placing them in the refrigerator; and always cover
foods that may release moisture in the refrigerator.

• Limit opening the refrigerator and freezer doors. Label foods or use clear food
storage bags to easily identify foods.

• Scrape, but do not pre-rinse dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.
Dishwashers do a great job of cleaning soiled dishes.

• Take advantage of your dishwasher’s “eco” option that reduces water use, or use a
no-heat air dry feature.

• Use load size settings- if you are washing a small load of clothing, be sure to
change the load setting. Use cold water settings whenever possible.

• Always clean the lint filter on the clothes dryer after each use. A clogged filter
will reduce dryer performance.

GE CEO cites five potential bidders for appliances

By

General Electric Co Chief Executive Jeff Immelt on Wednesday named five non-U.S. appliance manufacturers, including China‘s Haier, South Korea‘s LG Electronics, Sweden’s Electrolux, Mexico‘s Controladora Mabe and Turkey’s Arcelik, as potential bidders for the company’s century-old appliances business.

The chief of the second-largest U.S. company by market capitalization said it was “obvious” who would be interested in the unit, which last year sold $7.2 billion worth of refrigerators, washing machines and other household appliances.

“The players have become somewhat obvious,” Immelt told reporters in South Korea. “It is Haier in China, it is LG in Korea, it’s Mabe in Mexico, it’s Arcelik in Turkey.”

In Beijing, he added another name to the list of suspects: “Whether LG or Haier or Electrolux or others participate remains to be seen.”

None of those companies confirmed their interest.

After stunning investors in April with an unexpected drop in quarterly profit, GE said this month it would look to sell or spin off its appliances unit, saying the business was too focused on the United States.

Analysts and investors have estimated the business, which is No. 2 in the U.S. behind Whirlpool Corp. could sell for $4 billion to $8 billion. Whirlpool is the world’s largest appliance maker.

Immelt’s comments could be an effort to see if there are other interested bidders who have not yet made themselves known to the company, said Peter Sorrentino, senior vice president and portfolio manager at Huntington Asset Advisors, which manages $6.5 billion in assets and holds GE shares.

“I wonder if he’s not tapping tree trunks with a stick trying to figure out if there’s bees in there,” Sorrentino said.

STILL ‘EARLY ON’

Immelt’s remarks came just a week after he told investors GE that the company was “seriously” considering spinning off the appliances unit.

“The appliance process is still very early on, and much still has to be decided,” Immelt said in Beijing on Wednesday.

GE’s well-known brand name could appeal to a foreign appliance manufacturer looking to build its profile in the United States while capitalizing on lower-cost production.

Goodmorning Shinhan Securities analyst Steve Lee said, “I doubt LG Elec would be interested in pursuing this deal, since there’s little the company can gain. There’s a lot of overlap between the businesses with little premium potential for LG.”

Lee said Immelt’s comments could be aimed at drumming up interest from a small pool of potential candidates with deep-enough pockets to buy the business.

How to Save Money Buying a New Appliance

By

Buying a new appliance is expensive and everyone wants to get a good value for their money.  Sometimes getting less can be more.  According to Consumer Reports, some of the extra features offered on new washers and dishwashers are not needed and just add unnecessarily to the final cost.

Take new dishwasher cycles with names like “turbo zone” and “power scour.” For those, special nozzles are placed in the back of the dishwasher to take care of tough jobs.

Although those cycles do a good job, Consumer Reports testers say they are not essential.

“We find many dishwashers, using just the regular setting, do a great job cleaning our very tough challenge: baked-on brownie mix,” Consumer Reports tester Kim Kleman said.

You can also save by skipping the often-pricier stainless steel tubs and get a plastic tub in your dishwasher.

“People love the stainless steel look, but how many people are looking inside your dishwasher?” Kleman said. “The plastic tub should hold up just fine.”

Many washing-machine models come loaded with lots of extra features – such as cycles made specifically for bedding, active wear and sanitizing. Consumer Reports, though, says you should take a pass on those options.

“Stick with the regular heavy-duty, normal, delicate and white cycles. That’s all you really need,” Kleman said.

As for dryers, don’t be wowed by claims like extra-large capacity, super capacity and king-sized capacity.

“We find most dryers hold plenty, whether it says super capacity or not,” Kleman said.

Although matching washer-dryer sets look nice, they can cost more.

If you’re buying them at the same time, Consumer Reports recommends getting the best-performing, most efficient washer – one that extracts the most water from clothes.

Among dryers, get the one that has a moisture sensor.

Consumer Reports ranked its Best Buys among dishwashers, washers and dryers:

  • Dishwasher: Sears’ Kenmore 1374 for $650.
  • Washer: Frigidaire Gallery GLTF2940F for $650.
  • Dryers: GE DBVH512EF[WW] for $650; GE DPSE810EG[WT] for $500.

