- Energy Star 18 in. built-in dishwasher with 8 place setting capacity and silverware basket
- Low water consumption feature and built-in water-softener system
- Automatic detergent dispenser and rinse agent dispenser
- Simple electronic controls with 7 wash cycles
- Durable stainless steel spray arm and interior
I installed from scratch, with the help of my father in law who is an electrician. Installation was pretty straightforward. Be careful when you're installing the elbow on the hot water inlet, though. I tightened it a little too much and it pushed against the solenoid, jamming it, which wouldn't allow water in the first time we ran it. I backed it off a bit and it's working fine now.
Specs say this model holds 8 complete place settings, where full sized units take 10-12, I think. I'm not sure about how accurate that claim is, on average, but it does hold quite a bit enough for our needs. The manual gives diagrams suggesting how to make the most of the space, thankfully. It can still take a bit of getting used to, though. I quickly found that our large dinner plates (square, 10.25") are about 1/4" too tall to fit in the lower bin without hitting the sprayer. I think they had to set the top rack a little lower than average to allow for the weird double-stacking cup shelf feature up there. Make sure your plates are under 10" in diameter, especially if they're not round, which allows them to drop between the slats in the rack for extra clearance. The silverware trays have removable tops with slots in them to keep your spoons from spooning, etc which ensures that they get clean. You can pop them off to allow loading of larger items, too.
It's very quiet when it's running. I was worried about the fact that there were no noise ratings available anywhere, even from Danby themselves, but it's ended up being a non-issue. Our kitchen, dining room and living room are all one big open contiguous space and we can run a load of dishes without having to turn up the T.V. at the other end of the room. Much quieter than the new entry level Kenmore we had at our previous apartment.
Wash loads use a tiny amount of detergent, around a tablespoon. Our large box of Cascade will probably last us a year or more. I've found that using a rinse aid like Jet Dry is necessary for dishes to dry completely. I'm not sure if that's just because we had to run a drain line extension but the manual implies that that is the case in any situation. Jet Dry is like $4 and I've got the dispenser set on the lowest of 4 settings so I'm sure it'll last quite a while between refills. There's a salt tray for if you have hard water but we'll not be needing that.
I've put a couple of loads through it so far and they've all come out spotless, even on the economy cycle. The cycles take a long time, or at least it seems like they do I guess I never timed my previous dishwashers. Most of the cycles take about 2:45, though. The buttons only have icons on them and I find I need to keep the manual handy to remember which cycles are which but I've only had it a few days.
All in all I'm about as pleased as I can be, sans the issues with the large items fitting, which cost it that 5th star. As long as it holds up well, I give it a hearty recommendation.
Buy Danby DDW1899BLS 18-Inch Built-In Dishwasher - Stainless Steel Now
I already had an 18" dishwasher (that went bad) plugged into my garbage disposal. So, I figured this wouldn't be the most difficult job to swap in the Danby, and it took 4-6 hours (lunch, & some 12oz curls maybe slowed me down here & there)I'm a casual DIY'er, so this may be too basic for most, but for other's some (hopefully helpful) install feedback.
I also uploaded a few pics to show some details if that helps.
When buying this, just buy one of these "kits" that includes a new water input line (if you don't already have one like this, my current setup had copper pipes), and that also includes the copper 3/4" MIP elbow that you'll need (no, the dishwasher doesn't come with the elbow, you need to buy one) (or just get the elbow if you've already got a braided line): Watts D60U Universal Dishwasher Kit with 3/4-Inch FGH EL, Stainless Steel, 60-Inch. Besides that, you'll also need plumbers tape, some tools, & your beverage of choice. Oh, if you want, on Youtube there are videos of how to install a dishwasher that'll walk you through it as well. I'd say if you've already got one there that you are replacing, and you have some DIY know-how you should be able to do this pretty easy (I called and got 2 quotes, from $100-200 for the install), but got bored & figured I'd give it a try.
--Yes, the instructions for the electrical hookup on page 2 of the manual are for some other machine. On the Danby, there's a skinny green ground already under a screw, and another big green wire in the piggy tail. I just stripped another 3/8" of sheath away on the ground wire in the piggy tail, so I had plenty of exposed wire to wrap around the house's thinker gauge ground wire (spread out the thinner strands of wire when wrapping around the bigger gauge wire, so more contact points), and then used a wire cap (keep screwing the cap until it won't screw in any more). I am not an electrician, so take any advice at your own risk, but that's what my uncle (that knows his stuff) told me to do & seemed to work fine (see customer pictures)
--Yes, the Danby is very short in height, pretty much had to max out the legs. HINT: Take some white-out & mark a corner on each of the feet. Screw them in all the way. Get 1 at the correct height, and "count" the rotations up to that point (each time the white-out comes around), then just rotate the other 3 legs out the same # of rotations. Should be level as is (or pretty dang close).
--At first you are confused where to "route" the water hose & discharge hose, but once you raise up the legs you'll have tons of space underneath the dishwasher.
--The manual is literally backwards, you should start on the last page, & work backwards. Even the "checklist" before turning it on the 1st time is on page 2 :)
--The manual says to have the elbow for the water input pointing "left" but try as I might, perhaps b/c of the threading on the elbow, I couldn't get it tight (& not leaking water) in any position except pointing to the right. Oh well, the braided hose doesn't seem to have a problem with this (see the picture)
--The discharge hose on the Danby is already hooked on, and has a funky curve right where it connects, so I didn't want to bother using a different discharge hose. But, the stock discharge hose wasn't long enough to reach my garbage disposal (given that you should have a point in your discharge line "higher" than the disposal, so water doesn't run back into the dishwasher). So, I just got a coupler (3/4") and hose clamped them together. The manual said you can have a total of 10' of discharge hose which is right what I was at (if you went 15' etc not sure the pump would clear the line?) Anyways, ran a few loads, everything seems to drain just fine (see pic of the coupler as well).
