Six years ago we moved to a new town in a new state, which necessarily meant a new house, too; at 20+ years old, "new" only meant new to us. Most of the fixtures and appliances were well-seasoned, and because the carpet needed to be replaced, we made do with most of everything else.
But I hated our dishwasher. Until faced with change, I didn't know how deep appliance affections could run; my beloved Bosch dishwasher remained in South Carolina and now I was stuck with a lowly Kenmore Ultra Wash.
I didn't like the rack design.
The utensil basket was intrusive.
And having to go back to a heating element in the bottom of the machine? It was primitive and unacceptable.
The problem was it worked. There was no justification for the expense of a new appliance when kids were starting school and there were already so many extra expenses related to moving.
Every time I loaded it, I'd growl inwardly. I would sneer at it and make ugly faces. I'd cram it so full I was SURE it'd explode and I thrust knives in that utensil basket like I was whacking a pinata, sharp end down for good measure.
About four years ago, my mother-in-law's dishwasher went on the fritz right before Christmas, so all of us went in together to get her one. I had a twinge of appliance envy but mostly wondered if I'd have to wait til our kids were married before mine was replaced.
Dishwashers aren't terribly expensive, but when you have three kids–three kids who refuse to stop growing from shoulders to feet and insist they have to have clothes to wear–it's hard to replace one that still works.
It's the one time I wish I didn't luck into the Energizer Bunny of Appliances….
Yesterday, as I have 2,000 times before, I loaded it to Capacity and Beyond. I slipped in a cleaning tab, shut the door and pressed "start". Nothing happened. It was only then, confused, I noticed an illuminated button I've never seen before: "Control Lock". I pressed it. Nothing happened. I pressed ALL the buttons and still nothing!
After my initial thought, "I'VE GOTTA UNLOAD AND WASH ALL THESE DISHES?!?!" a smile upward-curled my lips.
Could this be the end of a long six-year affair with the One I Loathed? Never before have I been so excited about something breaking!
I ran outside to tell my husband the bad/FRICKIN' AWESOME news, who happened to be in the middle of saving us hundreds of dollars by replacing the brakes and rotors on our car. The wheels of justification were whirring in my little mind: the timing was perfect! He had just saved us more than enough to cover the cost of a new dishwasher!!
The moon was finally in the seventh house and I'm sure Jupiter was aligned with Mars.
He suggested I flip the breaker. Nothing again! I was well on my way to Dishwashers R' Us, even tweeting my followers for their recommendations.
We couldn't find the manual; remember, we inherited our rickety washer from the previous owners. As a last ditch effort, Tad suggested googling the problem to see if we could find a fix.
I typed in "kenmore dishwasher ultra wash control lock", clicked the first link to "howtomendit.com", and wouldn't you know it–
The site told me exactly what to do: "press one of the buttons for 10 seconds." I'll be durned if it didn't work.
The internet is unbelievable; just a few years back, my problem would've required at a minimum, a phone call to Sears' help line, and at a maximum, a visit from a crack-wielding repairman.
S i g h…
I suppose if I can't be with the one I love, I'll love the one I'm with; and wait patiently til appliance death do us part…:)
Dang that google!!! It is astonishing the things we can do with a simple tap of a few keys.
Too funny! (but in a tragic, hope deferred making the heart sick kind of way). So listen, if you really want to “take care of” that old dishwasher, let me know. I know a guy….
Rats! I totally understand, because I have bouts of washer envy. Ours is a 12-year-old Kenmore, showing no signs of wear & tear, dang it. I’d love one of those sleek, pretty, high-capacity front-loaders. With a drawer underneath. And the matching dryer, also with a drawer. Oh, and some cabinets…
LOL, the same thing happened to me a few months ago. I had no idea there was any such setting on my dishwasher. When it “died”, it had been making an odd noise for quite a while. (This was annoying because it’s only 4 years old.) I decided instead of buying a new dishwasher, I would just clean out this one and use it as a dish rack. I don’t mind washing by hand and fought dh on the idea of buying a dishwasher for this house. After a few weeks of doing dishes by hand, I realized how convenient a dishwasher can be at times. That’s when I discovered the control lock thing. I pushed buttons until it unlocked–I still don’t know what I did right–and, voila, the dishwasher was fixed, minus that awful noise it had been making to boot.
HAHA!! You’re funny. =) But I SOOO appreciate what you’re saying.. Besides the fact that I hate my dishwasher, I was THIIIIIIIIS close to getting a new cell phone a few months back when I left it on top of the car at Sonic and pulled out into the road. Horrified, in the same moment I was thinking – if it’s smashed I get a new one!!!.
All be durned if it DIDN’T HAVE A SINGLE SCRATCH ON IT AND WORKS PERFECTLY.
*lesigh*
love your story — even if it is not a happy ending and you don’t get a new dishwasher.
ps. so many things don’t even get “broke” if we just can count down to 10 before we push it.
So proud of you!!!! I love knowing DIY works!
I understand your dishwasher loathing! We just bought a new dishwasher (hubby just got the one that matched the frig) and I hate it! I can wash the dishes better by hand! Which I don’t usually do, but we often run many of the dishes and utensils through twice. GRRRR! Next time I’m doing my homework and won’t think just because it’s newer and bigger, that it’s better!
That’s too bad ! Can’t you sabotage it ? I had the same with a stupid perculator who didn’t want to die and still made good coffee, but it looked so ugly. Finally a cat helped me (none of mine I hope) by peeing against it. This was a good reason to buy a new one !
Ahhh, yes. If only I could load my dinky digital camera to capacity and jam knives in it’s memory card slot 😉
I doubt even Dr. Google could fix that, and I’d be well on my way to a fancy pants camera. Then I’d have to learn how to use it, though…so it’s really for the best.
oh wow that is HILARIOUS. love the picture of you jamming those utensils in as if you’ll actual hurt her (yes i believe she is female)
also…being from the the town of the whirlpool/kitchenaid headquarters i am so glad to hear that it’s not one of “ours” that you are loathing. next time – no google!!
I have the same relationship with my dishwasher. And the same growing kids reason I can’t get a new one! I feel your pain . . . . .
oh BUMMER! Well, maybe it will truly break down next week for you.
Hmmm.. interesting thoughts and ideas you’ve shared. Please keep on sharing! I’ll be back to see and read some of your post soon. 🙂