New Kitchenaid DW not drying...what the?

14 years ago

I have two new Kitchenaid dishwashers in my kitchen that we paid $1,100 each for so I expect them to work well. The kids are eating on the deck a lot now so my loads consist mostly of plastic plates and cups. I select "heated dry" when I start the dishwashers, yet the loads in both dishwashers have water all over them when the cycle is over and I have to pull out the racks to let the dishes air dry. Anyone in the same boat? Any suggestions?

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Comments (8)

weissman
14 years ago
I think plastic doesn't dry all that well in any dishwasher. Are you using rinse aid? That should help.

One more question - on my KA DW, heated dry is the default - I have a button to select "energy saver dry" which turns off heated dry. Are you sure you are running it with heated dry?
reshal
Original Author
14 years ago
I will try the rinse aid, but I read the Kitchenaid DW doesn't need it if you use an enzyme based detergent. I am sure I'm pushing the "Heated Dry" button. I would think the heat would dry the plastic, so maybe it's not a true "heated" dry? Thank you for your suggestions!
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weissman
14 years ago
The rinse aid has nothing to do with the enzyme detergent - I believe it causes the water to bead up which aids drying. Even detergents that contain rinse aid aren't sufficient because they aren't released at the right time.
dadoes
14 years ago
reshal, rinse aid MUST be used to get proper drying performance out of almost any dishwasher nowadays. As weissman stated, enzymes in the detergent has no relation whatsoever to rinse aid. And plastics typically don't dry very well anyway. You'll get the best results by using rinse aid, and prop the door open partway for a few hours (or even overnight) after the cycle finishes so residual moisture can evaporate. Rinse aid is not a new concept, it has been on the market since the 1960s.
ya_think
14 years ago
"Rinse aid is not a new concept..."

Yeah, it's "dishwashers that don't dry well" that's a relatively new concept. Oh well, at least we're saving some energy and plastic doesn't warp on the bottom rack.
yadax3
14 years ago
I hate to belabor the point but are you sure the button on your dishwasher says "Heated Dry" and not "Energy Saver Dry" as stated by a previous poster? The reason I ask is that the button on my old KitchenAid dishwasher, which had the later, actually turned off the drying cycle instead of turning it on, which was counter-intuitive for me.
weedmeister
14 years ago
Well, with newer units, unheated drying may be the default. EnergyStar and all that jazz...

But it doesn't look that way from the manual.

Rinse aid lowers the surface tension of the water allowing it to drain off the dishes faster and more completely.
starlightfarm
14 years ago
Agree with other posters... you must use a rinse aid in order to get your dishes dry. I can always tell when my rinse aid dispenser is getting low.... there is more water on the dishes.

New Kitchenaid DW not drying...what the?

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weissman

reshal
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New Kitchenaid DW not drying...what the?

Comments (8)

weissman

reshalOriginal Author

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weissman

dadoes

ya_think

yadax3

weedmeister

starlightfarm

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reshal
Original Author