Dishwasher doesn't dry properly

Hmmm, Really speaking of build quality of any thing, wife dropped her laptop ending up with broken hinge on one side, B4 it quits altogether I went out to try new laptops. Every one of them felt so flimsy I ended up buying 4 year NOS Toshiba which is built like tank. Any one watched Panasonic Tough Book and Motorola's equivalent one going through all kinds of abuse? First driving a car over them, pouring water, sand, heat them up under direct sun light. Lastly they blew them up with TNT sticks. Still they remained in one piece but dead. Motorola one fared better there. My field work laptop is Durabook semi-rugged mil-spec. one. I can drop it or bang them around without any problems.

Reply to
Tony Hwang
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. As for drying, everything pretty much dries

Update: Ran a load WITH rinSe agent added to Costco packets. Dried much better; even cutlery. So Costco saying their product contains rinse agent...??

BTW, any chemistry folks around who know just whatthehell is in "rinse agent"???

Update: I went to several DIY sites which recommended plain white vinegar instead of rin$se agent. Might that be a clue to what's in the commercial product? Anybody ever try it? B

HB

Reply to
Higgs Boson

Hmm, When I bought Bosch DW not long ago, shop gave me sample pack of Bosch brand detergent cubes. I was told they are made from apple cider vinegar. I still have some left. I couldn't smell any vinegar from it. Usually we use Finish Platinum pillows. And Finish rinse agent. Machine turns little red light on when rinse agent tank is empty. It means using rinse agent is important? Old Whirl Pool worked fine without it. After I load the machine I just throw in the detergent, not into detergent holder. Once repair tech told me to try that for better washing. I think he was right.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

I fill the dispenser then add some on the silverware. Machine cleans much beter this way:)

Reply to
bob haller

Rinse agents contain surfactants, much more complex than vinegar.

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If you have soft water, vinegar may be adequate, but for most of us, we need better for top quality results.

I use the commercial stuff and get outstanding results.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

That makes sense, most dishwashers have a little cup for adding some extra for the pre-wash cycle. But if you don't add any to the main dispenser, as was suggested by another poster, then you don't have detergent for the main wash cycle. Mine have always filled, run a quick cycle to get the loose stuff, then they pump out and refill. With no detergent to be released after that, you have no detergent for the main wash.

Reply to
trader_4

Ed, I read the wikipedia article (most too technical for lay people) but did not spot any reference to the rin$e agents we are talking about; only discussed DETERGENTS as surfactants.

???

UH

Reply to
Higgs Boson

Reporting back, with use of rinse agent with our almost 5yo Whirlpool dw. As I previously said, this wp cleans better than any of the KA that we had in the past 40 years. We are using the all-in-one Finish Power Ball (sounds like a lottery game). Without rinse agent everything dried well, except for the depressions on the bottoms of glasses, etc. Plastic was always wet. After the 1st load using the rinse agent, my wife said this is much, much better. The only places where water remained was in the cover groves and in the back side of the plastic rolled over edges. BTW, after the cycle, I opened the dw to let it completely cool. So, yes, it is a great improvement. Will it give you cancer in 50 years .... I don't know.

Reply to
Art Todesco

The rinse agents are made up of surfactants.

From the jetdry website

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JET-DRY® products are a special combination of nonionic surfactants, a chelating agent, dye, and fragrance* (*for our fragranced products). On a more detailed note, they are kosher and don't contain phosphate.

Watch out with home made brews

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See, the rinse aid compartment was still full of green-colored vinegar even thought I hadn?t refilled the compartment for maybe 4 months or so. Well, the repairman told me something that I had no idea about. The acid in the vinegar can damage the rubber components in the rinse aid compartment.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Art Todesco posted for all of us...

And I know how to SNIP

real set of gonads! Charlie Harper would be proud!

Reply to
Tekkie®

Rinse aid is just a chemical that lowers the surface tension of the water so that instead of forming drops of water that stay on the dishes and silverware it "sheets" off. Think of it like the difference between a waxed car where the water just runs off versus an unwaxed car where the water just beads up and sits there. The problem with rinse aid in the costco detergent is that even though it may have it in it, it still pretty much all gets rinsed off in the rinse cycle. The rinse aid that you put in the rinse aid dispenser gets dispensed in each of the cycles including the rinse cycle so it's bound to work better then in the detergent.

As far are brands, I've had a lot of different brands over the years and have been happiest with the Whirlpools. Had a Maytag that was terrible, had a couple frididares that were so so, had a GE that cleaned well but left black spots on everything from the inside of the hoses deteriorating, now I always buy Kenmore, which are usually, but not always, made by Whirlpool. My current Kenmore is around 14 years old and cleans very well. Racks are starting to rust though. My sister likes high end crap and she's got Bosch or some overpriced brand that's all metal. Doesn't clean well and doesn't dry well and the rack are poorly designed and difficult to load. And it beeps forever when the cycle is done until you open the door. Big pain in the ass if you start a load and go to bed. All night long you hear it beeping if you are sleeping in her guest room. I much prefer my Kenmore.

Reply to
Ashton Crusher

[...]

Tx - makes sense.

Now I have to look for a source to get large bottles of rin$e agent - the small bottles are very expensive.

Costco said they don't carry rin$e agent. Anybody know of a store that sells big bottles?

On-line I found 32 oz. Jet Dry for $19.00 and $15.00 free shipping. Is that an OK brand?

TIA

HB

Reply to
Higgs Boson

Jet Dry and Cascade are good brands. Been using both for many years.

32 oz. will last a very long time.

I buy it at BJs so I'm surprised Costco would not have it.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Maybe the employee didn't understand me over the phone. Costco used to carry it. Next time I'm there I'll check. I did see that Target has it -- not far from me.

HB

Reply to
Higgs Boson

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