Dishwasher choice for small household (2 adults)

l.i.t

10 years ago

We just built a house and bought a bosch ascenta dishwasher (our previous was a bosch, but about 20 years old). Our problem is that it doesn't seem to get much clean.... For instance, after washing, we will still find 'sticky' things on our dishes or utensils....only after the wash, it's just dried sticky. We usually scrape and do a lite rinse before putting our items in, but it seems that now we pretty much have to fully wash our dishes in the sink in order for them to come out clean in the dishwasher. We have checked all the pumps, sprayers, etc, water pressure, drain function, and found nothing. We use finish tablets (have even used one in the dispenser and one resting on the top rack...but to no avail)

The other part that really bothers us is that our dishwasher always seems to be 'wet' and will actually grow mildew. That takes a LOT of work, as we live in the desert ;-)

Some of the problem may be because our house is only two people big - and we wash dishes about once or twice a week - no pots, a few ceramics, and mostly melamine and glass dishes, tupperware, and utensils. So things may get dried on, and consequently difficult to get off. And not a lot to retain heat to help the drying process. We are not the 'typical' family.

Sooooooooooo.......we, who are used to the super cleaning ability of dishwashers from the past, are ready to trade in our energy efficient 5mo old bosch, for something that will better suit our needs - aka, just get our dishes clean. Noise doesn't matter too much, and energy efficiency isn't paramount since we really don't wash often - and washing twice or thrice doesn't seem to be very efficient to me.

Does anyone have suggestions. I've read so many comments and reviews, but am really thinking that we might need suggestions from people with washing frequency and habits like ours. Thank you so much in advance!!!!!

Liz

Featured Answer

peaches12345

10 years ago

I would have had a repairman out there immediately if the dishes are not getting clean. Something is obviously wrong. We are 2 adults, use our Kitchen Aid usually about 3 times a week, do not pre-wash the dishes/casseroles/pots and pans, use all cycles including normal most often, and the entire load comes out spotless. I do always run our water out of the faucet to be sure it is HOT before turning the dw on. What temp is your hot water heater set to? I can't imagine putting up with this in a new expensive dw for 5 months and thinking of buying something else without complaining to Bosch. It's their problem to fix.

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Comments (9)

