1959 KitchenAid KD-12 Dishwasher Tour: Operation
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- Опубліковано 21 сер 2024
- My 1959 Kitchenaid KD-12 dishwasher in operation.
I purchased this machine in 1997 from a residence in OH, where it was still in use. The seller had removed it during a kitchen remodel. I had it shipped to my home in SoCal, performed a cosmetic restoration, installed it, and put it back into service. It's been in continual use ever since.
It is 100% original, and has had no real mechanical issues. The lock actuator behind the door handle did finally wear out about a year ago, and I had a new one replicated on a CNC machine at a local machine shop. It recently developed a leak, which I cured by replacing the original, rubber, overflow drain hose, with a modern automotive radiator hose. Not a bad record for a now 58 year old appliance.
I really appreciate men like you giving us this excellent demonstration of these wonderful vintage machines
Thank you
Wow! Thanks! You made my day. It's fun to have a kitchen that's fully outfitted with appliances from the early 50's, and all of them still in daily use, as if it's no big deal.
Thank you so much for posting this video! I moved into my home in 1999 (third owner). All appliances were original, stainless steel. The wall oven crapped out in 2002, forcing me to replace it and the cook top with a free-standing stove. Last week, an appliance repairman gave my KitchenAid Imperial DuaCycle dishwasher the once over to inspect the source of leaking water which stopped me from using it 8 years ago. The tub, motor and gaskets are all pristine, and he feels the leak was due to a misplaced item that sprayed water forward (which is a common cause for leaks to form). I found the original owners manual online and she is ca. 1965. I shined her up and fired her up, and she’s back to her full glory - a real beauty next to her companion Kelvinator refrigerator (which is still running like a champ).
Fantastic! It's amazing how well built and long lasting the old appliances are. I'm glad you're enjoying them. Thanks for watching!
It’s amazing how a machine made 73 years ago still works whilst I bought a tabletop dishwasher last May which broke down 6 months after and nobody can fix it.
I restored an entire kitchen's worth (40" Wedgewood stove with matching 40" Vent-A-Hood, Westinghouse Laundromat Twins, Philco Refrigerator, KitchenAid dishwasher, and all the small appliances like toaster, mixers, blender) of 1950's appliances in order to have a "real" working 1950's kitchen in my Victorian home, starting back in '93. It took me a few years to find everything, and get it all finished, but here it is, 2022, and all of it is still in use. The kitchen includes custom cabinets in white, with the correct chrome pulls, and real "Formica Double Boomerang Bianca" counter tops with fluted polished aluminum edge banding.
One can understand why Kitchenaid by Hobart was the best Dishwasher. Thank you for posting this informative video...
Thanks for watching!
And I'll bet this dishwasher cleaned better that many of the dishwashers on the market today, in a lot less time. THAT was how dishwasher conserved energy back in the day, by having shorter wash times.
It's a lot of fun to use. Thanks for watching!
We had this exact same dishwasher in our house until 1985. Ours was a KD-12P. The P at the end of the model designation meant that it was a pump drain model instead of a gravity drain model. The front of our dishwasher was stainless steel. There were some issues with it towards the end. There was a small leak. Also it started not to work properly. Lastly the racks were worn out (the lower rack was replaced during the life of the machine).
What an outstanding run for that machine! Thanks for watching!
In the uk these machines were never connected to the hot supply so when you switched it on a heater came on in a tank in the bottom and heater the water. Once hot enough (15 mins) the machine started. While washing another tank of water was being heated so it went straight to hot rinse. All done in 15 mins from time water heated up for first wash. Our latest machine (top of the range Bosch) takes about 3 hours. What a joke.
In 1957 my mother had the kitchen (built in 1927) re-done; a stainless steel Elkay sink and Kitchen Aid (by Hobart) dishwasher were installed. The dishwasher looked exactly like the one in this video, except I think the one my mom ordered had a stainless steel facia (I could be wrong about that). I remember the start button. the little red pilot light, the blue-rubberized pull-out trays, the dial at the bottom AND...the forced-air dryer. I think the whole cycle was under 50 minutes. Whenever friends/relatives came in to our kitchen, they all wondered at my mom's dishwasher and after seeing my mom's unit, had one, just like this one, installed. I don't think we had a single day's problem with this dishwasher...it worked PERFECTLY for 16 years, and then we sold the house. (I think it would have worked for many decades, there was NO planned obsolescence back then). The new owner (1970) had it taken out and thrown into the trash, along with the stainless steel sink. Reason? The sink had tiny water droplets and didn't shine like a new porcelain sink. Oh well.
What a great story! I was very lucky to find mine. It was still in use in a house in Ohio, that was being remodeled. The owner/seller was kind enough to help me get it shipped. That was back in the mid to late 90's and it's been in use every since. I was also able to find a big double basin, double drainboard sink and both have been very loved in my 1950's kitchen, along with my early 50's Westinghouse front load washer/dryer pair, Philco refrigerator, 42" Wedgewood cook stove, and matching 42" Vent-A-Hood range hood.
