The Appliance Geek

Samsung DMR77 Update - Rack Adjuster Clips redesigned!!!

2011-03-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

Well well, a new problem with our DMR77 dishwasher surfaced, requiring a call to Sears Service.

Started a load one morning and heard what sounded like something broken rattling around inside the machine. I stopped and restarted but nothing happened. Didn't sound healthy.

After an emergency drain I tried to start the machine again. The pump would fill, but no motor starting. The machine would cycle, drain and fill, but nothing else in between. No error codes.

Called Sears service. I made the mistake of pressing "1 for English" whereby a CSR who sounded like he had marbles in his mouth tried to sell me Affresh, dishwasher soap, laundry soap, and a Sears Mastercard. Next time I press "2 for French" and get the local call centre (lucky us in Quebec... real people!)

It only took 3 days to schedule the appointment, and the tech arrived bright and early at 8 AM. Really nice guy who knew the machine quite well. First he checked if there was power to the motor (yes) which meant he had to take apart the machine. Basically the direct drive motor was jammed with something. I showed him the rack adjuster clips and suggested it was likely a tab that fell off (he agreed).

After he put the machine back together, we started a cycle, and heard the offending piece rattling around and then it went out the drain. Fortunately no damage done.

At the same time I had him order two rack adjuster clips, which arrived by UPS today (3 days only). And lo and behold! They redesigned the clips with reinforced tabs!

Note the vertical ribs that have been added to each tab. This should definitely solve the issue of the tabs breaking off.

For those that are interested, here are the part numbers from the Sears National Parts Service:

22 592DD97-00119A Basket Adjuster
22 592DD97-00120A Basket Adjuster

I'm not sure these part numbers are good in the U.S. but it should be fairly easy to get a cross-reference.

Since the tech was familiar with the machine, I asked him if he had heard of other complaints, like poor wash performance. He told me that all high end "energy efficient" washers had mediocre wash/drying performance, in fact some of the newer Bosch dishwashers use so little water that the upper and lower baskets have separate wash cycles and an entire load can take up to 5 hours (!).

He said that if you want a machine that washes and dries well, buy a "cheap" dishwasher that still uses old technology. You will get a noisier and less energy and water efficient machine that has a smaller capacity, but it will clean and dry using a much shorter cycle.

At the same time, I am pleased that Samsung finally modified the parts. Anyone with the old broken rack (basket) adjusters have a case to call Samsung customer service and ask for some free replacements. Design defects can always be legally exempted from limited warranties so it would be worth it to try and get them for free.

Life expectancy of appliances

2011-01-21T08:57:00.000-08:00

Here is a great article from unplgged.com about the life expectancy of new appliances. I remember that Consumer Reports used to produce a similar list.

While appliances such as refrigerators have become much more energy efficient, they often do so at the expense of wear items like compressors (much much smaller).

In our last house we had a Maytag dishwasher that was 12 years old and still going strong, it stayed with the house. We also gave a way a Hotpoint range and refrigerator that was 20 years old (still going strong) and a Maytag washer that was 14 years old and still good.

http://www.unplggd.com/unplggd/the-life-expectancy-of-your-home-tech-129421

Cleaning Stainless Steel Appliances

2011-01-11T09:28:00.000-08:00

A lot of people seem to be searching for the best way to clean their stainless steel appliances. One thing I learned about having three different Samsung stainless steel appliances (the DMR77LHS dishwasher, the FTQ386LHS range and the RF265ABRS French Door Refrigerator) is that not all stainless steel cladding is created equally. For example, the refrigerator is by far the easiest to clean, followed by the range, and then the dishwasher which is a royal pain to keep polished.

I always recommend starting with a basic mineral oil based polish like the 3M Stainless Steel Cleaner and Polish.
This is a very gentle cleaner that you spray on, wipe off, then polish. I only use this product on the refrigerator and as long as there are no spots or "stains" it works well enough on the range. However the range can accumulate grime that oxidizes the finish, which cannot be cleaned by the 3M product and requires another strategy. For the tougher jobs I will use Cameo cleaner, which is also terrific for stainless steel pots and pans, and for stainless steel finish toasters that tend to discolor over time. For the really tough jobs I will use Scotchbrite Stainless pads . However I recommend the Scotchbrite product with caution: This product is only good for thick stainless for cooking appliances like stoves and barbeques as it tends to scratch thinner cladding (like what you find on toasters).

My Samsung dishwasher represents the biggest cleaning/polishing dilemma. No matter what product I used (I tried 'em all) I could not get a streak or water stain free finish. There is something weird about the finishing panel, it is like a highly polished film that is bonded to a flexible polymer panel, and it is extremely difficult to maintain. However I did find the solution that worked: Peracetic acid!

Now you are thinking I'm using some sort of weird or potentially dangerous chemical and I must be off my chump. But for those who don't know, peracetic acid is just acetic acid (vinegar) treated with hydrogen peroxyde (whatever you do, DON'T TRY MIX THESE TWO LIQUIDS AT HOME!!!). Like Hydrogen Peroxide, this is a highly unstable compound that has an extra oxygen molecule, which very quickly detaches and binds to organic compounds, which makes it a very effective sanitizer. (Hydrogen Peroxide is just a water molecule with an extra oxygen attached, e.g. H2O2). It smells like vinegar, and a weak solution will absolutely clean and deoxidize any highly polished metal surface.

Once my diswasher was cleaned, I found out that simply wiping with a damp rag and then polishing with paper towel was all that was needed to keep things spot free. I can usually go several months between "deep" cleaning.

A few caveats: since it is an acid, you don't want to use it too frequently as it will be gently eating away at any metal surface. You also want a solution of 5% (for sanitizing) or 3% (for cleaning), which means that you will be diluting from concentrate. (There are some great instructions on Ehow for diluting the concentrate.) Also keep in mind that the solution loses its activity and reverts back to plain old vinegar very quickly when exposed to air. Just mix enough to do your cleaning/sanitizing chores (I use it to sanitize my countertops and cutting boards, then throw away the rest when I'm done).

Where do you get peracetic acid you ask? If you have access to a craft beer and wine store, you can usually buy it there. Also most pharmacies should be able to order it for you.

Waring Pro WT400 Professional Toaster

2010-12-31T15:42:00.000-08:00

Readers of this blog know of my ongoing frustration with finding the perfect toaster. Well quite by accident we came across the Waring Pro WT400 on sale at Zellers (of all places) for less than $50 Canadian.

Usually the first thing I do when I find an interesting model is to check the wattage, and I was quite surprised to see the Waring rated at a full 1800W (at 120 volts)! Normally 4 slice toasters are underpowered especially when compared to more powerful 2 slice models that can go as high as 1100W. So when you are in need of power and don't have a 220V service for your $1200 Hobart generally 2 slice is the way to go. Just the same we really liked the look, so we decided to pick one up and try it out. So far we are quite pleased.

