DISHWASHER BLUES

       Anybody who's had a dishwasher has probably had some sort of problem. So I'm not the only person with a dishwasher story. The soap dispenser lid has been sticking so that the soap is not released. This has happened before but I clean it out and it runs for a while.

     This time the dishwasher ran for less than two weeks after cleaning so I got tired of that. You have to take all the dishes out and wash them by hand. So I went to Mr You tube and found the perfect site that showed me exactly what to do. So I hope this cures the problem.

     Then I started thinking about my Mom. She never had a dishwasher and washed all dishes by hand. She didn't have running water either. About half the time there were extra people at the table. Once in a while she employed her little sons to wash dishes but I'm afraid that they were more of a nuisance than help. But we did wash quite a few dishes. 

     An elderly man lived about half a mile from our place. Very often he ate at our place. He was a good visitor. One time I was staying with my Dad and the "old man" dropped in. We had him stay for supper. I remember washing dishes with the old man while Dad did his chores with the animals. After that we hooked up the horses and took the old man home to his shack. 

     So my problem with the dishwasher wasn't that much compared to many years ago. Of course, they didn't have the problem of a dishwasher that wouldn't work. 

That Old Dishwasher Works Again

      So one little roller was not going to let me throw out my dishwasher. With the broken roller I could only use the bottom rack.

     So I finally found an old top dishwasher rack at the Habitat for Humanity store. The rollers looked similar to mine and they said take the rack if it works okay and if it doesn't throw the rack away. The rollers did look much like mine in size and shape. 

     So I took one roller off. Now dishwashers they make these days are crap but try taking the thing apart.

     When I put the new roller beside the old roller I thought there would be nothing to it. Wrong! I found the roller was too thick so I had to grind it down more than half. The hole for the shaft was too small so some reaming out took place. Then the screw that attaches the roller caught on the railing. So grind out a bit so the screw is inset. 

    And there you have it . A lot of work to alter a roller to make it fit. 

    And away goes my dish washer.

    Now there are only two of us so we don't have a big pile of dishes. I do all the dishes. So around here it wouldn't be disaster if I didn't have  dishwasher. 

Accidental Theme

     It seems that once in awhile I have several posts in a row on the same theme. Sometimes it's planned and sometimes completely unplanned. Today's post is an accident.

     My last post was on a house being moved and saved from the wrecking block. It seems many readers feel the same about wa

sting resources and energy by throwing material away that is still in good condition.

     So this morning when I filled the dishwasher the top rack wouldn't come out. When I did get it to come out it wiped out the dishes on the lower rack so something had come off so that the top rack was hanging down.

     Now it took quite a few looks before I saw what the problem was. A small roller that runs in the slide that is part of the mechanism to pull out the top rack had broken. More to the point this little roller had almost disintegrated. 

      I phoned the best appliance parts place. No, these rollers are not made anymore. I tried a used appliance place. They didn't have a roller. They gave me the bad news that appliances only last 3-5 years before they need repairs.

    I went to Habitat for Humanity and dug around in the mountains of used dishwashers and parts. I couldn't find anything.

     Now for the wise use of resources and energy. I bought my dishwasher in 1987! That's right. My dishwasher is 29 years old and I'm not going to part with it yet if I can help it.

    I've done repairs on this appliance but have never taken it to a repair shop. I've changed a little control valve twice as they get corroded and then seize up and won't work. There are a couple of zip ties holding things together, I've painted racks to cover the rust. For most of the time only two of us have been using the dishwasher. I don't wash pots and pans in it. Sometimes I run vinegar in it and other times some margarine. I also clean out the screen for the water outlet.

     I wish that more quality was put into today's appliances. I hate to see things thrown away. However, if everybody used their dishwasher for 29 years the making of dishwashers wouldn't be very lucrative and the fat cats wouldn't make their millions of easy money. 

    I will not throw my whole dishwasher out just for one small roller that is missing!

This is my central vac motor that needs a talking to once in a while.

My Dishwasher Blues

      There are two dishwashers in my house...ME and the machine.

      Now I'm a capable dishwasher. I get the job done. I'm steady as I wash dishes three times a day seven days a week. Sometimes I wash more than three times a day if there is baking or extra food prep. On the other hand I'm pretty old and wiggly. Sometimes I don't see the dirt! Maybe I've had one too many whacks with the cast iron fry pan? But I'm the kind of person who doesn't look for dirt. I just don't see dirt very well. I also don't see dirt in people. I look for the good stuff and ignore the rotten stuff.

     Now the machine is 24 years old. So it's old and wiggly. It has been on a down hill roll for several years. It runs well, but it doesn't clean very well. Maybe it doesn't see the dirt too well? Maybe it's tired? Several years ago I stopped making the old dishwasher wash glasses. They just didn't come clean. Then I stopped putting cutlery in as it was always spotted. When the rest of the dishes showed some stain I decided to quit using the dishwasher and washed dishes by hand. The dishes shined up in a hurry. Then I read the old manual and found out I was supposed to put soap in two places instead of one. I tried putting soap in two dispensers and the dishes came out perfect. The next time I ran the dishwasher the second dispenser did not release the soap  so my dishes were a mess again. The sensor to release the soap door did not release. On my next wash there was a big click while the water was heating? Oops I think the second soap release door opened. Sure enough! It had opened. So I'm going to try the dishwasher one more time.

    This dishwasher being twenty-four years old doesn't owe me anything so if it doesn't work I will throw it away.

    Now new dishwasher shopping? That's another story1 I posted long ago that I hate shopping. I think you''ll probably have to read one more whiny post!