Integrated v freestanding dishwashers Featured

I'm not sure, but I think it does. The integrated dishwasher I installed recently does seem marginally smaller inside.

They are a pain to fit.

Apart from temporarily stopping the wife from complaining, I can't see any advantages at all.

In terms of functionality, I’m not sure there is much difference.

We’ve had a mix of free standing and built in dishwashers - we bought the first one in about 1983 and have generally found they last about 6 / 8 years.

Initially, we bought free standing. About 12/ 14 years back we went integrated.

We’ve tried a range of brands - generally deciding on price and warranty.

Impressed by Smeg. Not by AEG.

Current one is a Neff, it has remote control via an app, which we find useful. The way it uses space inside is also very good - an extra, shallow, drawer/ tray for cutlery rather than a basket in the main area. Not too many programmes, just enough.

The app does, occasionally, drop contact with the system which is irritating if, as we often do, programme it last thing and end up having to return to the kitchen to do it manually. We will probably buy a Neff ( or compatible) washing machine as we find the app useful. Not only can check progress but you can set start timex etc to use Economy 7 etc.

You mentioned noise.

I’d say the Neff is the quietest we’ve had. Integrated is probably quieter. Certainly I recall our first one - a free standing Phillips from memory- was so loud we avoided being in the kitchen if possible while it was running. However, over the years, noise levels have improved. While we generally run ours overnight, we can hold a conversation with it running.

You'd be unlikely to have a front panel and direct access controls, or display on an integrated. I quite like the countdown timer, and not having to drill down using a strange button sequence to find a programme I rarely use.

I've always had Bosch - no particular brand loyalty, just turned out that way. The current one is pretty quiet - it is advertised as such. And has wifi - pointless for me. The only features I would note are the top/third tier rack seems to work well, and a door pop-open at the end of the programme I would quite like.

Yes, one of ours ( possibly a Bosch) had the pop open door which was a ‘drying feature’. I think it was one of the better ones we’ve had.

We wanted to be able to either set a start time or delay the start time - to take advantage of Economy 7- and the Neff app / Wi-Fi offered that. It does more - mainly in the initial set up in our case- but being able to set the start time was a real winner.

The app, Home Connect, seems to work with several ‘European’ brands, not just Neff. Not sure about a Smart Coffee maker ( at about £1000) but I can see the point of a connected Washing Machine

In message <10grce4$25b6$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me, at 07:15:16 on Thu, 4 Dec

You have it, but in a different place. A freestanding one will have it pointing into the room, an integrated one will have it on the top surface of the door.

The only real difference is whether you want your kitchen to have consistent cabinet fronts (oak or whatever) or a mixture of oak and white plastic.

Yes. When the one you purchased dies a horrible dishwashery death, you can't get another one to match the same door dimensions

We've gone through at least four different dishwashers (three manufacturers) with the same door/front without any major issues going from on to the next.

That does sound useful.

My 2005 MFI-own-brand does that - a '+1hr' button and a 7-seg from 00 to 24 hours in the future. Needs a bit of maths but it's not hard.

Probably Bosch-Siemens Hausgeräte brands (Neff, Gaggenau).

The trouble will connected stuff is it doesn't last. The app from 2005 will be defunct (what would it run on - Nokia N95? Windows XP? The servers will be long gone anyway). Most stuff needs you to be in front of the machine to un/load it so you might as well use the control panel.

Theo

The semi-integrated kind maybe, but the fully-integrated just take a whole door panel from your kitchen so I expect it'll be a direct swap.

(I would buy a few spare panels when changing the kitchen because you never know...)

Theo

Indeed, and some of them project a status LED or a countdown timer on the floor.

My cunning plan is to have a white kitchen where all those fit in :-)

Although I suppose they might turn into yellow plastic in time...

Theo

Except for the fixings...

No white goods in my kitchens

Silver or black.

The controls are often placed on the top edge of the door - can be a bit more fiddly and less easy to see what is happening when it is running. Probably not much of an issue unless you want to sit there and watch it run :-)

Ah OK - I've only limited experience of integrated - just 3 or 4 buttons inside the door, no display only beeps. Enough to baffle me anyway.

Seems a bit of a faff having to open the door to see the countdown display. Buy hey.

Or black or stainless steel usually.

All on the back of the door so not sure of the problem? OK maybe that side will develop pockmarks like it's been in a gunfight, but not enought o trouble its structural integrity? Filler is never far away...

Theo

The User App runs on IOS and (I assume) Android.

The server, I doubt it is XP. So version of Unix would be my guess.

Either way, you can use it manually - no sure about setting the timer but I expect you can. In our experience, these goods last about 6/8 years, we always look for 5 year warranties. If they die after 5 years and I can't fix it myself, we tend to replace them.

We've had much longer from some items. A washing machine that lasted something like 17 years, a microwave even longer (it fact it was still working when we replaced it, it just looked tatty).

Current 'oldie' is the Henry. That must be 25 + years old.

I wonder how long things will stay working? Any kind of internet-connected tech tends to age out - it doesn't support the current wifi protocols / TLS version / server OS, and sooner or later it's going to cost the manufacturer money to keep it going. Unless you pay a subscription eventually it will stop.

The set of Miele appliances I looked after lasted 40 years. Hoping for the same again ;-)

Theo

Our dishwasher does this - as part of its "Eco" boast simce it shortens the (powered) drying time. Of course it does this by filling the kitchen with humid air - so it saves energy at the expense of adding to your condensation problem.

We have semi-integrated dishwashers. This has the control panel on the front, and a reduced size 'cabinet door' underneath. Looks quite smart and it's practical.