First this toaster is a beaut, but it is big! Compared to our outgoing Cuisinart 4 slice it is a bit wider but a lot taller. It is as big or a bit bigger than the Gordon Ramsay, a toaster we liked but despite its size did not toast the tops of the bread slices. The slots are almost ridiculously wide, and can practically accommodate an unsliced bagel. And no problem with depth...my oversize sourdough slices are completely swallowed up. The stainless steel finish is top quality and the large embossed WARING logo on the front makes it look like it belongs in a commercial kitchen.

Controls are simple. There are the ubiquitous toast levers, a defrost and bagel button, and a rheostatic toast control that oddly enough combines a switch to cancel the toast. It feels like an old time radio volume control that doubled as the power switch...turn it all the way counterclockwise and it clicks to cancel. I can't say I am very fond of this feature as you have to remember your previous toast setting when you turn the toaster back on. Crumb trays are removable from the front, which is quite handy.

Performance is quite good. As expected, moister unsweetened breads like English muffins and of course my sourdough loaves are barely done even at the maximum setting. However regular breads toast perfectly at the medium setting with a slight bias towards one side (the side that works with reduced power for the bagel setting). The toaster doesn't need to be preheated, and repeated cycling produces consistent results.

Obviously Waring has learned a thing or two about toasters, having 3 lines of commercial food service models. Can't say if this consumer model will be durable, and only time will tell. So far we are very happy that we finally found a decent toaster, and at a more than reasonable price. We won't be too upset if it doesn't last, and we might even go for a Waring commercial down the line.

Gordon Ramsay Professional 2 slice toaster (Sensio Bella Professional)

2010-09-25T18:06:00.000-07:00

I have been having an on-going frustration with toasters ever since my parent's trusty old Sunbeam Automatic bit the dust after nearly 20 years of faithful service back in 1976. I must have been through more than 2 dozen toasters since then, and each one of them has had either a serious design flaw or were just not durable (even a replacement Sunbeam automatic made lousy toast and died after a year).

My current Cuisinart 4-slice is not an exception. We are on our second one after our first one died after 14 months, and now the warranty replacement unit Cuisinart sent to us is starting to toast only on one side. This was a great toaster when new, but like everything else these days, just doesn't last.

While wandering aimlessly in The Bay, the Gordon Ramsay Professional 2 slice toaster caught my eye. What a beauty! Huge, overbuilt, quality stainless enclosure, and interestingly not very expensive at $70 Canadian.

Since most toasters are underpowered, I immediately flipped over the unit and saw it was rated 1200 watts, wow! Probably the most powerful 2 slice on the market. Next, hidden elements! The box claimed a novel "mica board" heating system for even toasting. I had never seen this before and thought it was an interesting idea. Finally the toaster had the option of turning off one of the slots for toasting a single slice, which demonstrated that energy efficiency was a design priority. Since I am a bit of a fan of Gordon Ramsay's TV shows, and given his reputation as a stickler for quality, he would probably not lend his name to a poorly-performing appliance. All around this was a compelling package at an attractive price, and I bought one.

Getting the toaster unpacked and the controls figured out was straightforward and did not require the supplied instructions. I ran the toaster through a couple of cycles to break it in, then popped in a slice of bread. I bake all of our bread, and sliced off a fairly thick slab to see if the "extra wide" slots would accommodate it. Not a problem. Normally my bread is quite slow to toast with the Cuisinart on maximum dark, but the Gordon Ramsay had my toast ready in a tad shy of 3 minutes.

Except there was a problem. The top of the bread wasn't toasted. I chopped off another slab and dropped it in...noticing now that the mechanism didn't lower the bread completely into the slot. Considering the huge vertical size of the toaster and the available room inside, I thought this was kind of dumb. Our Cuisinart 4-slice being quite a bit more compact than the Gordon Ramsay would toast oversize bread, even the "Texas BBQ" style that you often find at the supermarket.

So this now meant putting the toaster on a slightly lower toast setting, waiting it to pop up, and turning the bread over to toast the top. While the "mica board" system gave even toast, I would say that it was too even, resulting in a rather bland toast. Since bread flavor changes depending on done-ness, a nice variation (grill lines) will always result in much more flavor complexity. And not only that, the hidden, indirect heating seemed to take just as much time as our lower-powered Cuisinart, which to me seemed to result in dry toast.

Needless to say I was quite disappointed in what was a shockingly poor design from a functional point of view. And I really wonder how much value Mr. Ramsay is adding to the products that are bearing his name. So now this means perhaps Mr. Gordon Ramsay is all about the show? Shame on him for selling out.

The toaster went back today, and the quest continues. I'm wondering if and when Dyson will decide to come out with a toaster...

This toaster is identical to the Bella Professional 90001 by Sensio. The Gordon Ramsay version is primarily a U.K. product, with the Hudson Bay Company in Canada having an exclusive.

Panasonic NN-SD297 Over the Range Microwave Review

2009-11-24T08:05:00.001-08:00

The choice of an OTR microwave should not be taken lightly. These appliances are in the most hostile places in the kitchen and subject to extremes of heat and humidity, often while being in use. A poorly engineered oven that doesn't last very long in a permanent installation is not a great move, especially if its primary function as a range hood exhaust fan can't perform.

Followers of this blog are aware that we recently renovated our kitchen. They also know that we own mainly Samsung appliances, including our range, refrigerator, dishwasher, washing machine and dryer. So it may seem a bit odd, given our preference for Samsung, that we went with Panasonic.

Since we decided to go with an OTR (Over the Range) microwave in our kitchen design in order to maximize space, choosing the right appliance took on new importance. Basically this is not a microwave, but a range hood that happens to do double duty as a microwave. Any OTR microwave must be an excellent range hood first and having good microwave performance is just a bonus. To put it another way, microwave ovens have become commodity items used mainly to reheat food and make the occassional bag of popcorn, something that even a basic $50 tabletop could handle no problem.

Basing our criteria on ventilation power, we were quite surprised to learn that only 2 manufacturers, Samsung and Panasonic, met our minimum requirement of 400 cubic feet per minute. We thought this was going to be a no-brainer: A Samsung OTR microwave would give us the fan performance we wanted, and it would match our other appliances. We went off on a tour of the usual appliance retailers in search of the higher-end model SMH8187 (SMH8187STG) to see what it looked like.

We were actually very disappointed, mainly because the unit did not harmonize very well at all with Samsung's other appliances. This was most apparent in the rather cheap looking membrane touch panel, whereby the Samsung range and dishwasher both have smooth glass touch controls. Build quality was nothing to write home about either: about on par with any commodity microwave. Just the same, I did my research about Samsung OTR microwaves in general, and I did not like what I found: lots of issues with reliability and durability, with some people reporting exhaust fan and electronic failures under daily use in a scant 8-9 months.

