Aarke Sparkling Water Maker Anyone?
1929Spanish-GW
2 years ago
Has anyone tried one of these? I love sparkling water, but hate all the plastic/glass waste. Curious if you've tried one of these. I love the form and would hope the function would follow.
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dadoes (and anyone else knowledgeable about dishwasher repair) --
Comments (8)You (or DH) can look up the model number at SearsPartsDirect.com to see a breakdown diagram which will help if disassembly is needed. As others have suggested, you can check the drain function by disconnecting the drain hose from your sink plumbing and running it into a bucket. That will confirm if the machine itself is able to drain OK, whether there may be a blockage in your plumbing connection. There are of course multiple fill/spray/drain periods throughout a full wash/rinse cycle, and there's no difference between one drain and another, they all work the same way. When dirty water is left behind, could very well be from the early wash periods that didn't fully drain. Overflow protection will prevent the machine from flooding if it goes into a fill with water left in the tub. Per the diagrams this machine appears to be a power-clean type of unit (not tall-tub) with a unitary pump mechanism (tall-tub machines usually have separate recirculation and drain pumps), a macerator and soil separator chamber, which are known to perform quite well. The macerator screen can get clogged with fibrous debris, stray paper labels and such, which impedes water flow for washing/rinsing and could also affect draining....See Morehard water marks on glasses
Comments (36)States Ban Phosphate-Laden Dishwasher Soap July 2011 started a ban in sixteen states of the sale of dishwasher detergents that contain high levels of phosphates, a source of pollution in lakes and streams. Stores will not be allowed to sell detergent with more than 0.5 percent phosphorous. The bans do not apply to commercial dishwashing products, and detergents for hand-washing dishes generally contain no phosphorus. States instituting the rule include Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. One major cause of problems in dishwashers and cloths washers is most people use way too much detergent, more is NOT better. In a dishwasher fill the cup half way and use Cascade Complete liquid. Powder does not dissolve as well and be sure your rinse agent (JetDry) is full. If you are using a HE cloths washer use 2 tablespoons of 2X HE detergent. If you have a mildew smell in your front load washer then that is soap buildup, use a cup of white vinegar on its hottest or "tub clean" cycle to clean it. DO NOT mix bleach in your dishwasher! A posted comment:"my black dishes are white and my glass dishes are dirty looking " Try soaking them in CLR, if that does not work then they are permanently etched and there is nothing you can do. A posted comment:"I occasionally use Brillo to clean my white dishes" Noooooooo no no, you are scratching your dishes making them worse. Never use Brillo pads or Comet type cleaners on anything except stainless steel and that is not even necessary. If you do use one of these products on stainless than only rub with the grain, if you rub cross grain than you will permanently scratch the surface giving it an old warn out look. Here is a link that might be useful: NPR, Dishes Still Dirty? Blame Phosphate-Free Detergent...See MoreIs a dedicated ice maker worth the space?
Comments (66)The rental house we are in has a KitchenAid undercounter ice machine that is about 6 years old. This is the second machine in the house that is about 15 years old. As Sophie said, ice machines made by the Whirlpool Corp are basically the same no matter the brand. I'll share our experience for the benefit of others. I love the clear ice but am not crazy about the small, square cubes. They melt relatively quickly. If I were installing an ice machine, I'd want to go with a model that produces large cubes. But then those cost more than a KitchenAid, I think. We live in an area with relatively soft water. Even so, water takes a toll on the valves of the ice maker. In 6 years, the water valve has been replaced twice. We realized the ice production was way down, did some research and discovered the water valve was the issue. Once it was replaced, we realized the ice cubes had been getting smaller over the months but gradually enough that we didn't notice. For hard water areas of the country, I would recommend supplying the machine with reverse osmosis treated water. We have cleaned the ice machine with the special cleaning solution every 6 months based on when the "clean" light comes on. That process is simple. We use the solution recommended by the manufacturer and it is pricey - about $13 a bottle, one bottle per cleaning cycle. As this is a rental house, I do not want to use any other solution that I've read about on the internet that would be cheaper. As far as mold, when we moved into the rental house, it had been vacant for about 3 months. The AC had been on (at maybe 78-80 degrees) and the ice machine was on, too, but there was a lot of mold throughout the areas exposed to water. This type of mold is always challenge to life in the hot, humid South. I thoroughly cleaned the mold and it has not returned but I do keep an eye on it and clean as needed. The ice machine makes several different sounds as it goes through its cycles - draining noises, gurgling, cubes dropping. I don't find them obnoxious but then I am not a "hearing" sensitive person. The machine does put out a lot of heat as any machine that cools/freezes does. This should be a consideration for placement. I sure as heck wouldn't want it in my cooking zone. We are building a new house and considered an ice machine but just could not justify the luxury. In my opinion it is truly a luxury item because of the initial cost and the fact that it makes ice all day, every day. Ice production is not based on usage. If we entertained groups frequently, we probably would have planned for one....See MoreFYI: Samsung french door fridge with ice and water in door
Comments (35)Hello all, My wife and I ordered a Maytag Ice2O FD fridge a month or so ago (for a very good price), but were never really thrilled with how the fridge looked - don't like the appearance of the ice/water dispenser. What we did like was the freezer drawers. We loved that the drawers are not wire baskets, and that they both come out when the freezer is opened. After hearing of many problems with the circuit boards on the Ice2O, we diceided to look into other brands. As our other appliances will be mostly GE, we were looking at some GE FD fridges. The PFSS6PKWSS seemed to be the best of the bunch, including the new models with 2 separate freezer drawers. We noticed that on some of the fridges, the deli drawer smacks right into the french doors if the doors are not completely open (which we will not be able to do due to a wall on one side of the fridge). The PFSS6PKWSS has a deli drawer that opens up with the french doors open 90 degrees, but my wife was upset that the shelves did not pull forward like on the Ice2O. We knew that Samsung makes the PFSS6PKWSS for GE, and found the Samsung RF267AARS at a Best Buy to look at. We verified that the interiors are exactly the same, except for clear plastic bins on the french doors (they are white on the GE). After pretty much deciding to stick with the Ice2O because of the pull-out shelves, we happened to tug on one of the Samsung fridge shelves and voila! It slid forward, a few inches farther than the Ice2O shelves even! I think we have decided to go ahead and cancel our Ice2O order, and go with the Samsung RF267AARS. So, you Samsung owners out there, how have the fridges been working, how quiet are they, and do you had any complaints about them? Thanks for any replies....See More1929Spanish-GW
2 years ago
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