<p>I wrote about this in a recent thread - i have an older model Bosch and a new one we installed last year, the same model as yours. After the detergents went phosphate free I developed this problem on both of them. I eventually figured out it had nothing to do with the machines, but originally thought it had to do with the installation or who knows what. I even had the water company out here to test the water, but not till the second repair guy did anyone ever tell me about the phosphate issue. It seems that it was just coincidental timing that we added a new machine and reinstalled the old one just before the elimination of phosphates. We did have a motherboard failure on the old Bosch, but only after it was old - a cycle started taking up to four hours. We fixed that and it’s been as good as new ever since. </p>
<p>If my experience was a guide, you might still be dealing with a lot of build up. It did take some time to get completely rid of it. In addition to the vinegar, which helped a bit, I was told to use the Dishwasher Magic( a few cycles in a row at first, then once a month for maintenance). You can also add a few drops of the Dishwasher Magic to your main detergent compartment every time, but I really don’t need do this any more. Make sure to fill the Jet Dry dispenser regularly, too. Everything sparkles now - no more mysterious spotting or white film. </p>
<p>My repair guy said avoid Cascade and try the Finish powder (just a small amount, a couple of teaspoons). But since reading here, I’ve experimented with the power ball Finish and I think it does a better job than the powder, regardless of amount. I would have resorted to the commercial Cascade online (temporarily to avoid adding to buildup) But once all build up was cleaned out thoroughly, I found Dishwasher Magic once a month and switching from the Cascade was enough. I would be persistent. The key is first getting rid of the build up. It’s true all brands and models are experiencing this, now - not just a Bosch issue.</p>
<p>Thanks fendergirl… quite is a good thing for us, especially with family room and tv adjacent to kitchen, </p>
<p>seiclan - It was handy that you reposted your Kitchenaid KUDE60FX info. I was just gonna look for it tonight since our leak is getting worse. </p>
<p>I did have the hardwood floor folks drop by today because we are in need of an estimate for kitchen floor work (new finish, not sanding this time). The good news is we can do the dishwasher work and probably floor repair as step1. Then later we’ll do the refinish.</p>
<p>I’ve been studying up on dishwashers. On the one hand I think I’d like one with a grinder on the bottom, and no filter to empty (like we have now - works great… never rinse plates, not even lasagna baking dish). On the other hand it seems like the quieter models are the filtered ones. </p>
<p>Seiclan - From what I can tell, your Kitchenaide is the filter kind. Can you get away w/o pre-rinse?</p>
<p>I only quickly (without a sponge) rinse off my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. I have had my kitchenaid for two months now and checked the filter yesterday…clean as a whistle. I had heard that you only need to clean them twice a year and I am betting that every 9 months or so would be fine. The dishes come out clean, even on the one hour/quicker wash cycle. </p>
<p>For detergent, I use finish gelpacks and had used the jet dry in the dispenser but it ran out last week and honestly, I don’t notice the difference so I am wondering if the extra liquid Jet dry is really necessary at all. Wonder if anyone here has any thoughts on that?</p>
<p>Woo hoo… I’ve got good news to share! Olur dishwasher is fixed, running leak free! </p>
<p>Since we really like our 17 year old Maytag dishwasher, we opted to get a repair estimate even though we thought it likely that a new purchase might be necessary. (The minimum trip charge was $67, with half of it eligible for credit toward a new unit at that appliance store ). </p>
<p>The first thing the repairman found was junk (mostly food, with a bit of glass and bone fragments too) clogging the top sprayer arm. That probably explains the slight recent degradation that I had blamed on non-phosphate detergent, </p>
<p>The broken “part” was a small grommet-like piece at the detergent dispenser cup. I’ll admit to having seen that possibility on repair hint websites, but it seemed odd due to the leak location. But hey, I like it when the parts are only $7.50. (Alas that was not the case on the car repairs yesterday). </p>
<p>The total bill was $115. That included $12 for a bottle of “Dishwasher Magic” that gets inserted upside down into the silverware basket for general gunk cleaning for old dishwashers. </p>
<p>OK, I know $115 is a lot to invest in a 17 year old appliance. But we’ve really liked it… and gosh, new ones are $129 just for the installation fee. It was going to kill me if I splurged for a new model AND need to start rinsing my dishes. </p>
<p>Interestingly, when the repairman arrived he looked at my Maytag dishwasher and immediately said - “Ooohh, you have one of the good ones!” He said they are great, like some of the old Maytag washers. That probably explains why other parents have posted similar good luck with their older Maytags.</p>