We had no qualms about going with Panasonic. Our very first microwave was a huge Panasonic Genius that we bought for nearly $800 in 1985. This was a great performer that saw daily use until 2002. We gave it away when we sold our condo and would not be surprised to learn that it is still faithfully chugging along. After looking at the available OTR models, we settled on the top-end NN-SD297 mainly due to its beautiful all-metal design with a partially mirrored glass door, and its huge 2.0 cu. ft. capacity. After shopping around over the summer (we were in no rush as the reno was to start in September) we negotiated a 15% discount and 24 months no payment at the Bay and took delivery. We had the microwave professionally installed by the renovation team's electrician, and have been using it for about 2 months.

So far, we are extremely satisfied with this unit. Its primary function as a range hood has been more than adequate
in terms of power and noise. This unit has twin "squirrel cage" fans like the type you find in most car ventilation systems, which are relatively quiet given the amount of air they can push.

After comparing with other OTR microwaves, we are convinced that most manufacturers either over-rate their fan performance or Panasonic under-rates. This microwave seems to be pushing a lot more air than its 420 CFM rating. The only thing we find odd is that there are 3 sets of buttons for the exhaust fan. Two buttons control fan speed (one for "Super" and "Turbo" and one for "High-Low-Off") and one controls an auto-off timer. I fail to see why a single fan speed control wouldn't be better, as there are only 4 speeds. The true test of the effectiveness of the exhaust fan came when using my son's rather tall boil kettle (30 qt capacity) used for brewing beer. This generates a lot of steam very close to the range hood. This did create quite a bit of condensation on the door and underneath, but the fan actually picked most of it up.

This appliance has not failed to disappoint as a microwave, either. First, it is very user-friendly. Since microwave controls are generally a multistep process (time, power, start) it can often be confusing what goes first (was that time first, then power? or set the power level then the time?). The Panasonic makes this much simpler by putting primary functions on top with buttons, and menu choices done underneath with rotary knobs. The oven even prompts by lighting up the next option! For example, when you press the power level button, the Time/Weight knob flashes, and once you set that, the Start button flashes. This is a bit hard to describe, but in use it is very logical and even gratifying to use.

In terms of features, we had previous experience with Panasonic's Genius sensor cook technology, and it works quite well. This is a humidity sensor that when triggered, determines the remaining time depending on what program was selected and how long it took to trigger the sensor. With our old microwave, we would use perhaps 3 or 4 of the 20 available programs mainly for reheating food and cooking fresh and frozen vegetables in a very consistent way regardless of quantity.

Things have been much simplified in 25 years. We have tried about 7 of the 15 available programs and have been very impressed with the results. We are also quite amazed at the Inverter Defrost function, which does an excellent job of defrosting just about everything we have thrown at it (except bacon...which no matter what will cook around the edges). The Sensor reheat has taken all the guesswork out of warming leftovers.

One thing we have not mastered are some of the more advanced programming functions that involve multiple steps. With this oven, you can set a 4 stage cooking program that can include a combination of multiple power levels, delay start and stand times.

On the downside, there are a few annoyances. First the 2-level hood light is a great idea, but the nightlight is much too dim. The other is that setting the cook time with the knob is a bit hard to get used to due to a feature that accellerates the faster you turn the knob. It either increments the time too slow or too fast, and finding the right time usually involves going back and forth somewhat.

In conclusion, we are very pleased with this microwave and are beginning to get more use out of it with its advanced functionality. This is mainly that the sensor and inverter defrost actually work as advertised. It is also an excellent range hood. We have no hesitation in recommending Panasonic OTR microwaves. Our only real complaint is that some of the more advanced features of the Dimension 4 (convection) are not included in any of Panasonic OTR offerings.

Samsung RF265ABRS French Door Refrigerator

2009-11-18T08:06:00.001-08:00

Faithful readers of this blog are aware that Samsung appliances, even though they look great on paper, can be sometimes a hit or miss proposition. I can safely say that Samsung refrigerators are definitely a home run (especially with their French Door models). However like all high-performance appliances, you have to be prepared for some compromises, and they must be factored carefully before making a buying decision. Following the jump is my review of our RF265 (RF265ABRS) French Door stainless steel refrigerator.Along with our recent kitchen renovation, we had planned on increasing the space for the refrigerator. This was to accommodate a larger 25-27 cu. ft. unit that are typically 36 inches wide and up to 74 inches tall.

We were leaning strongly towards Samsung. Not only because it would match our other appliances, but due to features, performance, price and reputation. While planning, we had plenty of time to shop around and compare, and we were willing to give a fair shake to other manufacturers. We began to establish our criteria by size, and then concentrated on making an initial selection based on the most energy efficient units using National Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency database. Curiously, Samsung was leading the field in the 24-26 cu. ft. category with the RF265-266 between 462 and 470 KwH per year for units at the higher end of capacity of 25.8 cu. ft. These are amazing numbers considering our (trashed piece of junk) Kenmore 18 cu. ft. bottom mount was rated at 650 KwH per year (and our ancient Eaton Viking 18 cu ft in the basement at 1200 KwH). What is really astonishing is how much energy efficiency has improved even in 8 years...especially when put into the perspective that you can get 50% more capacity and a 30% energy saving at the same time!

Comparing other manufacturers, such as the GE Profile, Kitchen Aid or Maytag, the Samsung came out on top for capacity, superior build quality, appearance and mainly price. We were also looking at $1000 to $2000 savings (mainly due to unneccessary gadgets like touchscreens), and to top it off, Samsung refrigerators have been getting glowing reviews both from consumers and publications like Consumer Reports.

To top it off, we found a brand new unit with exactly the features we were looking for at the Brault & Martineau liquidation centre in Brossard at about a $1000 discount when we factored in the free extended warranty that we dealed for. We ended up with the RF265ABRS Stainless Steel French Door Refrigerator with no water dispenser as with the RF266ABRS (but with an ice maker). Because it was a liquidation model, we had to take delivery within a week, which meant keeping the unit in our garage for a few months until the renovations were complete.

This is one big mother*** of a refrigerator, and having it sit there seemingly taking up all the space in our garage, we began to have second thoughts... is this thing going to be too big for our kitchen? Not only that, we had quite a time getting it into the house.

After getting a strong enough dolly and with my son and son-in-law helping, we found out the damn thing would not fit through the front door. we began by removing the doors, then the freezer drawer and it still wouldn't go through (this thing also weighs in excess of 300 lbs.). After a bit of nail-biting, with this sinking feeling that it was definitely too late to return the unit, I removed the front leveling feet, and it (just barely) fit through the door.

Installation and Setup

After putting everything back together, we rolled the fridge in place, and let it settle for several hours (always a good idea for the refrigeration system). We breathed a sigh of relief as the cabinetry we designed perfectly accommodated the fridge, and it did not look anywhere near as imposing as we had originally feared. Not only that, the huge expanse of high-quality stainless steel was simply stunning, in perfect harmony with our dark grey polished granite countertops. It is definitely the showpiece of our kitchen! It looks considerably more expensive than the $1800 we paid!