Thanks for watching!
My mother had this dishwasher, it lasted for years finally gave way where the blow dryer is, it leaked under there so we got rid of it and bought a KitchenAid Superba which I still have down the basement apartment. Very powerful motor and pump the spray arm weighted a ton.
Yeah, as I recall the spray arm was made out of cast iron--or at least felt like it was--very different from the plastic components of today's dishwashers.
We had this exact dishwasher and let me tell you it washed many holiday dishes two and sometimes three loads one right after the other everything came out sparkling clean and the dishes were never pre-rinsed. It was still running but we had to finally get rid of it when it started leaking by where the dryer area was inside in the bottom right side rear.
Those dishes are adorable 😮
lol... Thanks! They aren't nearly old enough to match the dishwasher, but I still think they're kinda cool.
When I was a kid this was sold here in the UK badged as Swanmaid - VERY few people could afford it - kid at school whose Dad was a doctor had one...
I didn't know they were sold in the UK! Thanks for the comment!
@@austinado16 I always like a nice piece of vintage engineering - did you see the Homart Electric Sink - video on youtube..
@@user-vt6ur9zs8w I haven't seen that video, but I'm going to go find and watch it. Thank you!
My mother had one of these, extremely powerful pump motor cleaned and dried all the dirty holiday plates in no time. Ready for a second load by the time desert was served. Only reason for replacement was tub began leaking by dryer blower inside.
Well that's when you pull it out and do patch work.🙄😑
You can never find quilty and fast washing and rinsing in ANY DISHWASHER TODAY.
This things amazing wish they made stuff like this today instead of the use and throw away we have done
I like that turning handle on the machine.
Me too. Really conveys that feeling of, "We're REALLY gonna do this!" Thanks for watching!
Sound insulated, just 130 decibels!
How else would you know your dishes were being cleaned :-)
They need to start making these again!
I think people would be put off by the noise they make.
We actually had this dishwasher years ago did a fantastic job the only reason we changed it was because it started leaking by the dryer connection to the cabinet.
No new dishwasher would clean as good as that one
It doesn't do anywhere near the job that a modern dishwasher would do. For example, it doesn't have a top rack wash arm (something that I'm guessing KitchenAid came up with), so the upper dishes are only washed as good as what the water can do that gets past the plates and utensils in the bottom rack. And it doesn't create it's own ultra hot water, although my water from my house's hydronic heating system (compact boiler system) is very hot, so it's not really capable of removing food that's been stuck onto dishes and dried there. There's also only so much water pressure that it can create, considering that the pump assembly is now 61yrs old, and counting. It probably did a fantastic job when it was new, and tolerances were tight in the pump. That being said, I don't need it to wash like a modern machine. It's simply a functional part of my 1950's kitchen, it's a great addition to the rest of the appliances, it DOES work and do a good job, and it still puts a smile on my face every time I fire it up and hear all the cool sounds it makes.
@@austinado16 Yup, we had one of these when I was growing up--it came with the house my parents bought in 1971--and I remember these problems well. My parents had to repair it a few times before they finally gave up on it and bought a new one. They estimated it was about 30 years old at the time. (I guess some of them lasted longer than that!) They've had a few dishwashers since then, none of which lasted longer than 10 years or so. Anyway, I love seeing the rack design and the start switch and that little red light. Thanks for the memories!
I love those dishes!
Kind of a funny set of early Corning Ware, from the 70's.
@@austinado16 I own an antique shop and have never seen this pattern before, I was just reading that it's a rare pattern. Very very cute. If I ever find them I'm putting them in my kitchen!
@@MsStarMama I originally purchased them for our 1980's pop-up tent trailer, because I wanted something to sort of go with it. Found the entire set locally on CL for $40, from the original owner. How funny is that? Centura by Corning, "Summerhill" pattern. I really need a 50's atomic set for my 50's era kitchen, but the prices of those are prohibitive.
I've sold high end appliances for years and I've never seen anything remotely close to the quality of a Hobart by Whirlpool now. By today's standards this a "commercial grade dishwasher" for a resuraunt. Chances are the frige's in your grocery store are Hobart. I've sold 1000's of them.
Agreed. The fact that this machine is still in use, and fully functional is pretty amazing. Other than replacing a couple rubber hoses, and freeing up the fan motor for the hot air blower, it was still functional when I found it. Other than cosmetic things (which are now showing their age again) and having the liner of the inner door re-powder coated several times, the only mechanical work I've done has been: re-sealing the tub around the pump/motor housing, and having a new lock mechanism made on a CNC machine for the door latch.
