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I was right about dishwasher pods and now I can prove it [video]

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Re: I was right about dishwasher pods and now I can prove it [video]

#331
post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That probably just means you’re using your machine badly.

There's no user error, just bad design.

This is an aphorism, not a truth. But it’s true that dish washing machines are often badly designed, especially when there are multiple opaque options that can be turned on and off. Consider the example presented in this very video, where the “Eco” cycle uses more water and more energy than the normal cycle and where the “High Temp” option adds more wash cycles as well as heating the water for longer. No amount of design can save the user from misunderstanding what these options do. The only way for the user to use the machine correctly is, at a minimum, to read and learn from the service guide (or other documentation) which gives explicit details about what each wash cycle is supposed to do. If you watch the supplementary video you’ll find that even that was incomplete and had errors; full understanding required hacking the dishwasher to reveal which parts of the machine were active (inlet, heater, pump, etc) and for how long.

Therefore I stand by my assertion that if you refuse to learn the details of what your dishwasher actually does then you will probably be using it badly.

Re: I was right about dishwasher pods and now I can prove it [video]

#332

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This works for cleaning a lot of things. I regularly clean the coffee maker (a Bialetti espresso thing) by putting some powder detergent in the water compartment, then „make coffee“ without actual coffee and leave it in overnight. Neutralize with white vinegar (which has the added benefit of descaling) and rinse thoroughly. It‘s as new afterwards. And yes, it’s not good for your skin, so avoid immersing your hands in…

I don't think boiling water with dishwasher detergent in it is a great idea (because of potential fumes). I might have misunderstood what you mean by "make coffee" but maybe something to look into if you do this regularly.

By „make coffee“ I meant „use the coffee maker as usual, without ground beans but with detergent in the water“. The fume/steam is surely not healthy if inhaled directly and up close, but then again your dishwasher vents those same fumes into your kitchen untreated in much larger quantities than a 200ml coffee maker possibly can.

I regularly use things to clean that I am more worried about, such as bleach, acetone, turpentine and the likes…

Re: I was right about dishwasher pods and now I can prove it [video]

#333
post #270

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just want a dishwasher and washing machine that I can load with gallons of soap once a month or whatever, and let it do the detail work for me. I know they exist in the commercial realm, but I'm not 100% certain the wife is ready for a Hobart machine in the kitchen ...

I've used a washing machine like this. For the feature to be useful, it has to be correctly implemented. Unfortunately, all r&d budget apparently, goes into developing vendor's mobile application and wifi connectivity, not on basic mechanics inside.

which is still weird, because those apps are always terrible and the connection always insecure

Re: I was right about dishwasher pods and now I can prove it [video]

#334
post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's more to the video than just that. For example: you should run your hot water tap before turning on your dishwasher, and you should experiment with the dishwasher settings, because they can make a big difference.

Running the hot water tap beforehand assumes that the dishwasher is hooked up to the hot water in the first place, which isn’t common everywhere. Where I live this feature is called hot fill, I believe, and a lot of dishwashers don’t even support it. For those that do support its still generally not recommended to use it since the dishwasher now can’t do any rinsing with cold water, which is not only wasteful but I’v…

   the hot water can damage the water softener in your dishwasher
Most dishwashers in the US don't come with water softeners. AFAIK European made American market Bosch 500/700 series ones do, but the American made ones do not. Both would be designed for connection to a hot water supply.

As heated air drying (in the US) has fallen out of favor, hot rinse water will help things dry faster. To that end my Bosch dishwasher has an option to increase the temperature of the rinse water.

Re: I was right about dishwasher pods and now I can prove it [video]

#335
post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He says that having the ability to tailor the amount of powder for the size of the load is one of the selling points of powder. But I'm guessing most people would much rather waste the few cents of savings in exchange for not needing to think about their dishes even that tiny bit extra.

Or just, you know, wait till the machine is filled before running it. If that takes too long you can just run a soaking cycle midway through.

Get 2 steps of the dishwasher shelves, then when it's done swap them, and you never have to put the dishes away

Re: I was right about dishwasher pods and now I can prove it [video]

#336
post #218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had that on a GE Profile from I think 1999 if I remember right. It was pretty nice. I think it's still a feature on some of them. That dishwasher was great and lasted over 20 years. The previous owners had definitely abused it and never cleaned it. I repaired it and had about the best dishwasher for a few more years. Eventually the main logic board went out (can't blame it too much, had electrical issues that kille…

as someone who's gone down the rabbit hole of dishwasher home repair, I've created more problems than I've solved. I agree that maintenance is important, but when you get into replacing the seals and gaskets that can result in water flooding into your kitchen, i decided recently to draw a line. I'm now the proud owner of some fancy leak detection / moisture detection IOS products as a result. (and yes I'm aware there…

Yeesh I'm starting to sound like a Bosch shill but they've had leak detection in all but their bottom rung dishwashers for a few generations. The current ones will actively pump the water out when a leak is detected.

Re: I was right about dishwasher pods and now I can prove it [video]

#337

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's funny. Code in Ontario Canada is that the fridge needs to be on its own circuit. It's funny because we have an extra-big-ass inverter drive fridge that never draws more than an amp or two, even at startup because it's inherently soft-start. Just a waste of copper and a beaker really.

>Just a waste of copper and a beaker really. But also helps avoid the case where your coffee maker trips the breaker shared with your refrigerator and you don't notice until the food in the refrigerator is warm. (which was a risk in my previous apartment - the counter circuits were shared with the refrigerator). I think it makes sense to have it as a separate circuit.

> counter circuits were shared with the refrigerator

Ouch. Code here (Ontario) is that not only does the fridge need a separate circuit, but counter outlets need two separate circuits: each socket on the duplex outlet is required to be on a separate circuit (although multiple outlets can all share the same two circuits, but you're supposed to alternate top and bottom).

Of course, if your home is older than I am or it's a handyman special, all bets are off. If I run the microwave while someone is vacuuming in another part of the house it'll trip the breaker.

Re: I was right about dishwasher pods and now I can prove it [video]

#338

Earlier quoted context omitted.

YouTube are already doing it! :(

Not very well, it's always too vague. Good opportunity to compete with a browser extension or service!

google'd [ai summary youtube transcript] and there's already at least 10

Re: I was right about dishwasher pods and now I can prove it [video]

#339

One surprising thing I got from this is that the "Energy Saver" mode used just as much energy, and even more water. But he said that almost as a throwaway, with almost no explanation of his methodology in determining this, nor discussion about how common this problem might be.

My dishwasher came with a booklet that showed energy and water consumption for each setting. Eco mode is about 20% - 50% more efficient in comparison to the other programs.

Re: I was right about dishwasher pods and now I can prove it [video]

#340
post #331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's no user error, just bad design.

This is an aphorism, not a truth. But it’s true that dish washing machines are often badly designed, especially when there are multiple opaque options that can be turned on and off. Consider the example presented in this very video, where the “Eco” cycle uses more water and more energy than the normal cycle and where the “High Temp” option adds more wash cycles as well as heating the water for longer. No amount of de…

I don't understand, though. You make the point that the user needs to read about the machine, but the very fact that the user needs to read about the machine points to bad design. A well-designed machine wouldn't have called a mode that user more energy and more water "eco".
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