Setting up was straightforward. I put a T splitter on the outlet of our under-counter reverse osmosis water filter system. With an inexpensive ice maker installation kit from the hardware store, I then ran a poly water line around the back of my kitchen cabinets to the fridge. This negated the need to use the built in Samsung filter system (let alone have to find and pay for replacements). However I could not find out from the manual if the internal water system would work without the built-in Samsung filter. A quick call to Samsung customer service, where they told me it runs fine without the filter in place, and to just throw away the first few batches of ice to purge. (For anyone not familiar with reverse osmosis filtration, ice doesn't get that gross freezer taste, and I highly recommend going this route).

After plugging in and turning on the unit, you are presented with pretty blue LED display of the current temperature of both the freezer and refrigerator. Controls are very simple, with simple up/down for desired temperature of both compartments independently (due to the twin cooling system), Power Freeze and Power Cool buttons, an "energy saver" button and a button to shut off the ice maker. Additionally, there is a 3-level control for the "Cool Select Pantry," which keeps temperature in the tray slightly warmer to slightly cooler than the fridge compartment.

Nothing else needed to be done except turn on the icemaker, and load the beast up with food. While our old refrigerator was packed and it was always a chore to get things pushed to the back, this refrigerator appeared positively empty with the same amount of food. The freezer compartment is particularly well designed, with a storage shelf mounted to the inside of the drawer, and a pull-out drawer that comes out automatically over the main storage bin that can be used for lighter items. The icemaker is particularly compact and does not take up much room. The ice capacity is huge.
Day-to-day with the refrigerator - and some pretty geeky features

After a couple of months of use, we are very impressed at the even and stable temperature in the refrigerator compartment. In our old Kenmore, it was always a struggle to find that sweet spot where items in the vegetable crispers wouldn't freeze while maintaining a sufficiently cold temperature on the shelves above. Some areas were noticeably warmer (door shelves) and this is no longer the case. It is hard to believe that this simple thing would make such a huge difference, but I would recommend this refrigerator for this alone.

Another nice feature is the door ajar warning. Since it can be hard to tell if a door is slightly open, a gentle chime starts chirping after a couple of minutes. Other features I appreciate are the independent temperature readouts for both the fridge and freezer, which eliminates the need for an interior thermometer, and the Power Cool system, which is useful when loading up the fridge or freezer with warmer items (thus preventing existing items from warming up or thawing).

Often stainless steel appliances can be very troublesome to clean (such as with the Samsung DMR77 dishwasher) but this unit is not only resistant to fingerprints, it polishes up beautifully with the 3M mineral oil based stainless cleaner and polish.

Not everything was rosy

Despite the accolades we are giving this appliance, we did encounter a problem. After about 6 weeks of use, we notice ice was building up in the freezer. This indicated either a blower fan or defrost malfunction. It was serious enough to require a manual defrosting. After emptying out the freezer and letting it completely defrost and dry and then resetting, evertything went back to normal. We haven't had any more problems with ice buildup after 4 weeks of this happening.. I suspect that the drain tubes or other parts of the defrost system iced up and blocked, or somehow the vents were blocked. This will be something that I will monitor closely, and if it happens again, I will call service.

Summary
Samsung entered the North American appliance market with refrigerators, and along with their washing machines and ranges provide top level performance, high-end build quality all at a lower cost. While customer service and parts availability remain issues to resolve in many areas, I can recommend this refrigerator without hesitation.

Strong Points

Even cooling throughout the refrigerator compartment
Huge capacity, no need for a second fridge
Independent temperature controls for refrigerator and freezer compartment, with current temp readouts
Door ajar chime
Energy efficiency - the least energy consumption in its class
Innovative hinged and magnetic door seals will not wear as quickly as standard seals
Easy to clean stainless steel. Stunning fit and finish.

Weak Points

Icemaker a bit slow (runs faster on Turbo Cool however)
Possible problem with ice buildup in freezer means manual defrosting and reset

Cleaning the DMR77 dishwasher

2009-10-28T06:56:00.000-07:00

We just reinstalled our DMR77 after our kitchen renovation, so it was a good time to figure out if a thorough cleaning would improve wash performance. My main complaint is that the filtering system performance seemed to have degraded after a year, and we often get little bits of dried food on plates and glasses (and yes, we do use a rinse aid). The Sears tech who came to replace the upper rack adjusters recommended Dishwasher Magic or Glisten powder to bring performance back, since the spray arm jets or the filtering system might be clogging up.

An interesting post on Lifehacker (referencing another post on Real Simple) said that using a packet of unsweetened lemon Kool-Aid was a great way to clean the insides of a dishwasher. This is due to the fact that the main ingredient of lemon Kool-Aid is citric acid.

After a little research, I discovered that not only was Dishwasher Magic and Glisten made up primarily with citric acid, but so was coffee machine descaler. Since I had some packets of descaler for my espresso machine, I thought it might do the trick.

After cleaning the thick layer of black tar-like gunk from the bottom of the door seal (disgusting), I put one packet of descaler in the detergent cup and closed it, and put another half packet in the tub, then ran a normal cycle (with an empty machine, of course).

The results were pretty good, and the first load came out with no food particles stuck to anything. We will see after a couple of loads....

Samsung Service

2009-10-19T15:03:00.000-07:00

There have been a lot of comments on this blog regarding the unresponsiveness of Samsung Customer Service. This has ranged from long delays in getting a service call, service call appointments not respected or in some cases useless telephone support.

As a general observation, all of the "mainstream" appliance manufacturers (GE, Whirlpool, Frigidaire, LG) generally provide poor or minimal service and support direct to the consumer. This is because support and service traditionally takes place at the local level, through the dealer where the appliance was purchased. It is simply less expensive to support dealers than to deal directly with consumers, and they rarely, if ever, have retail-level service organizations.

(the exception to this rule is with manufacturers that have a strong commercial business, such as Hobart or Miele).

Generally I always recommend buying appliances from retailers that have committed and strong service organizations (such as Sears), where buying an extended warranty is usually worth it. Seeing as how it price is no longer an indicator of quality (witness the junk compressors they put in Jenn Air refrigerators) and how more and more custom electronic controls are showing up, it is now essential to cover one's bases and purchase a service plan.

So for those who have experienced poor service from Samsung, stop banging your head against the wall, and go back to the store where you bought your appliance. Consider buying an extended warranty if it is not too late.

Also don't forget that registering a Samsung appliance extends your warranty by 3 months, and this can come in handy, especially if you are just off-warranty.

So far, my Samsung appliances have been reliable, they appear to be very well built, but not a reason to take the risk of not buying an extended service plan. Caveat Emptor.

Samsung Induction Range now available

2009-10-09T07:30:00.001-07:00

We have always coveted gas ranges but our neighborhood doesn't have gas distribution. This means that if we really want a gas range or cooktop, it means propane conversion and a 200 lb tank as well as overhauling our ventilation.