Keep to this strategy: Don’t pay for features you don’t need.

Is it Time to Replace Your Old Appliances?

By

If you’ve been thinking about whether it is time to replace your aging appliances, or if you are wondering whether you could be saving the big bucks in energy costs if you had an all new suite of kitchen appliances,  Alina Tugend at the New York Times has some thoughts to share.

One of the first thoughts I have about replacing an older, working appliance that whether “besides the money, is this really a good idea environmentally, to get rid of an appliance that is operating just fine to buy another one, even if it does have better energy standards?”

“It takes energy to make a product,” said Noah Horowitz, senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “You don’t want to replace perfectly good products.”

He gave his rule of thumb for refrigerators.

“If it’s avocado or brown-colored, it’s time to retire it,” he said. Refrigerators from the 1970s, the last time I believe those particular appliance colors were in vogue, use three to four times the power of today’s models.

A spokeswoman from the Environmental Protection Agency, which oversees the Energy Star program along with the Department of Energy,says that, generally, any appliance over 15 years old probably should be put out to pasture. The good news is that about 80 percent of a refrigerator or a clothes washer is recyclable.

Getting rid of an old appliance “is not without some environmental impact, but because so much can be recycled and reused, if you have a guzzler, you’re better off sending it to the landfill,” said Jennifer Amann, a senior associate at the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

Try to find a place that will pick up your old refrigerator for recycling, either the company you are buying your new one from or see if your state or local government has a recycling program.

Even if they are brought to the landfill, Ms. Amann says, most of the appliances’ parts are then recycled, because they take up too much space.

What environmentalists do not want you to do is place the old one in the garage to hold two six-packs of beer. If you really need it, Mr. Horowitz suggested, leave it unplugged until, say, holiday time when you need the extra space for those pumpkin pies.

And do not resell it. Retiring the energy-inefficient model is the best thing to do.

Clothes washers and dishwashers have pretty much the same criteria as refrigerators — they have become much more energy-efficient. So if yours is inching toward 15 years, consider replacing it.

For clothes washers, the new front-loader models use much less water and spin clothes dry much more thoroughly, so you are spending less time — and power — drying.

I also learned something interesting about washing dishes. Unless you are an extremely frugal hand dishwasher, you are certainly using more water hand-washing dishes than a dishwasher does, Ms. Amann said. And with a newer model, do not even pre-rinse by hand.

“A good dishwasher can use just four to seven gallons of water to wash a full load of dishes,” she said. If you do not have a full load, but are afraid the food will get stuck on, a good feature is rinse and hold, which uses less than a gallon of water.

 

Although clothes dryers are big energy suckers, there is not much that can be done to make them less wasteful. So just hang onto yours until it gives up the ghost. One good feature of newer models is a moisture sensor, so the dryer stops when clothes are dry.

The federal government does not issue Energy Stars for dryers, because there is not much difference in energy use among the models.

As we move toward summer, it is a good time to replace an ailing central air-conditioner. New federal standards just started two years ago. But if you are keeping your old one, check to see if the ducts are leaking. You can waste about 30 percent of energy through leaking ducts, Mr. Horowitz said.

Window-box air-conditioners  are inexpensive enough that it is worth swapping an old one for an Energy Star model. The more recent ones also have a thermostat that will shut off the air-conditioner when the room gets cool enough. Sometimes the local utility company will pick up old boxes through an “early retirement program.”

So if you are planning to use that window air conditioner to keep cool this summer, check its age.  You might want to add it to the list along with the new suite.

Basic Appliance Care and Safety

By

If you are lucky, you rarely need to pay much attention to the appliances that run, some of them 24 hours a day, in your home. But to keep everything trouble free, it’s good to follow some basic guidelines for care and safety when using or installing appliances in your home. Handymanclub.com offers some simples steps for use with your washer, dryer, refrigerator, ranges, cooktops, even your water heater.

Ventilation and combustion (dryers, water heaters, ranges and cooktops)
• Clean the clothes dryer’s lint filter before or after each load. Check behind the dryer for trapped lint. Clear lint from the exterior vent often. Lint buildup results in inefficiency and excessive wear and can even pose a fire hazard. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), an estimated 15,500 fires each year are associated with clothes dryers.
• Use only metal ducting for gas dryers because they run hotter than electric machines. Rigid rather than accordion-pleated ducting is best for airflow.
• Never vent clothes dryers or water heaters into the house to supplement heating.

