remove dead dishwasher; make shelves?

excuse l/c; typing one-handed; broken wrist

my dishwasher "died" a few months ago. probably could be revived; problem is that water won't enter.

from liitle research i have done, 13-year-old d/w not economical to repair. can't afford good new one and don't wany to buy c**p.

2-person household can do nicely w/o d/w.

friend said she removed d/w and converted space to drawers

i could use shelves; drawers seem very expensive, what with the carpentry.

what does group think?

tia

Reply to
Higgs Boson
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Do what you want. Be aware, thought, that dishwashers save time, water, and energy over hand washing and quickly pay for themselves. I'd take the shelf money and put it toward a dishwasher.

Reply to
mike

*Matching existing cabinets can be difficult and expensive. Think in terms of resale value. I vote for a new dishwasher.
Reply to
John Grabowski

Or just use the dead one to store pots and pans, and either replace at sale time, or knock a few hundred off the price so the new owner can choose whatever they want. If you won't be using it, best to not put in a new one- they don't take kindly to being used a few times and then ignored. Seals dry out, things leak, etc.

-- aem sends...

Reply to
aemeijers

I would probably find an economical cabinet - assemble yourself - put some wheels on it and park it in the space. Sears has lots of kitchen accessory cabinets and carts, available with lots of choice of features. Using something like that leaves the space ready for dw if you sell the home or decide to install one later. I rarely use my dw - only for company.

Reply to
norminn

Would "cash for appliances" apply to you? I hear it's coming. 50 or

100 dollars, I forget. Does it include dishwashers? Or only things people need more.
Reply to
mm

Nah!

Actually a "dead" dishwasher can hold a LOT of stuff. At worse, it is a handy drying rack when you wash the dishes by hand.

When you get around to selling you simply disclose the D/W doesn't work. No big deal, the buyer will just figure in $300/400.

Reply to
John Gilmer

I vote to for fixing or replacing the d/w.

What mfr is yours?

If oyu;re handy enough to build a set of shelves you can replace the fill valve. I'd guess the problem is either fill valve or "timer".

Fill valve relatively cheap...timer, not so cheap.

Alternative, used machine on craigslist.

cheers Bob

Reply to
fftt

I vote to for fixing or replacing the d/w.

What mfr is yours?

If oyu;re handy enough to build a set of shelves you can replace the fill valve. I'd guess the problem is either fill valve or "timer".

Fill valve relatively cheap...timer, not so cheap.

Alternative, used machine on craigslist.

cheers Bob

I second Bob's suggestions.

If you fix the thing yourself or swap in a used replacement (very easy) and still opt to hand wash you can still use the machine for storage but when the gang show up and you have a lot of dishes to do you can return it to use.

Reply to
Roger Shoaf

I ditched my dishwasher (that was working) because we never used it. Two people do not generate that many dishes, at least we don't. We would rather have the space. I lined the inside of the hole with plywood stained to match our cabinets and put in "euro" drawer slides with flat shelves attached. We didn't want doors but I am guessing I could have ordered them from the cabinet manufacturer. (or just bought/built something acceptable). That worked for years until we renovated the whole kitchen. I still don't have a dishwasher.

Reply to
gfretwell

I have a dishwasher, and could live without it. You have to wash the dishes before you put them in there, so, what's the point? And besides, SWMBO is a Nazi when it comes to washing less than a full load, so by the time we wash dishes, all my favorite coffee cups are in there, as well as all the forks. What's that? Buy more? Why couldn't we just wash the damn dishes more often?

BUT, back to the point. I would not miss my dishwasher. In fact, I'm banned from operating it anyway. I could use the shelves in our cramped kitchen until our remodel. Yeah, like that's going to happen.

Ditch it and don't look back.

What I'd do, anyway.

BTW, ours wasn't working, and all it took was taking the door apart and running a wire through the channel where the soap had plugged up. Check that little float at the bottom, too, as that gets cockeyed or clogged. After that, you'll figure it out or start making shelves.

Good luck.

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

"SteveB" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news.infowest.com:

May I suggest a rollout cabinet,and a nice worktop? It could give you some extra workspace along with more storage. Think of it as a storable kitchen island.

Reply to
Jim Yanik

Many dishwashers have integral disposals, so that pre-rinsing isn't needed so long as you're not putting in huge heaps of food (which you'd also remove before hand washing anyway).

I'm with you on running the dishwasher when you want rather than trying to squeeze every last cubic inch of space out of it. The savings in being that miserly pale in comparison to the cost of having an unnecessary amount of items being held hostage.

Reply to
mike

We have a Beagle so our dishes are automatically pre-washed.

Reply to
tom

what do you do for silverware?

Reply to
hrhofmann

s l g i g f i!! YW /HAGD

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Doesn't make sense at all. Save up some $ to buy, they are not expensive and a big convenience. Personally, I might pass up a house for sale that did not have one, certainly wonder why.

Reply to
Phisherman

Really appreciate all the thoughtful input on all three sides of the question:

  1. to attempt repair (via handyman)

  1. to buy new d/w

  2. to have d/w removed and utilize the space otherwise.

Right now I am leaning toward #3. Considering I don't know a handyman competent to diagnose much less repair 13-year-old d/w (that, I have been told, might need plumbing due to changes in local code). I certainly can't afford -- have checked this out - professional services. Small household doesn't really need d/w.

I am sensitive to added water use, washing by hand; will just have to be careful.

I love the practical ideas for utilizing the space, from slide-in shelves to roll-in cart.

Considering that I have to do something about grungy nicks & chips on counter-top, think that's where I'll put my (few!) pennies.

Thanks a lot - you guys are great!

Hypatia

Whoever buys this place if/when I sell, would want a newer model.

Reply to
Higgs Boson

You missed an option...used d/w for dirt cheap (like free) on craigslist. R&R's a d/w isn't much harder than doing a garbage disposal.

Even if you're not handy R&R is still pretty easy and way esaier than repair.

Do the craigslist thing...I just bought a stacked washer / dryer combo (delivered) for $250....even if I only get a few years out of it, it'll be WAY cheaper per load than a new one.

My neighbor & I just replaced another neighbor's d/w & we did a "free stuff" / "curb alert" on CL...the unit still worked.

cheers Bob

Reply to
fftt

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