While doing some consulting work for the Institut de Hotellerie du Quebec (our national chef's school here in Montreal) a couple of years ago, I was introduced to induction, and I was suitably impressed. Since we had begun to design our new kitchen, I began to look into the costs of an induction cooktop. I was not only surprised at how expensive they were (over $2000 for just the cooktop), but also the requirement to upgrade the house electrical. In our case we would have to upgrade our 200A entrance and the wiring to the cooktop (ouch).

But now (finally) Samsung has introduced a standard range with an induction cooktop! And it is quite impressive. Looking very much like my FTQ386, the FTQ307 offers true induction with very slick rangetop touch controls (SelectTouch), and the very obvious elimination of knobs on the range panel. The only other difference I can make out is an increase (!) in the oven capacity from 5.7 to 5.9 cu ft., (with the space saving coming from the induction surface). This range looks like it plugs into a standard 220V range outlet.

I am totally gushing over this and I can't wait to see one (or even get to try one out). However I am concerned that the surface "elements" have been compromised in order to make this compatible with standard range wiring and current limits. There is one large element, but the other three seem to be on the smallish size.

Pricing in Canada at Future Shop is $2900, which seems a bit pricey (suggested retail in the US is $1999).

160,000 litres of water saved due to HE appliances

2009-10-01T06:46:00.000-07:00

In our municipality, our water meters are read every May, and we receive our water tax bill in September. I was quite pleased to see our consumption drop from 463 cubic metres to 303. This saving converts to 160,000 litres or 43,000 U.S. gallons of water.

Virtually all of this water savings was due to our higher efficiency Samsung washer and dishwasher that we put in July 2008, so this is only 10 months of actual reduction in consumption.

This year in August we replaced 2 of our original 16-20 litre per flush toilets with American Standard Flo-wise dual-flush (3/6 litre), which should result in another significant drop in water consumption.

What does this work out to in $ terms? We saw an immediate reduction of $52 on our bill, but since rates have risen significantly, we actually saved $125 over what we would have paid had we consumed as much water as the previous period.

Having done all this, there will be now a declining return on our investment, as our water consumption is charged on a progressive basis (the more you use, the more you pay). We will likely drop consumption to below 200 cubic metres next year, which is charged the lowest rate.

At this point, the swimming pool and our reverse osmosis water system add significantly to water consumption, but we are not about to give up either.

Samsung DMR77 Dishwasher rack adjusters (update)

2009-08-29T08:43:00.000-07:00

After 2 months of waiting for parts (and the scheduled service call) we finally have our Samsung DMR77 dishwasher repaired!

Unfortunately the rack adjust clips seem to be of the same design, which means we can expect the plastic tabs to continue failing. Not impressed!

Here are a couple of pics of the old adjuster clip with broken tabs, and the new adjuster clip in place (where you can clearly see the tabs over the rack tines).

I also mentioned to the tech (a replacement, who was not too familiar with Samsung diswhashers) that wash performance seemed to be deteriorating. He did a quick check and felt that there was not enough water in the bottom of the tub to wash effectively. He suggested trying first a cleaning product, and if there was no improvement, to make a new service call to have the pump checked.

So we will do this, and see what happens! In the meantime I intend to call Samsung customer service about the design of the rack adjuster clips (just for kicks).

Appliance Aid Site

2009-08-11T09:35:00.000-07:00

While surfing the net for general kitchen appliance help sites and blogs, I came across this amazing resource. It is rare enough to find good sites discussing appliance repair, especially those originating in Canada. The site's owner, Jeff, is really dedicated to building a useful site for consumers on both sides of the border, and I'm only too happy to add him to my blogroll. Check it out!

They don't make 'em like they used to...

2009-08-05T12:18:00.001-07:00

Thanks to calebu2 and her blog on Frigidaire dishwashers for this one!

1 year with the Samsung DMR77LHS (the Basket Adjuster saga continues)

2009-08-05T12:09:00.001-07:00

It has been a year now since we installed the Samsung DMR77 in our kitchen. It has been a mixed bag...the machine has performed reliably but we have had some issues. The first, like the many others commenting on this blog, is the poor design of the basket adjusters that break prematurely. After that, we find that cleaning performance seems to be intermittently not very good, and we are not really sure what the factors are in getting a load consistently clean.

First, about the rack adjusters. We called in Sears service at the same time we ordered our annual inspection for the washing machine on July 9 in order to get the upper rack adjusters replaced. Not surprisingly (reports from blog comments had us prepared) the parts were back ordered. The tech confirmed a delivery date and we rescheduled for August 5th. The tech calls to confirm, but mentions that he "thinks" he has the wrong parts! Sure enough, the basket runner wheel assemblies were in the parts boxes marked "rack adj ass'ly". The tech calls his supervisor, and after a frustrating 5 minutes trying to ascertain that he was looking at the right diagram, managed to find out that yes, the parts were back ordered. The parts were called "Basket Adj ass'ly" (note the subtle difference) which is apparently why we received the wrong parts. (This make me realize the importance of a good taxonomy, especially when a bad naming scheme results in dispatching a tech 3 times to make a simple repair, but I digress.)

We now have a scheduled appointment for August 29. On the positive side it would appear that the "basket adjusters" have been redesigned. We will see at the end of the month. Fortunately this is a minor problem, and does not affect the operation of the machine. It make me wonder, though, if it would take 2 months for a major repair.

Wash Performance. When the machine was new, we were quite impressed with wash performance, but this seems to have gradually changed to where it has become intermittently bad. Often, I can troubleshoot the problem, such as a blocked spray arm, or an item like a cutting board blocking the opening of the soap dispenser, or not paying attention to the Add Rinse Aid indicator (which makes a huge difference on this machine). But often we are now finding residual guck stuck to items in a way that says filtering is not working properly. We have tried different detergents and quantities, and checked our hot water temperature, but this does not seem to make much of a difference. Out of a rack of dinner plates, bits of baked-on food are appearing with greater frequency.

We will mention this to the tech on the 29th during the inspection, and see if there is nothing wrong with the filter or the grinder.

Stay tuned for an update on the 29th.

Miele 10 year warranty on laundry appliances in Canada

2008-09-30T19:56:00.001-07:00

After blogging about the poor warranties offered by high end manufacturers (like Dacor, Viking, DCS), I was pleased to see at least one company take the bait. Miele in Canada is now offering an unprecedented 10 year warranty on laundry appliances.

Aside from this being a limited time promotion (on now until December 31st, 2008, reading the fine print turned up this gem:

Limit of one claim per household, address person or organization.

Does this mean if my washing machine breaks more than once in 10 years, they won't fix it??

Miele.ca: Promotions & Contests

Samsung WF337 (WF337AAG) Washing Machine Review

2008-08-31T17:28:00.000-07:00

Followers of this and my other Geek Network blogs are familiar with my focus on resource efficiency when it comes to making purchase decisions. Part of this is figuring when it becomes worthwhile to upgrade our energy and water hogs.

