My wife says that the disk rack that's basically plastic wrapped around stiff metal wire is chipping off causing the metal to begin to rust. She says that she replaces these racks like every 3 or 4 years. Any suggestions how to repair it or is there a disk rack that won't rust and last much longer? I think she mentioned bamboo but I prefer non-wood unless no choice.
Buy her a dishwasher and eliminate the rack. Saves water and dishes are more sanitary.
If you must, it can be fixed with a plastic material used to dip tool handles. Just apply and let set, repeat if needed. Or buy an all plastic one.
We've had dishwashers for the past 40 years or so and have not needed a drying rack since. Go ahead, treat the lady.
The cost of whatever to "fix it" is probably about the same as a new one. They are not a "bank buster" purchase.
Harry K
You still need a dish rack, there will always be hand was items and other things that need a rack to rest on and dry.
Replacing a rack every 3-4 years is what, $2.50 per year? There are stainless racks available for a bit more $.
I can't imagine how you wouldn't. I certainly need one even with a dishwasher.
I have dishwasher and use a mat or a dish towel next to the sink for hand-wash items. Only two of us here, so not a lot of dishwashing, and prior to having a dishwasher I had learned to pile record amounts of dishes in the rack :o) I had never liked dishwashers until moving to our new place...soft water, nice dishwasher, spotless dishes. It had always seemed that loading/unloading dw was more work than it was worth.
It may be more work than t's worth, but as long you do full loads and don't rinse them clean before using the dishwasher, you save lots of water using a DW vs. handwashing..
I tossed mine 20 years ago and never missed it.
Really-- C'mon Doug, talk about your false economy.
I've had a dishwasher and tossed my rack--- then lived without a dishwasher and had a rack-- then got a dishwasher and tossed it again. I can't imagine what you need it for. But if you like it- good for you.
Jim
-snip-
I would say *especially* with the new models with an 'eco' mode. My new 'middle-of-the-line' Whirlpool has a 'sensor' mode. that quits washing when the dishes are clean.
It does a better job in 1/2 the time of the old one. [also a whirlpool- from the 80s]
I'm assuming it uses a lot less water- but I never measured either one. I *know* the old one used less than I did when I was doing them by hand-- and it did a better job than I did from the first day I wore glasses. Jim
Doug wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
Stainless steel.
Probably go this route because the wife likes a dish rack. I agree with some, that it's a bit of an eye sore and may waste water when compared to a "new" dishwasher but life is better if I make the wife happy. Most of the time we hand wash dishes for just 2 people and just use the dishwasher for company or just to give it a run. That may explain why at 15 yrs old, it still runs fine.
Thanks to all for the help / replies !!!
If you intend to place glassware or any other items that can chip or break easily into the rack, I wonder if stainless steel is a convenient choice. Seems you would need to be very slow and gentle both when loading and unloading a stainless steel rack to prevent damage/destruction of fragile items. Plastic is less expensive, lighter in weight, less likely to damage your fragile items, and less likely to scratch the counter top.
Back in the day, I had a lot more water than I had time :o) If there were dirty dishes, it meant I got home from work and cooked a meal. Probably sat down to read the paper, did a few loads of laundry, got back in the car a time or two to run kids to activities, policed homework, etc. Might have worked overtime, too.
Well, the alternatives of plastic and/or SS given, I'll throw out I just used a paint-on "dishwasher rack repair" coating on the joints of the (very) old DW rack and it seems to be holding up after a week or so since. If it'll stand the DW cycle for a while, surely it would handle the hand rack almost indefinitely I'd think.
I couldn't find it locally (this is a small market locale so that wasn't surprising) but Ace Hdwe has it on the web site and will ship to a local store for no charge. It was about $8 iirc -- of course for an inexpensive counter rack that may be a wash (so to speak :) ); for a $100+ replacement DW rack it seems worth a go...
BTW, the instructions say to remove rust to bare metal before recoating; being's as that's essentially impossible in a welded joint area as is where the rust generally starts I instead removed any loose rust, etc., cleaned w/ acetone to remove any grease and used a paint-on cold galvanizing treatment first to stabilize the rust.
I didn't try it since it was for the DW but I'd also think one of the tool handle dip or paint-on plastic coating products would work just fine as a repair, too...
(This is a.h._r_ after all... :) )
--
If she's happy and you're not, you're still happier than if you were happy and she wasn't.
We use a plastic rack - several years old now as well as a 5 yr old dishwasher. My wife puts the rack in the dishwasher every couple of months to clean the rack. Our big problem is rust on the lower level rack in the dishwasher. I keep looking for old thrown-out dishwashers, but no luck yet. May have to buy one (shudder).
Stainless steel?
AMEN TO THAT !!! I can tell you speak from experience and know exactly how I think .
We men often CAN be "civilized".
I once heard a speaker say: "Let me answer the question always asked by the women in the audience: 'Why are all the good men married?' The answer is simple. It's marriage that makes them good. In looking for a husband, your best choice, believe it or not, is a man who has been married before. He's already half-trained."
The only way that's not going to happen is to find one made of stainless steel. I can't recommend a specific product/source, however. Otherwise, wood it is.
nate
there are 100% plastic racks..... no metal no rust:)
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