[Electronics-Talk] Dishwasher Accessibility

Fri Feb 12 23:20:03 UTC 2016

    Hi Annette,
We just bought a whirlpool dishwasher that has a stainless steel tub and 
buttons across the front that are like decals all the way across the front 
of the dishwasher.  Whirlpool were only rated a couple of points lower than 
the top rated bosch.  It was $560 and the model number is WDF550SAAW.  We 
bought it in white but it was availble in stainless exterior.
The reason we had to get a new one was because our old one had a plastic tub 
and a spoon fell out of the silverware holder and landed on the heating 
element and melted a whole in the plastic tub.  I think the chances of that 
happening are very slim but I didn't want to take a chance on it, so we went 
with stainless steel.
Tim

-----Original Message----- 
From: Annette Carr via Electronics-Talk
            Sent: Friday, February 12, 2016 4:41 PM
To: 'Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances'
Cc: Annette Carr
Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] Dishwasher Accessibility

Hi Fred,

Thank you for the feedback and the review.  We are going to look into this.
I was glad to see that in the review, they mentioned that there is a model
with a stainless steel exterior.

I've been told that the stains in the dishwasher we had 2  models ago were
from coffee, beets and probably grape juice or jelly.  Maybe they have now
improved the stain resistance of the plastic.

Thanks again,
Annette

-----Original Message-----
From: Electronics-Talk [mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Fred Wurtzel via Electronics-Talk
Sent: Friday, February 12, 2016 3:25 PM
To: 'Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances'
Cc: Fred Wurtzel
Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] Dishwasher Accessibility

Hello Annette,

I do not represent Whirlpool.  However, except for the stainless tub, I
think our dishwasher meets all of your concerns.  It does have physical
buttons and does have a reset button.  It does only have 2 racks, but the
silverware rack in the door does create extra space on the rack.  I have
attached the review that led me to this model.

Now, I do not, personally, check for stains inside the dishwasher.  I
totally respect your feeling that this is an issue, however, I cannot think
how this in any way affects the cleanliness of the dishes.  We have very
good water, here, so iron stains are not a problem.  I could understand how
iron could stain the tub over time, since it stains porcelain and a lot of
other surfaces.    Iron stains would not affect the cleanliness of the
dishes.  I am going to have someone look in ours and see if it has stains.
If it does, I will evaluate their meaning. Ok, I just had someone check, no
stains.  It is about a year and a half old.

It is always interesting, to me, to learn what other people think about.  I
guess this is why we have this list, so we can learn from one another.

Warmest Regards,

Fred

-----Original Message-----
From: Electronics-Talk [mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Annette Carr via Electronics-Talk
Sent: Friday, February 12, 2016 1:54 PM
To: 'Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances'
<electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Annette Carr <amcarr1 at verizon.net>
Subject: [Electronics-Talk] Dishwasher Accessibility

Hi All,

The other day I suggested that maybe a light probe could be used to detect
whether or not an indicator light was lit on the dishwasher panel.  After
visiting 3 local stores as we begin the dreaded search for a new dishwasher,
I take back that suggestion.  If the dishwasher does have lights, they are
so close together, that you most likely would not be able to determine with
a light probe which light was lit.

Many dishwashers have a smooth glass panel that is activated by holding your
finger on the desired spot for a second or two to activate it.  While this
type of panel is not activated by a quick and continuous movement across the
panel, a hesitation of your finger will activate it.  So if you were trying
to read a braille label placed over the spot where you need to touch, it
appears that the button will be activated.  There is a chance that the touch
panel will not be able to detect your finger through the braille label.  I
was not able to test that out.  In some cases, there are multiple touch
sensitive buttons stacked one above the other.  This was typically 2 or 3.
So if you could squeeze a braille label above or below the touch panel,
there was no way to know which of the buttons in that line up you were
activating.

There were dishwashers with a variety of physical buttons.  Most of these
buttons did not stay depressed once you pushed on it. most of these buttons,
as well as those on the flat touch panel  required that you press them
multiple times to cycle through the options for that button.  The only
indicator that something had changed was either a small light lit up next to
the cycle or option that was now selected, or words would appear on a
display panel.

The majority of dishwashers that we saw had the touch panel and/or physical
buttons along the top edge of the door.  While this prevents the buttons
from being accidently touched while the door is closed, we found that they
were frequently accidentally activated when opening the door, or moving
around the open door.

I asked if any models had the ability to clear everything and return to a
set starting point, or a user defined default setting, and I was told no.

I was surprised to learn that Bosch dishwashers do not have a heating
element.  You have to take the dishes out immediately after the dishwasher
stops or else you will have to use a dish towel to dry them when you take
them out.

The 3rd rack now available in some dishwashers appears to be a really nice
feature.  Racks in which you can adjust its height is also a nice feature to
accommodate large items.  An interior stainless steel surface is a must as
I've learned that despite my best cleaning efforts, stains will become
permanent on the plastic interiors.

If you have a specific model dishwasher that you are finding fairly
accessible, please do share.  I am very discouraged after what I've seen.

Annette

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