In our municipality we receive 2 water tax bills based on metered consumption. Our last bill showed that we consumed water for a family of 6 when we are only 3 in the house (gulp! guilt trip...). Also our nationalized electric company (Hydro Quebec) has been steadily increasing rates as it becomes more lucrative to export our capacity surplus than to sell it domestically at a discount.

This had us looking at what is probably the biggest water and energy consumer in the house: the washing machine. We have 10 year old Kitchenaid top loader that is built like a tank and still works like a charm, but realized that it consumed a huge amount of water and power when compared with the new high efficiency (HE) front loaders. Basically this represented a double whammy of savings: less water cost, less electricity cost for both the machine and the hot water it uses.

But HE machines are rather expensive for the higher-rated machines, so this does represent a significant investment, therefore well worth taking the time to figure out which is the best performing machine.

A quick trawl of the net and other reviews showed a marked preference for the LG Tromm, but we nixed that machine due to the lack of a factory service presence in Montreal. We were not impressed with stories of parts unavailability and spotty service. The domestic brands also did not fare very well in my research either. Plenty of reports on the 'net of rusting tubs, mangled clothing, leaks, mildew problems and motor/transmission problems had us steer clear from Frigidaire, Whirlpool, Maytag and Kenmore. GE was basically out of the picture at the time we did our research (but have some interesting 2nd generation models just coming on the market) and we had a hard time trying to get information on Bosch and Miele from the local retail outlets that carried these brands.

Since we have had a very positive experience with our Samsung range we decided to take a long look at their washers. We decided with very little hesitation on the Samsung Silvercare WF337AAG in Stratus Gray (which we felt would not date the machine as much as red or blue, the "harvest gold" and "avocado green" of this age). What sold us on the machine in addition to the silver ion sanitization was the direct drive motor (no transmission to break), ultra high-speed spin cycle at 1300 RPM, a vibration reduction system that really works, and incredibly low water consumption rated at about 4 litres per load.

We ended up buying at Sears Home, as they were having their national rollout promotion on Samsung in June (2008), and we took advantage of a price match. We were quite impressed at how well informed our sales rep was about Samsung appliances, a result of Samsung's regional training that seemed quite effective.

Installing and setting up was quite easy. The biggest difficulty was removing the shipping bolts (not obvious with the provided instructions) and then levelling the machine (which we learned is very important for front loaders). A nice touch was the machine came with all of the water and drain connections and a wrench for the bolts and levelling feet.

Our jaws dropped when we used the machine for the first time. the machine is utterly silent! Since our laundry closet is on the main floor, with the doors closed you can't even tell its running! You can barely hear the water sloshing around, and there is virtually NO motor noise.

The vibration reduction is hard to describe. The machine begins the spin cycle, then it shakes a little, then stops, then starts again. It does this a couple of times until it figures out its optimum balance, then off it goes, slowly at first, before kicking it in full speed. It has this precision mechanical whine not unlike a Porsche turbo or other high performance car.

Clothes come out virtually dry, which means significantly lower drying times. A full load of towels took about 38 minutes to dry completely. We haven't tried a heavily soiled load yet, but so far a tiny amount of HE soap gets a full load clean. The other thing we noticed was the very low amount of dryer lint, which we attribute to the gentle way in which the washer handles clothes. We expect that our clothes will last longer with this machine.

We have used the SilverCare cycle a couple of times, but without a microscope I would be hard pressed to tell the difference. There does seem to be some controversy over the effectiveness of the Silver Ion process, and it is important to know that not all bacteria and fungii (or dust mites, I imagine) are killed by silver ions. I consider this a partial solution, but an energy-saving one as it will sanitize in cold or warm water (without steam).

Of course it remains to be seen how reliable and durable this machine will be. We did take a 5 year service contract from Sears with annual visits, which we will likely renew depending on other people's experiences with their machines. My expectation is a 10 year service life, at which point energy, water and detergent savings will have more than paid back the premium purchase price.

After using this machine for a few months, we have no complaints. Given a second chance we would most likely go out and buy the same machine again.

This review is an edited version of a review originally posted on epinions.com.

Great blog: World of Washers

2008-08-06T08:46:00.000-07:00

While I was researching information on appliances on Digg, I stumbled upon a pretty interesting blog that talks ONLY about washers. I found a great article discussing the advantages and disadvantages of front load vs. top load washers. We just made the switch to front load machines, the (so far so good) Samsung WF337AAL washer DV337 dryer. (Check out my reviews on epinions here and here).

We made the decision to go with front load machines based largely on environmental concerns for water and energy conservation, and I had thought that top loaders were dinosaurs. Well I quickly found out that not everyone is as happy as I am with their front load machines!

I still believe front loaders are the way to go, and I feel terrible for people who were sold a bill of goods. But this is exactly the reason why we need to put pressure on manufacturers to build better machines and to own up to past mistakes with websites and blogs. There are good machines out there that more than pay back their additional acquisition costs.

The environment is too important to just give up and go back to water and energy hogs. Especially when this is really a design and engineering problem that some manufacturers have managed to solve.

Check out the World of Washers, especially if you are thinking of buying front loading machines.

Link.

From Boing Boing Gadgets: Online Toaster Museum

2008-08-04T13:41:00.001-07:00

I've seen this before, and this is something I would probably do.

The International Online Toaster Museum - Boing Boing Gadgets

Samsung DMR77 (DMR77LHS) Dishwasher review

2008-07-22T11:44:00.000-07:00

Yes, we have been gambling on Samsung. But the apparent value of their appliances, combined with an impressive commitment to sales knowledge and service (at least in the Montreal area) have made the offer quite compelling. We felt that this machine was similar in quality to the best, (which in my opinion is Miele) that cost $1000 more, but actually had better performance features.

We are also aware of the mistakes that Samsung made with their first generation of dishwashers, manufactured by Maytag (Whirlpool) and the number of people who were disappointed in the reliability of these machines. Because we hesitated before buying the relatively unknown (to north America) Blomberg due mainly to a lack of information, I can certainly see how difficult it must be to come into a very competitive market where a psychological price barrier and consumer knowledgability might mean a compromise.

To start off, the DMR77 is not built by Maytag. Our unit was built in China, and I speculate that it is most likely built by Haier to Samsung specs and with Samsung electronics. Haier is considered a low-end price point brand here in Montreal, but they do manufacture "higher end" dishwashers in this price range, and available elsewhere. This is not a judgment on the quality of Haier, but it is hard to believe that a dishwasher that costs only $250 brand new can be any good (but it might be).

The apparent build quality of this dishwasher is impressive. First of all, there are no stray bits hanging off the sides, back or bottom of the machine, as plastic shrouds cover virtually everything underneath a very thin sound deadening layer. Connections for the inlet hose and drain are overbuilt. The tub is of very high quality stainless, and it appears that considerable effort has been made to maximize interior space. The door is of very heavy and rigid construction and closes like a german car door, which gives an impression of solidity and precision.

