Haven't ever used a drawer, but you too can notice that dishdrawers have square racks as regular 24" DWs 18" diswashers are a compromise for very small kitchen. I mean : draw the biggest possible circle in a 24" x 24" square, then the biggest possible circle in a 18" x 24" rectangle. You can see that corners in the square are closer to the circle, while rectangle ones are not that close Spray arms draw a circle while spinning. So the spray action in rack corners is more effective in square rack designs (DD and 24" DW) than rectangular rack design (18" DW) If one is aware of this and loads a 18" DW consequently, there's no problem. But if you load tall and narrow juice glasses soiled of orange juice in the corners of a rectangular rack (18" DW), you can't pretend the will be cleaned as well as a dishdrawer or a regular 24" machine do Anyway a single drawer holds less items than the two racks of a 18" machine A regular 18" or 24" machine is more flexible than a double dishdrawer : in case of extralarge items you can raise the upper rack or even take it out (Bosch), with a dishdrawer ... you can handwash. I guess space is not your issue (a single drawer is as large as a 24" machine), rather you aren't supposed to have a daily full load in a regular 24" DW In this case be aware that latest european 24" DW have load size sensing devices and use 7-8 litres of water (round 2 gallons) for a *full= two racks* load. The *single* dishdrawer uses 1.95 gallons per load, so partially loaded 24" machines can even use less water than a *single* drawer. To cut a story short : if you have place go for a regular machine : it cleans better, you'll have plenty of place for those times you have guests at dinners and on the other side you can run partial loads without feeling "guilty"

Oh...I hated my Kenmore DW for this very issue. I first used liquid detergent squeezed from a bottle, but that seemed to dry and glue the dispenser closed when I'd use the delay start. I'd open it in the morning only to find the soap hadn't dispensed. I switched to Finish Powerball tabs only to find the the stuff baked on in the dispenser like you've experienced. Part of the issue is that any of my big pots and pans in the lower rack blocked the dispenser lid when it tried to open during the cycle. IMHO, the placement of the dispenser is horrible. I often re-arranged dishes so as not to block the dispenser, but that was difficult sometimes as the dispenser is located right at pot level. The other issue was that the lid just sometimes didn't disengage. Maybe it was from being blocked too often early on in its life. When I had a repair tech out looking at my rangetop, I asked him about the DW. He said its common for that to happen. He suggested either ordering a new dispenser from Sears to see if that helped, or just listening for the time when the dispenser would open and then opening the DW to check to make sure it dispensed the detergent. I chose the latter, but that got old reeeeeeaaaal fast as I run the DW about twice a day. I remember starting the DW at night when I just wanted to go to bed, and waiting around for the dispenser opening time. Ugh. This was just part of the reason I couldn't wait to get rid of my Kenmore. I was so happy when it died. I bought a heavily discounted clearance Miele and have never experienced this issue as the dispenser is located much better on the door. And it's leagues quieter also. Oh...and it cleans better.

The 18" Miele is well designed and reviewed and should be fine for two people. Even if it is run more often, they say nowadays that dishwashers use a lot less water than hand washing, so that wouldn't be so bad. Thinking toward the future, however, one of the few appliances that really comes in a pretty standard size is the dishwasher. There are variations of less than an inch, but they're all pretty much 24". If you get the 18" unit, you're betting that in the future, because even Mieles wear out, there will be a nice replacement. Also, that if you should ever want to sell your home, the buyers won't be put off by it. Happy medium: Before you get too far along, why not talk to a carpenter or cabinet installer and see if the cabinetry can be customized so that the sink can be supported properly in a smaller cabinet, with the drainboard extending over the DW, and that the DW can be installed under it. There are many dishwashers that anchor at the sides rather than the top, so if the drainboard is pretty flat, and won't be affected by the heat of the machine, it might be possible. I know what it's like to be in love with a sink, but between one and the other, I'd chose a standard sized sink and dishwasher, rather than an oversized sink and undersized dishwasher.

Fills for washes and rinses are timed, controlled by the computer board or mechanical timer. The float operates for overfill protection to electrically shut off the inlet valve in case an incomplete drain (due to a pump malfunction or obstructed drain hose) leaves too much residual water in the tub such that the next timed filled causes an overfill. (The float does not protect from flooding if the inlet valve hangs open, which is a physical malfunction of the valve, not an electrical malfunction.) Also, it's a good idea to include the model number of an appliance when asking questions so people answering can research the details of the machine.