A Quality Dishwasher That Actually Does Its Job

Growing up, there were two things I knew about dishwashers. The first was that, invariably, I had to rinse the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. In effect, the dishwasher was a hot steaming dish sterilizer, after they had mostly been cleaned by rinsing everything off them. The second thing I knew about the dishwasher was that when it was not in use, it was off and not utilizing any power.

Both of those things have changed with my new Frigidaire Ultraquiet III stainless steel finish dishwasher (model #FDB750RC).

One of the nicest aspects of the Frigidaire Ultraquiet III is that it is Energy Star compliant and a quick comparison of multiple dishwashers illustrated a significantly lower energy usage per running of the dishwasher, provided you turn your water supply on to make sure the water going into the washer is already hot. When I received and installed this dishwasher, there was no appreciable increase in the electric bill and I used the washer a lot right off the bat!

As for installation, I cannot attest to how easy this was to install. This is one of the few projects I have had a contractor do, not because I feared it would be too difficult, but rather because there no piping or connection in the kitchen. Thus, my contractor had to actually lay the pipes to make the dishwasher usable. But, that took only a few hours, so I assume it went without incident.

The biggest selling point, outside the stainless steel finish that matches the other appliances in the kitchen and the energy efficiency, was the belief that this dishwasher would actually wash and sterilize the dishes. I am pleased to say this has absolutely lived up to my expectations. Having used the washer for five months now, I have never had to rinse a single item (outside a piece of silverware or two that was literally encrusted with hardened jam and nuts). The dishwasher has quite adequately cleaned off every item placed in it and left all of the dishes spotless.

No matter what sauces are left on the plates, dried residue from cocoas left in the mugs, or peanut butter left discreetly on the knives, this dishwasher gets it all off. To be fair, and to promote the idea I am not a slob, I've not gone out of my way to test this dishwasher by putting ridiculous combinations of things together. In the daily wear and use of dishes, this dishwasher quite amazingly functions to remove all matter from the dishes.

The control panel on the dishwasher is easy to use and there are plenty of settings I've never used (I still do pots and pans by hand, just out of habit and frequency of use). The manual is very clear in describing how those other settings would be used and I trust that if I ever have occasion to use them I will be able to without problem.

The only real drawback of this unit is that it is always on. For some ridiculous reason, once the dishwasher is done running, a light comes on to inform the user that the dishes are clean. Whenever the door to the dishwasher is properly closed, that light comes on, a ridiculous notion if one is loading up the dishwasher. This "always on" function is like my printer, where it does not have a power button. As one who believes very firmly in the idea of power conservation, this infuriates me. No turning of the dial - other than to a position that is "on" - changes this. My solution was to put the dishwasher on a separate circuit, which I turn on only when I am using the dishwasher. This eliminates even the negligible power drain from the dishwasher when it is not being used. As well, it protects the unit from any sort of power surge, which is good in areas where the power goes off frequently.

Dishwashers are one of those appliances that either works or it doesn't. When it does not work properly, there may be a lot written to detail how it fails to meet one's expectations. On the other hand, if it does what it is supposed to, there is little one may write. This energy-efficient dishwasher falls into the latter category.

A dishwasher should - ideally - make the cleaning of one's dishes a thoughtless process which consumes a minimum of time and attention. With the Frigidaire Ultraquiet III, I put the dishes in, turn the machine on, barely hear it while it runs, and unstack it. I never have to worry that the items inside are not getting properly cleaned. It is pretty much the ideal dishwasher.

Rating is closer to a 4 1/2.