From a design perspective, the machine looks like a hybrid between a european and north American dishwasher. For example, this machine uses condenser drying, but also has a food grinder and an adjustable two-tier top rack very similar in design to a Maytag. The trade-off by having a grinder is that the machine is a bit louder (3 db more than the quietest Bosch or Asko).

I prefer this design to the Asko, which has a fixed stainless tube that routes water to the top rack, effectively making it non-adjustable not to mention a (slight) loss of interior space.

Installation, as with most dishwashers was fairly easy. However this machine is really at the limit for size, and I ended up having to drill new holes for water and drain in order to get the machine to fit properly under the counter. After the first trial installation, and finding it not that much quieter than the outgoing Kenmore, I decided it was probably a good idea to replace the previous plastic inlet hose with a new braided stainless one and also to cover up a few gaps with weatherstrip and add some sound deadening on the hard ceramic floor.

Once installed (the 3rd time) and properly leveled, we can safely say that the machine is pretty damn quiet! The machine is rated at 49 dB, which as I mentioned is not the quietest, and subjectively it does not appear to be that much quieter than our old Kenmore when next to the machine while it is running. However when out of the kitchen, it is not possible to tell it is running at all. With the Kenmore we would often find ourselves turning up the television in the living room, even though subjectively it seemed quiet. Having said that, if you must have the quietest machine, you might want one without a grinder as this seems to be source of a lot of noise.

We are still not completely used to loading the machine, but are quite impressed at its capacity. We use a 12 place setting service for everyday use, and run out of dishes before the machine is full. This means that there is plenty of room for coffee cups, assorted plastic containers and other cooking utensils. Samsung also thoughtully provides adjustability for most of the rack tines, and it is even possible to remove completely the two lower rack inserts. There are also a myriad of little clips to hold things down like spatulas and other items that might blow around during a wash cycle. To give an idea of the size of the tub, a 16 quart stock pot fits easily on the lower rack without interfering with the sprayer (with the upper rack in the high position). For this we give the versatility of the machine high marks.

Running the machine is very straightforward. As with our range, the dishwasher uses a "hidden" flat static touch panel, and there are no protruding buttons or mechanical switches. The lack of tactile feedback is compensated by musical beeps whenever a function is selected.

It has taken a bit of time to figure out optimal cycles to use. This machine has 6 cycles (Normal, Heavy, Delicate, Rinse, Quick and Smart Auto) with 3 options (Sanitize, Half Load and Delay Start). With our old Kenmore we found that the Quick or Econo cycle worked fine when we rinsed the dishes and it was relatively quick at 38 minutes, but Quick on the Samsung takes 1 hour, and the dishes came out wet! A look in the manual explained that the Quick cycle was the same as the normal but skips the dry cycle. Half load is limited to the upper rack, but it is not obvious how to arrange both plates, glasses cups and cutlery on the upper rack. We were also amazed at punching in Smart Auto and seeing 3 hours (!) showing up on the display! (This is a maximum, fortunately). For now Smart Auto, with its soil sensor, appears to work.

Because we are trying to save water, we are trying to break old habits and not rinse dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. I will now use the 10 minute rinse cycle after meals as it should take less water. However the dishwasher does tend to get smelly after leaving dirty dishes for more than a couple of days, so we may have to rethink the half load strategy and use the machine more frequently. This may not be a problem so much during the winter months.

This machine would have been disappointing if it didn't get the dishes clean, and it does an admirable job. We found that we do have to be careful about placement to make sure that surfaces come into contact with the spray arms as some residue can remain if we place things on top of the upper rack shelves. We have even tried lasagna baked on pyrex using the heavy cycle on the lower rack, and it removed everything. It is even good enough to get rid of stuck on bread dough from my Bosch mixer bowl, which I no longer have to hand wash. The glass test came out perfect, with no spots, film or apparent etching (using a rinse aid is essential).

What is really impressive about this machine is that it uses virtually NO soap. The manual says to use 15 gr (a tablespoon!) for a normal or smart wash, and an extra 10 gr (2 tsp) for the prewash in the heavy cycle. Because we calculated total cost of ownership, the soap cost more than offset the cost of additional water and slightly more electrictiy that this machine uses (when compared to a higher-end Bosch or Asko). This is no small consideration if you have hard or moderately hard water like we do. What I found interesting is the machine cleans without ANY soap...I found this out when a cutting board blocked the soap door from opening! I suspect that using soap is not really for its detergent properties but for sanitization. Yes the machine cleans that well.

Drying performance is good, but not as good as a heat and fan assisted machine and it does take longer. However this is the price of energy efficiency, eh? I think fan assist on this machine is a fair compromise to machines that don't have them (e.g. most European machines).

Positives

Large capacity
Uses extremely little soap
Effective grinder/filtration (no filter to clean)
Versatile loading
Build quality
Dual displays
Effective soil sensor (Smart Auto)

Negatives

Might be difficult to install in tight spaces
Quick cycle dishes come out wet (useless)
No indicator light for end of cycle ("End" warning turns off after 5 minutes)
Not the quietest, nor the most efficient (but a realistic compromise)

Samsung offers a compelling dishwasher on its second try, and it would appear to be the best of both worlds. What remains now is to see if the machine is reliable or durable, as there is no data for this model. We did take a 5 year service contract, which I believe would be prudent if you consider buying this machine.

Calculating Dishwasher operating cost

2008-07-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

I was asked how I calculated and compared dishwasher operating cost. Aside from acquisition cost, there is the electrical consumption of the dishwasher itself, how much water it uses, the cost of heating the water, and the cost of detergent and additives.

Read on for the nitty-gritty and the tools that I used.

One of the variables in using a dishwasher is how often you use it. Typically our machine runs twice or three times a week. For us the Energuide rating, which is based on 215 cycles per year seems about right. This is fairly easy to adjust for your own use by dividing the Energuide rating by the number of cycles to get the per-cycle consumption, then multiplying by the number of times you use the machine annually.

For example, our Samsung DMR77LHS is rated at 315 KwH per year, which works out to 1.46 KwH per cycle. If we used the machine daily, that would work out to 534 KwH. So based on our KwH rate of $0.0827 (including tax) the annual electricity cost is $26.

Next is water consumption. This information is a little more difficult to make sure it is accurate. For example, the Energy Star Appliance Directory on NRCAN's site lists water consumption per "normal" cycle, but this is often a different number when you look at manufacturer data. For example, the Bosch SHX36L is rated at 10.9L of hot water consumption in the Energy Star directory, but the Bosch user manual says anywhere from 9-22L. Also if you don't use the normal cycle (we always used the Energy Saver cycle with the Kenmore) this number can be misleading. In my case it was worth it to compare water consumption on the "Quick" cycle (which was 20 L for the Samsung and 13L for the Bosch). This number is not so easy to find as some manufactures (like Blomberg) don't supply this data or don't have a Quick cycle.