Other random notes:
-don't over-tighten the elbow, might break something.
-Do NOT use your knee to back the machine into the cabinet space, the front stainless panel isn't reinforced so you could dent it. Also, don't get mad when your team loses in the playoffs and kick it.
-STAINLESS STEEL CARE: if you've already got stainless appliances, you probably already have your care routine, but something a sales guy taught me once was using a "micro-fiber" towel to apply the stainless cleaner/polish. Supposedly the micro-fibers get into the fine grain of the steel and does a better job than a normal cloth getting grease off and laying a layer of wax to protect against finger prints. Not sure if this is an urban myth, but works for me. I would put a coat of stainless cleaner/polish on right away before your dog starts throwing his slobber on it.
-Noise--definitely quieter than my old Frigidaire, but if it isn't quiet enough for you, then just use the delayed start timer, so just load up & have it run after the movies are over, no biggie.
-If you have to stop it half-way through a cycle (& its full of water), you can't just manually toggle the control to a "drain" cycle to start over. Fix I found was to run the shortest cycle (the one on the right, Rinse? its only 8 minutes).
-Be sure to show your significant other the dish loading instructions, so you don't have to fight over the best way to load it:)
-Nice that it has a spray arm on the top rack, my last dishwasher didn't, should be a big improvement.
-The dish racks on this Danby are the same width as my last Frigidaire, but they are indeed 2 inches shorter (front to back). So, yes, there is a small loss of space. But, I didn't feel like paying $300 more for a GE for just a few inches, especially since this Danby has got great reviews both here & on HD's site (and besides a few dud machines, most complaints are typical of "any" 18" dishwasher, so not sure what's not to like at this great price point...usually when you see something priced almost half of other machines it means its inferior, but all the reviewers have loved this Danby, and I don't have anything to complain about either after my first 2 loads)
-If you are looking for the Serial # for your online warranty, its not on the tag when you open the door like normal, its listed on the "right" cross-brace when you remove the kicker panel.
-The SLEEP DELAY timer is a little confusing at first, because it doesn't mark passing time by the minute, only in 30 minute decreasing intervals (so at first you'll think its not working, come back in 30 minutes, you'll see the time will have reduced by 30).
-The delivery guys were right on time, really can't beat this with Prime (free) delivery for $441, $25 universal install kit, and DIY install
Click "Yes" if this was helpful, "No" if not! Enjoy!
Read Best Reviews of Danby DDW1899BLS 18-Inch Built-In Dishwasher - Stainless Steel Here
Overall this is a nice little unit, which is very appealing to look at. This was a direct replacement for a old 18" dishwasher mounted into my cabinets. Will say that the over-all height of this unit vs. the old unit is a few inches (2"-3") shorter-so I had to adjust the legs quite a bit to accomodate, and now need to add baseboard moulding underneath and around the bottom run of cabinets to hide the opening/ water and electrical connection points not a big deal. Cleans dishes very well, and do recommend that you lower the top rack down to the lowest of the 2 settings, as this will gain you a bit more capacity for dishes (still less capacity than that of my old unit). Also, it should be noted that this unit does not have a heater for drying dishes, so don't be suprised if you need to open the door at the end of the cycle (ave run time 2.75hrs) to allow for air circulation to dry.Overall very impressed, and would recommend this to anyone looking for a relatively inexpensive way to update/replace a similar unit for a stainless steel model.
Want Danby DDW1899BLS 18-Inch Built-In Dishwasher - Stainless Steel Discount?
I bought this a year ago and have been using it since. I did not have a dishwasher before and this little space saver is a dream! I give it 5 stars not because it is the best dishwasher ever, but because it has met and exceeded my expectations.Here are some pros:
Dishes come out clean
Great price
Well-made and designed
Quiet (soft hum puts me to sleep at night--kitchen is right outside my bedroom)
Energy efficient
Attractive design
There are some complaints out there, but be sure to differentiate complaints about the actual model and an 18-inch energy efficient dishwasher in general. Let me address some other people's complaints:
Cycles take a long time: That is tradeoff of energy efficiency and getting Energy Star approval. It's never an issue for me. I don't run the dishwasher because I need something 'now', I run it and forget about it.
On/Off switch stopped working: Any product can have an issue. This one has an 18 month warranty, longer than the standard 12. Mine has worked perfectly for a year.
Has an on/off button: Seriously, that's a problem?
Can't fit a lot in there: With any compact dishwasher, your existing dishes might not fit exactly how you had hoped. Standard size round dishes will fit fine. I spent a few bucks for some shorter, smaller glasses that fit better in the dishwasher than my existing tall ones did.
I had mine professionally installed because I did not have an existing dishwasher. If you are replacing one the same size most people could probably do it themselves.
If you are looking for an 18 inch dishwasher at the low/mid end, this should be at the top of your list.
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We replaced our broken 18 inch dishwasher with this Danby and can't believe how much smaller our loads are. We can get half the amount of glasses and no big bowls compared to our last 18 inch. Kinda sad, but it does clean well. It does have an on/off button, which I don't like. I do like the delayed start option, since we would always forget to start it before bed with our old one.There aren't many 18 inch dishwashers out there so for the price it's seems OK. We'll see how long it lasts.
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