Plumbing (washers, refrigerators and water heaters)
• To prevent leaky or bursting waterlines, check washing machine hoses for signs of wear. Consider replacing rubber hoses with newer braided stainless steel hoses.
• Check the screens at either end of the water hoses and remove sediment that may have collected there. This is especially important after road construction or water-main work has been done in your area.
• Periodically check that the washing machine is soundly footed and level so the hoses and the drain hose do not come loose.
• If a dishwasher’s tub doesn’t empty after operation, detach the drain line from the household drain and clean any debris from the line.

Gas (dryers, ranges and water heaters)
• Never use an oven as a room heater — combustion pollutants resulting from fuel-burning appliances can cause illness or death. Have gas appliances serviced periodically to ensure they burn with the proper mix of air and fuel.
• Be sure all vented appliances are checked for backdrafting. (This is one reason that it’s important for a city building official to inspect newly installed vented appliances.)

Electric
• Diehard DIYers may bristle at this warning from the CPSC — nonetheless, it’s a lifesaver. Never attempt to repair a microwave oven — because they use high-voltage power, they can pose a risk of electrical shock even after they are disconnected from the power source.
• Use dedicated circuits for large appliances such as washers and dryers.
• Keep appliance cords away from hot surfaces.

Maytag’s New SteamClean Dishwasher

By

Maytag has released a new tall tub dishwasher with a steam cleaning option to help loosen dirt and clean glassware to a shine. The tall tub has an oversize capacity and nylon coated racks to protect fragile stemware. A stainless steel interior helps hold heat so dishes dry faster. Options include sanitizing, delay settings and high temperature. It also has the jet clean II power module and is Energy Star qualified. It retails for around $600.

Fisher & Paykel is Moving to Mexico

By

Fisher & Paykel, the New Zealand appliance manufacturer well known for it’s dishwasher drawers and washing machines is consolidating it’s manufacturing and moving to Reynosa, Mexico, just south of the U.S. border.

The range and DishDrawer factory in Dunedin, New Zealand, the refrigeration plant in Brisbane, Australia and the DCS manufacturing plant in Huntington Beach will be relocated to the new facility in the next 12-18 months. The DCS move is expected to be completed by the end of the year, and individual manufacturing lines will be shifted separately to reduce the impact on warehouse inventory. The U.S. operation will continue to employ sales and marketing, customer services, head office and an engineering staff of around 340 employees. The financial benefit of the DCS move is expected to be $6.6 million per year with a one off cost of $7 million, both at pre-tax level.

“This expansion is designed to streamline our manufacturing costs, and bring increased consistency and efficiency to the company’s production process in the U.S. market, “ said Mike Goadby, North American President for Fisher & Paykel Appliances. “It’s an emotional time for all of us, but this move will make us more competitive in the U.S. and strengthen our distribution efforts through making them more efficient.”

With the Reynosa acquisition and the new North American DishDrawer line announced last year, the financial benefits of the new strategy are expected to be around $50 million per year, at a one off cost of approximately $100 million. The cost of the move will be offset by the sale of surplus property in Australia and New Zealand, which could total approximately $100 million.

You can read more here.

High End Appliances – What are You Getting for Your Money?

By

Stainless steel looks beautiful in the kitchen, but shine doesn’t necessarily equal performance. Do high end appliances (many with those gleaming finishes) really rate having such high price tags? Sometimes they really do. But that doesn’t mean you should rule out mid-priced options. As mid-priced manufacturers start adapting some of the features the pricier models have to theirs, the average homeowner is able to get in on the fun.

If you, as most consumers do, want to know what you are getting for your money, Bill LaHay has gotten it all down for you in the ReadingEagle.com. We can start with what you get for the big bucks in ranges:

Like the hearth of a primitive home, they’re often the centerpiece of the modern kitchen, with typical price tags from around $4,000 to $10,000. This doesn’t even include some exclusive European brands.

The heavy-gauge stainless-steel housings account for some of the cost, but that’s just a start. Control knobs are beefier, oven racks are heavier and multiple halogen lamps light the oven compartment.

On the cooktop, large-capacity gas burners kick up the heat with a wide range of control, from a delicate simmer to a high-output setting for fast boiling or searing flavor into meats. In 36-inch and larger sizes, you can also add grills or griddles to the burner mix.

Look for ratings around 15,000 Btu (British thermal units), a measure of heat energy. The burners are fitted with continuous cast-iron grates, and most have an automatic reignition feature that lights an accidentally extinguished flame instantly so gas fumes can’t accumulate to dangerous levels. Electric ranges use sophisticated electronics to achieve similar levels of burner speed and control.

Down below, a gas or electric oven will feature a convection mode with concealed elements or burners and a fan to circulate air. Every feature is designed for durability, for faster or more even cooking, or for more control over the process. That’s also true when you purchase a separate cooktop and oven, a better option in some kitchen layouts.