Cool
the government and their ridiculous energy regulations will never allow a company to make a machine like this again, even if they wanted to
None of my 1950's appliances (washer, dryer, refrigerator, dishwasher, stove/oven, etc) use much electricity, and my monthly electric bill hovers in the $57 range. The gas bill ranges from $30ish for about 9 months out of the year, and $85ish for a few months during the winter.
I heard the pumps in early dishwashers were so overpowered they tossed the dishes around.
Mine doesn't do that, but there is probably enough wear in the pump that it simply doesn't produce the water pressure that it once did.
Probably works better than my GE piece of junk!
LOL...it's not the best dishwasher, certainly not by today's standards, but it's a lot of fun to own and use! Thanks for watching!
What kind of soap did you use? Do you know what kind would appropriate when this was new in the 1950s?
I just use normal powered soap in it, and I hang a basket that contains a block of something that helps keeps the classes from being spotted by our hard water.
My God, it's as loud as a lawnmower ;/
Yeah, but it uses a lot less gas.
Your lucky
Hi - I have this same dishwasher - need a modern replacement part for the gasket (the dishwasher leaks when filled.) Any suggestions? I thought about having someone put new "guts" in too, but not sure if that's feasible. All the dishwasher repair places/people just want to sell me a new dishwasher, which I don't want.... any help or referrals you can provide would be very much appreciated. Thank you! Marion (in Pasadena, CA)
Hi Marion, did you get to fix it?
Hi Marion. Apologies for the delayed response. For some reason YT holds some comments, so unless I go looking for "held comments," they aren't readily viewable. To answer your question, hardware stores like Ace or True Value, and automotive parts stores like NAPA, sell gasket material in bulk. So that is what I would do if this were my machine... diagnose the cause of the leak, and if it WAS in fact the gasket between the motor and the tub, I'd consider removing the motor/pump assembly, buying gasket material of a similar thickness, and then cutting a new gasket by hand (using scissors, an X-acto knife, etc). All that said, sometimes, on vintage stuff, less is more. So lets say you determine the gasket is leaking, but then you look at how the motor/pump are installed, and determine that due to age, you might do permanent damage to the machine, in attempting to replace the gasket. Maybe you determine the damage won't be that bad, or maybe you can cut away the fasteners rather than "unscrew" them, and sort of mitigate chances of damage.....or maybe, it's better to use a product to simply seal the inside of the tub, at the location of the pump housing. Or.....maybe you determine that NO ONE is going to take on this project, and you don't have the skill, so maybe sealing the tub permanently, is a better option because you can do it yourself. In those scenarios, I'd recommend 3M 5200 Marine Sealant. It comes in white, it is incredibly permanent and excellent, and you can do it yourself, in a matter of minutes. I've actually done this exact repair to my machine, because I wasn't willing to risk damaging a perfectly working machine. I cleaned around the pump flange, removed the drain screen located in front of the wash arm, and cleaned the area around the big drain opening, and the flowed in a nice bead of the sealant. I let it dry for a few days, and it's been leak proof for years.
@@austinado16 hi Todd we had a kitchenaid imperial dua cycle machine made by Hobart. Miss that dishwasher. This seems to be a common problem when they start to leak it is the gasket. My moms leaked and blew out the blower motor which was the motor that dries the dishes . We had a news gasket plus the blower motor we replaced. Dish washer still worked and we kept it. It was worth the fix. Maxine lasted for 30 years plus. We sold the house new owner kept it I guess. Just before we moved the wash motor would I guess over heat and shut itself down at the start of the last rinse.
I wonder what a Westinghouse dishwasher sounds like.
I do love the build quality of old appliances, but maybe I'm in the minority but my new appliances don't tend to break down on me
It's hard to believe how good the quality is, in the old machines. I created an entire 50s kitchen, from the small appliances, all the way up to the washer, dryer, cook stove, vent hood, fridge, and dishwasher, and they have all been in daily, normal, family use since the early to mid-90s.
Are you the original owner of that dishwasher? Have you had any problems with it?
I'm not the original owner. I found it online, being sold during a remodel, in OH. It was still in use, prior to being removed during the remodel. Yes, I've had a few problems with it, but nothing really major. The most recent, around the time of this video, was the actuator for the door latches had worn out. I had a local machine shop replicate it on their big CNC machine. As you can see in the videos the cosmetics are looking a little tired now from years of use. I did the original restoration on it in 1997, and it's been in continuous use ever since. It's fairly straight forward to repair it, and so far I've been able to keep it alive.
I just got my hands on one. It still works. How would you determine a value of it? Any thoughts?
No idea what they're worth. I guess it depends on condition/model/location.....and whether you can find someone who actually wants one.
cool but should have loaded it up with dirty dishes and see how well it works lolololol I'm sure if it's made by Hobart it's a great dishmachine
I need a timer for mine .. any ideas where to get one ?
I don't know where you'll find one. Any chance you can disassemble yours, find out what's wrong, and repair it?
@@austinado16 the backolite broke on one of the timer ..wheels?