Kenmore 13863 Stainless Steel Built-in Dishwasher Reviews

Kenmore 13863 Stainless Steel Built-in Dishwasher — 

I bought my Kenmore Elite Dishwasher with TurboZone (model 13863 - stainless steel inside and out, Quietguard Premium) almost 3 year ago and have been fairly pleased with my purchase. I don't think any dishwasher out there is perfect, but this one certainly gives it a run!

One of the features that influenced me was the TurboZone. I didn't want a gizmo or gimmick when it came time to cleaning. This unit has an extra set of sprayers down in the back so that you face your really grimy pans and pots in this direction for attack. It really does make a difference, but it is not perfect. I found I don't have to soak pans nearly as much or do the cleaning myself as long as the nozzles can get at the areas that need cleaning. Only in some of the more stubborn, totally-baked-on messes did I find that the turbo needed a turbo boost. This wash area of the lower tray also features an adjustable set of tines so you can angle whatever you're cleaning towards the back or stand it up straight depending on the item and how it fits inside. The space is a little limited for the larger of your cooking gear, so you may need to adjust the upper rack to the highest position or remove the upper rack completely. I found I could put a large skillet and a medium skillet next to each other and juggle things around a little. You have to place things just right or the item you're cleaning will run into the nozzles and you can't slide the rack in completely. 

The unit comes with several holders for silverware and I actually don't use all of mine to allow for more space for other things. I think the holes are lined up pretty well in the holders to help in maximizing the cleaning. I've used so many of the basic dishwashers in apartments that usually failed in this task. I'm happy with the job I get out of this machine on silverware.

The top rack is very adjustable. Tines on both sides flip up or down for placing cups or other small dishes. The whole rack itself adjusts up or down depending on if you need more head room for the top rack or for the bottom rack. That's a great feature if you find your loads vary quite a bit in the size of the items being placed inside.

Something else I was looking for when selecting a machine was the noise or sounds it made while doing it's thing. This unit is one of the quietest machines ever with the Quietguard Premium. It is so nice not to have all the noise. This unit does have the automatic cleaner for the filter in the bottom, but I seldomly notice it is any noisier when it is cleaning itself. The various wash modes are all quiet and I can hardly hear some of them (rinsing, quick wash, and of course, heated drying).I use the SmartWash mode for cleaning almost exclusively. The brains do a fairly good job of deciding how much scrubbing and cleaning is required while keeping water use and energy in mind. If I am feeling like I want to be more in control over the job, there are plenty of other modes I can use. It seems to know best on it's own. :-)

The tap water in my area is annoyingly hard with lots of Texas limestone dissolved in it. (Municple water with no softener or filter.) I do use a rinse agent in dispenser and most of the time it does a great job for the finish work. Once in a while I have a few items that just don't rinse well or do not get the right exposure so I touch them up by hand very easily before putting the items away. I do notice the residue left in the stainless steel tub as a result of the water and Electrasal 3-in-1/Cascade Rinse. Not a fault of the machine at all, but I mention it as I'm sure others have to battle their water "quality" as well. The machine has no problems dealing with this challenge.

Anyone that has owned a stainless steel appliance knows that this surface looks great when clean but it is anything from maintenance free. It must be cleaned with a stainless steel cleaner to keep the water spots and hand prints off of it. My machine is no different and doesn't require much more attention than my other stainless appliances.

I installed the dishwasher myself. The first unit I received from Sears was dropped in transit and damaged at the bottom. I had a 2nd unit brought out to replace the 1st with no issues, but I did have to wait a few days for the unit to arrive. I have an awkward location for the water supply and drain location relative to the unit. I had to get a longer set of hoses to take care of things and after all that I had no problems in getting the unit in place. The problems I had were because of the marginal construction quality of the counters in my home and not because of the dishwasher.

If I could improve on the unit, I would make the bottom rack more adjustable. Other than the tines in the back for the turbo area, the lower rack has no adjustable areas. The other items I have difficulty with are plastic-ware storage containers don't always rinse clean. I think this is more of an issue of the hard water, but I mention it for the inquiring minds. Glassware, pans, and silverware generally rinse clean as long as the water and agent can get to them.

I'm very pleased with this model and it's ability for cleaning. I would have no problem recommending this dishwasher.