Since our water is metered, it was fairly easy to calculate 20L (per cycle) x 215 (annual cycles) x $0.001 (avg. cost per litre) for $4.30 per year.

Now that we know our electricity cost and water consumption, we can calculate the hot water cost. I found this nifty calculator to figure out the annual hot water cost as follows:

I converted annual litres to U.S. gallons and divided by 365 to get "daily gallons" (4300L / 3.67 = 1172 gallons, then 1172 / 365 = 3.2 gallons per day). The calculator gives $21 per year hot water cost for our Samsung, based on an electric water heater at $0.0827 KwH.

Detergent can make a huge difference in annual operating costs. For example our Samsung takes only 15g of detergent for a normal load vs. 25g for the Bosch and 35g for the Asko. Based on a 3kg box of Electrasol powder at $10, (including tax, which works out to $0.003 per gram) we are looking at $9.65 a year for the Samsung vs. $16 for the Bosch and $22 for the Asko. And don't forget the rinse aid (we go through a 600ml bottle per year, for a cost of $5)

So to add all this up we have:

$26 (electricity) + $4.30 (water) + $21 (hot water) + $14.65 (soap and additive) for an annual cost of $65.95. The Bosch and Asko came in marginally lower, with their higher detergent consumption canceling out their slightly better energy and water consumption.

The big difference, and the justification comes from comparing operating cost of our 6 year old Kenmore:

30L water per cycle, 800 KwH annually and 60g of detergent means an annual cost of $157. Our $1000 Samsung dishwasher will basically pay for itself in energy savings in a bit less than 9 years (given 3-5% annual increase in consumables), which is a bit more than 1/2 of its expected life.

Deciding which dishwasher

2008-07-02T14:43:00.000-07:00

We got it down to Asko, Bosch, Blomberg and Samsung. From a performance perspective it looks like Bosch is the winner as it has the lowest energy rating, uses very little water, uses very little soap and has a very low repair incidence.

But we went with the Samsung DMR77LHS. How did we decide?

We were really intrigued with the Blomberg based on their reputation in Europe, but could not get enough information from other users in north America or any details on water and soap consumption from Blomberg to make a choice. Asko got dropped due to a poor reliability record (based on Consumer Reports), but I really liked how it was designed. This got the choice down to 2 units: The Bosch SHX68 and the Samsung DMR77. We were leaning more towards the Samsung due to our experience with the Range, and of course my wife's desire to have a matching cabinet :-).

Essentially my criteria was first and foremost energy and water conservation, but was based on rated capacity of the dishwasher. For example the Bosch is rated at 257 kWh and uses 9-22 litres of water but only holds 12 place settings. The Samsung on the other hand holds 14 place settings but water consumption increases to 19-30 litres and 310 kWh annually.

The next criteria was cleaning and drying. My main beef with European dishwashers is the lack of a drying fan and the lack of a food grinder, which means cleaning out a filter every once in a while. The Samsung seemed to cater more to the north American market by having both.

Finally when purchase cost is considered, it was not worth paying $800 more for the Bosch unit, as it would have meant an additional 10 years before the energy and water savings would be amortized.

So far the Samsung unit is installed and has proven worthy, but not without a few caveats. Stay tuned for a more in-depth review...

Dishwashers: Which one?

2008-06-01T15:09:00.000-07:00

Our 6 year old Kenmore dishwasher is pretty well on its last legs. All kinds of bits are breaking off, it no longer cleans dishes well, and er, it STINKS (despite repeated cleaning). It is also an energy and water hog.

We have been generally displeased with Sears and the Whirlpool garbage that they sell under the Kenmore brand, as they are plainly not reliable nor durable. To compare, our previous DW was a 14 year old Maytag that we sold with our previous house, and as far as we know is still used on a daily basis. It was really loud, but it worked, and was clearly durable (I had to replace a few parts along the way, like door springs, but this was easy enough to do myself).

So we are beginning to evaluate dishwashers based on reliability and performance, mainly water and electricity consumption. Initial research on the net shows that in terms of performance, the favorites seem to be Asko, Miele, Bosch and Kitchenaid. Also Blomberg was rated very highly recently by the Quebec consumer watchdog in their Protegez-vous magazine.

We are looking specifically for a stainless steel front and hidden controls. We don't need an excessive number of cycles (just 3 is fine, we typically only use 1), so this will keep the cost down.

Kitchenaid is definitely out. While the machines seem tough and overbuilt, my experience with a stand mixer that broke its transmission the first time I made a relatively small quantity of bread dough left me rather indifferent. I no longer believe that any Hobart parts are left in these dishwashers. They are probably just Whirlpool junk made to look robust.

I was also a bit concerned about Asko, with reports of high parts costs but generally excellent reliability and performance, along the lines of Miele. I am concerned, though about reports like this one.

What I did find interesting was that Viking dishwashers are rebranded Asko machines. By the same token, Thermador uses Bosch machines (and are virtually identical).

After checking out the Natural Resources Canada energy-star website, we discovered quite a difference in hot water consumption between brands. Generally Bosch and Asko had the lowest, with a practical range of 9-11 litres per load. I was surprised that Miele and Blomberg use about double the water, with 19-22 litres per load. This is important performance criteria for us, as our water consumption is metered, and it is a goal of ours to reduce our water consumption significantly this year.

I have had pretty good experience with my Bosch Universal kitchen machine (mixer), which is what I imported to replace the Kitchenaid stand mixer. So, it looks like Bosch is winning out, at the moment. After the Blomberg, it is the least expensive, too.

Gizmodo: New Electrolux Inspiro Oven

2008-03-18T12:39:00.000-07:00

From Gizmodo:

Elecrolux's Inspiro oven launches this week, using technology that could be the future of cooking. Using a heat management technique rather like auto focus on a camera, the Inspiro's sensors first analyze what is to be cooked before calculating the temperature and time needed. The company's CEO, Hans Stråberg, likens it to the way cameras now automatically set aperture, exposure time and focus, depending on the light and what's in the frame.

This sounds suspiciously like the Panasonic Genius microwave ovens from the 1980's. These ovens had a humidity sensor that determined cooking times based on how long it took to trip the sensor. This worked quite well for some things, like cooking vegetables. However people tend not to use these things after a while, as they are hit-or-miss.

And like everything else, our knowledge and cooking techniques evolve over time, whereas these helpful intelligences are generally frozen in time and don't evolve along with us. There are also many ways to bake and not just one "perfect" way...I can think of 4 or 5 different baking techniques I use for bread, all with different times and temperatures, steam/no steam, baking stone, convection or no convection...

Just the same, there seems to be a renewed market interest in the mundane kitchen range, and it is very interesting to see how manufacturers are interpreting their market research.

Link.

The Consumer Geek: Comparing energy and water consumption of appliances - keep or replace?

2008-03-11T14:42:00.000-07:00

The Consumer Geek: Comparing energy and water consumption of appliances - keep or replace?