jakvis
10 years ago
The Bosch Acsenta D/W is a good unit but it sounds like you may have some kind of drain blockage based on your complaint. Have a servicer check it out for you before just replacing it.
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erinsean
10 years ago
I also use my dish washer only two or three times a week..... and put pots and pans in it, that may have set in the washer for three days. Is your water hot enough? Can you check the water temperature going into the dish washer OR check the heating unit in the washer? Since your dishes are not clean and your dish washer is molding, I am betting that your water temperature is the problem. After you have checked the temperature, try using Finish Gel Caps. We have and are using the Finish powder/gel/red ball tablets but prefer the Gel Caps. Let us know.
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At risk of getting myself in trouble with the DH, I would recommend the lowest priced Bosch. We own an older top of the line KitchenAid, and about 6 years ago I bought a Bosch for our office. Both get used 1-2 times per day. The Bosch is very very quiet, and the KitchenAid very noisy. The Bosch has never been repaired, and the KitchenAid has been several times. Our next home dishwasher will be a Bosch, if the KitchenAid becomes uneconomic to repair. If possible get a model that is basic pushbutton only. These are cheaper and quite repairable. The electronic ones with the soft pad controls are often not economic to repair. We had an expensive Maytag and had to trash it for that reason. Whirlpool I believe owns KitchenAid, and these are similar units. I also believe Whirlpool makes Sears Kenmore. They would be a second choice if price is a big issue, but I would still recommend the Bosch. The only downside of them, based on our office experience is that the wash cycle is quite long, and plastics sometimes do not fully dry. There is a manual filter to clean, but it is just a basket thing you can do in a minute or less. Hope that helps some, Ron
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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.
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I suspect we have to win the award for irrational exuberance when it comes to number of dishwashers...we have FOUR. And there's only DW and me in the house! We have two Mieles in the kitchen, one F&P D/W drawer upstairs in the game room bar and one 18" Miele in the outdoor lanai. We use the two in the kitchen regularly but the other two get used only when we entertain or have house guests. Here are several points for you to consider: 1. The 18" Miele has 18" rotors...but a 24" depth. Consequently, it has trouble cleaning deep items (like tall glasses) if they're loaded in the front or back. If you're like most folks who thoroughly wash their dishes before putting them in the D/W (nutty, but true!), that may not create a problem. But it does cut down your loading flexibility. 2. We have a 15" trash compactor between our sink and one D/W and an 18" cabinet between the sink and the other D/W. We've never found it to be inconvenient but maybe that's because we don't rinse our dishes (only scrape) before loading (i.e., don't have to drag drippy dishes across those distances). 3. We have two different Incognito Miele models in the kitchen. The only difference I can see in the two is that the bottom racks are different but neither seems to have an advantage over the other. We rotate between the two so they both have the same "mileage". 4. DW washes all our non-stick pots by hand, per the manufacturer's recommendation. But casserole dishes, etc. will typically get clean in the D/W...IF you load it correctly. Because the kitchen is so central to our entertaining style, it's great to be able to get all of the dishes off the counter quickly, something that's near impossible with a single dishwasher. Bob
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Mom, It's not only the actual cost of the DW, but all the plumbing/connections too. I assume someone can do the labour involved for free? I dont' get why washing dishes by hand is such a big deal? I have five sisters, and our vacation home was a hobby farm with a tiny tiny kitchen. Minimium of eight of us, and usually lots of guests (there was a large guest/bunkhouse). When we first built our last home we roughed in for the DW, left the space bare (kids toys were stored there for years) until we COULD afford a DW. My sister has a gorgeous lake house and purposefully has no DW. If there are lots of us there, and many times there are (well you do the math- six girls and we all have 2-4 kids)- just means more hands to do the dishes- no big deal- and we just chat while doing it! Congrats and enjoy the new place (even though it's old and gungy :>)
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ideagirl2
10 years ago
I agree, that sounds like a drain blockage and/or water heat issue, or possibly it's a lemon. Don't give up on the Bosch. Have you read the troubleshooting stuff in the manual and had a repair person out?
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Jumpilotmdm
10 years ago
I'll refrain from comment except to say that I believe part of the problem is the word "Bosch".
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sparky823
10 years ago
Have you tried using the cycle with the hottest wash and rinse temp? That might help compared to Normal. I would try another detergent also, and be sure you have jet dry in the dispenser and check the setting for that . Might need to bump it up a # or two.
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l.i.t
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you for all the suggestions. I did test out the drain and it appears to be working. Not sure about the temperature, though - the washer basically backs up to the mechanical room with the hot water heater in it (set to 135 degrees), so there shouldn't be too much 'lag' in hot water getting to the dishwasher. And we have tried every 'heavy duty' setting possible along with the extra dry settings.

We should call the Bosch people (sigh). We are just so frustrated with the quality build and function of our new appliances - sad, but we would love to go back to all our old appliances, and do without all the added 'features'. It just seems like nothing is nearly as good as the old ones - maybe it's the energy efficiency, maybe it's because everything is built in China...who knows.

Thank you guys for all the help!!!! I'll let you know what they say!
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jwvideo
10 years ago
Well, the Bosch Ascentas are manufactured in North Carolina, but that is still of no comfort,

One other thing to check, which is something I found on a friend's dw which had a similar problem. Check the water line to the DW and make sure the installer hooked it to the hot water line and not to the cold supply.

Also, does the dw drain line run through an air gap? Since you had a previous Bosch, you probably have one, but it is worth checking. If you don't know what an air gap is, you can find a picture in your manual. It is on page 11 of the installation instructions which came with my Bosch dw, and they seem to be generic instructions for all models. if your paper copy isn't handy, you can download the manuals in pdf format.
erinsean
10 years ago
Run a load of dishes. Turn off the heated dry cycle. When the dishes are finished washing, open the door of the washer. Does heat and steam come out? Are the dishes hot to the touch? If not, then the water is not hot enough. Make sure the installer hooked the DW up to the hot water supply....NOT the cold water supply. I would call the installer or Bosch.
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Dishwasher choice for small household (2 adults)

peaches12345

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Dishwasher choice for small household (2 adults)

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l.i.t
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