Refrigerators, of course, have a different kind of temperature-control issue, but larger capacity, better access to contents, heavier shelving and hardware, multiple cooling zones and options for built-in design are what you get when you go high-end. Expect prices to start at around $5,000 in this category.

Finally, there are premium dishwashers. Stainless-steel liners, better motors and extra insulation keep them running quieter. Some versions sport hot-water boosters, optical scanners to “read” the water quality and adjust water use accordingly, and enough cycle options to keep even the most obsessive cook happy.

Some are configured as drawers and others accept cabinet door panels so they’ll blend inconspicuously into your kitchen. Best of all, these are still affordable, with typical prices ranging from $1,000 to $2,500.

It’s not true in every instance, but brand names can often indicate what category an appliance is in. You’ll find these pricier “premium” goods sold under names such as Dacor, DCS, Gaggenau, GE Monogram, KitchenAid, Miele, Sub-Zero, Thermador, Viking and Wolf.

There’s nothing wrong with splurging on this top-notch stuff when you have the budget for it, but don’t assume that more affordable goods won’t serve you just as well. The field of mid-priced appliances with stainless-steel cabinets and other quality features has grown faster than any other segment of the appliance market.

Amana, Bosch, Electrolux, GE Profile, Jenn-Aire, Kenmore, LG and Maytag are just some of the brands that offer these exceptional appliance designs at half the cost of goods sporting the high-end price tags.

There’s no end to the list of “must-have” amenities for the modern kitchen, and most of these manufacturers round out their lines with warming drawers, ice makers, wine chillers and other products. Big kitchens can accommodate all of these goodies, but in many homes they can easily cramp the kitchen and rob storage space.

Focus first on the essentials, and then see if other specialized appliances make sense. Even if budget isn’t a factor, you’ll be happier if your kitchen looks less like a machine shop and more like home.

LG Appliance Rebate

By

If you have been considering buying a new kitchen appliance, now might be the time to act. LG is offering a rebate of up to $500 on their kitchen appliances. The deal starts at $250 for two appliances and goes up to the $500 if you buy four. You can outfit your whole kitchen if you choose, as LG makes gas and electric ranges, dishwashers, refrigerators and microwaves, all of which are part of the rebate program. The offer ends May 12, 2008. You can view the details here.

New Miele Dishwasher

By

Miele will debut the new G 2002 La Perla series dishwasher this fall. Engineered to be the quietest Miele dishwashers yet, they also sport a Turbo feature that speeds up wash programs by 10-15%. Sensor Dry, the most advanced drying system on the market, analyzes room temperature to calculate the optimal water heat, rinse aid distribution and drying time. Dinner guests will wow as the Drying Plus feature automatically opens the door to aid in drying while the Auto Close function softly shuts the door to start the process all over again. A finishing touch… the un-mark-able/ remarkable Miele Clean Touch Steel™ beautifully resists scratches, fingerprints and smudges.
Quieter and Faster
The Turbo feature (available on most wash cycles) produces quick, outstanding results by automatically adjusting the temperature of the water in the wash and rinse cycle – reducing the rinse and drying times by 10-15%. More efficient engineering processes have also shortened program cycles and improved sound ratings for quieter performance.

The Luxury of Auto Close
No one is gentle when it comes to closing a dishwasher. Often, it gets “the boot”, “the hip” or “the slam.” No matter how abusive the closing ritual, a Miele La Perla will smoothly, and luxuriously, finish the job automatically so the dishwasher closes securely and correctly. Ok, it’s also really, really cool to watch the motorized door close by itself.


Unique Advanced Drying Features
Miele’s drying process is the most innovative of any dishwasher made today. The Clean Air drying system circulates room air around the exterior cavity in the machine. This pulls moisture from the dishware to the walls of the dishwasher where it drains away. To assist this process, the new Sensor Dry feature measures room temperature so that it can adjust the heat of the water, rinse aid distribution and drying time to maximize performance. Drying Plus opens the door automatically at the end of the cycle to let out moisture and provide superb results, especially for plastics.

Timeless, Smudge-Proof Beauty
Cut down cleaning time for the dishes and the dishwasher as Miele’s Clean Touch Steel™ finish resists fingerprinting, scratches and smudges. A very thin, transparent protective glass treatment is applied to the stainless panel that stands up to aggressive handling – keeping the dishwasher exterior cleaner, longer.

Beyond Clean to Hygiene
Dishware shouldn’t just look clean – for a healthy home – it should be hygienically clean. From its Clean Air drying system, to its third level cutlery tray that separates items for superior cleaning, to its sanitize programs – Miele’s dishwashers promise a healthier, more hygienic clean.