<p>c_mom - when my maytag washer broke the repair lady came down, took one look at it from about two feet away, and was like oh… you have one of them… is it doing blah blah blah… i was like yeah she goes every time i see that washer i have to replace the same part. i’ll be back. she brought down this little boxy piece with a connector on the end, plugged it in, and the washer was back in business… not even any trouble shooting or anything… 270 dollars later she left. imagine how much it would have cost on labor if she would have actually had to do something. thankfully my credit card reimbursed me, lol.</p>
<p>Per discussions in this thread and others… I had thought our slight degradation in cleaning (before the leak problem) was due to non-phosphate detergents. </p>
<p>Now I think it has to do with the stuff (meat, small bones, etc) that the repairman removed from the spray arm holes. And the running “Dishwasher Magic” through to remove 17 years of gunk probably didn’t hurt either. </p>
<p>Interesting feedback - the gal that came to refinish our wood floors recently says she is one of those who bought a new dishwasher and is not happy with the cleaning. So… if you need to replace yours, shop carefully.</p>
<p>Hmmm, am in the market to buy a new dishwasher & was quite amazed at the huge selection at Best Buy. A guy who was there started chatting me up about the renovations he’s been doing for different homes. He was even blabbing about my cousin’s home – if I had asked him how much she spent, I’m sure he would have told me that too! Wow, it was amazing to me how much he was talking about these clients–I know my cousin & likely others would NOT be pleased to know how much he talked about them.</p>
<p>He says he installs a lot of BOSCH & LG dishwashers in his remodels; he says he can usually deal with Best Buy to get them to reduce their price, since they’re right next to Costco, Home Depot and Lowes (all within a short walking distance of one another).</p>
<p>Thanks for the tip about the drawer. I did see a model that had a drawer & wondered about it–it was about $1,500; considerably more than I intend to spend. Definintely hoping we get something that cleans better & lasts longer than our current model, a White from Costco.</p>
<p>I liked the Bosch model I saw at Best Buy. But I think that was the one that salesman said had no “food grinder”. We’ve gotten spoiled, only scraping plates/bows/etd, never rinsing. I was afraid to try one w/o grinder.</p>
<p>The revival of this thread is so apropos: my dishwasher died a couple of weeks ago, and tomorrow I finally have time to go buy one. I, too, have gotten used to having one with a grinder, and would not like to do without. Other than that, all I really want is for it to be reasonably quiet, and fit wineglasses.</p>
<p>Never have had a dishwasher with a food grinder (don’t have a garbage disposal either). Does it really help to have one? H does the dishes around here, so I don’t know much about these things.</p>
<p>My sister loves dishwashers & has TWO in her home–one for clean and one for dirty dishes. She always buys whirlpool because she’s convinced it gives her more space since the utensils are in a basket on the door.</p>
<p>Food grinder? Not for me, we have a septic. I do not want to pay $200 for monitoring every year. Cleaning the removable stainless steel filter is not hard. It takes just a couple of minutes to pop it out, flush under a stream of hot water and put it back in.</p>
<p>I assume that with her cooking, Consolation will need a super large capacity heavy duty commercial grade DW. :)</p>
<p>My old kitchenaid had a food grinder but my new kitchenaid doesn’t. I don’t notice the difference in the cleaning. The new one is so quiet we frequently open it will its running by mistake (although there is a light that tells you it is washing, drying or clean that we should have looked at first)! The filter is a non issue to rinse off.</p>
<p>BB - I understand your concerns. We have city sewer, but I rarely use the disposer. After a few backups, we realize it has a poor design of pipe from back of house to front with hardly any angle to the pipe.</p>
<p>seiclan - I was considering your Kitchenaid recommendation if I needed to buy new, since you seemed happy. It’s good to know it does not have a grinder but works well. The filter was not the issue for me. We scrape our dishes into the trash, but I don’t want to need to prewash dishes, like I see done at many other houses. (It’s extra work. And extra water - something we pay attention to in CO). </p>
<p>It seems today there are models much quieter than our early 1990s vintage. But my main requirement is cleaning. Mine won’t last forever - glad to have this thread around.</p>
<p>I vave a Bosch. It’s going on 4 yrs old, have never had a single problem. Everything comes out remarkably clean and I neither scrap or rinse. My kitchen opens into our family room and I don’t know its even running until it’s done and beeps.</p>