Dishwasher help.

[wallenba]

Nope... not hiring dishwashers guys. I have a seven or eight year old 18" portable Frigidaire dishwasher. The lower rack and the upper both have started to lose the protective covering on the wire. They are rusting and getting worse. I called about replacements. The upper is $105.00, the lower $93.00. A whole new one is around $550. It still works great except for this.
Anybody have an idea how to fix it that would stand up to the heat?:???:

[jpatm2]

I know Harbor Freight sells that latex stuff you can dip your tool handles into for insultaion. I don't know if that would stand up to the heat or not, but you could wash a pair of pliers to try.

[Lee]

One of the most corrosive environments in the world is the inside of a dishwasher, and its' soap. That said....drum roll..... evil-bay.....
Mine went last year. I got one from an auction on ebay, cost $55 delivered. It was advertised as "used ... excellent condition ..." And it was. I was amazed, it looked new. One year later and it's still rolling. :happy dance:
Also, it might say "Frigidaire" on the front, but might be made by LG, or Maytag, or Amana, or Phillips, or .... you get the idea. Someone here with the cross reference info could help you better than I can.

But you asked about repairs. You can try coating the spots with RTV (silicone caulk or putty) Let it cure and you have a repair that will last for a little while. You see, the rust is further under the plastic than what you can see, and will just keep rotting away at the steel. That's the problem, how to kill that reaction under the remaining plastic coating..........
Good luck ..... Lee

[waksupi]

Check around, to see if there is an independent appliance repair guy in your area. We have a couple around here, with appliance graveyards out back. You may find a real cheap one from them, if you can find one.

[geargnasher]

+1 Ric. Appliances are big business most places, and often repair guys will have junkyards like automotive salvage yards, mainly to repair trade-ins cheaply to resell, but often to solve problems such as yours. Once the coating on the wire is nicked, you'd need a vacuum chamber to do anything resembling an effective repair of the coating or it will just keep rusting.

One product that might help, if you can get all the compromised areas exposed, is Por-15 rustproofer. It will truly seal the surface completely so moisture and chemicals can't leach through, and will stick to rusty surfaces as well as any other. Get it at Eastwood automotive paint supply, JC Whitney, and other mail-order houses.

Gear

[montana_charlie]

I guess you called Frigidare for price and availability.
I prefer to Google an appliance's model number.

I don't know the model number of your diswasher, but see if there is anything helpful on this page ...
http://www.bellparts.com/catalog/dishwasher_dish_racks/Frigidaire

Then again, maybe this kit would turn your crank ...
http://www.appliancepartspros.com/Appliance-Parts/frigidaire-dishwasher-repair-kit-item-number-ap2591536.aspx

CM

[wallenba]

I guess you called Frigidare for price and availability.
I prefer to Google an appliance's model number.

I don't know the model number of your diswasher, but see if there is anything helpful on this page ...
http://www.bellparts.com/catalog/dishwasher_dish_racks/Frigidaire

Then again, maybe this kit would turn your crank ...
http://www.appliancepartspros.com/Appliance-Parts/frigidaire-dishwasher-repair-kit-item-number-ap2591536.aspx

CM

I checked both out Charlie. This might be my best solution. My lower rack is the worst, not repairable. The upper has only one broken tine with exposed metal. Bellparts has a replacement for the lower that is $27.00 cheaper and the vinyl repair kit at around $10 will fix the upper.
I think the weight of the silverware holder vibrating on the rack just wore that area out.
Thanks everybody.
(More money saved by this congregation of across the board talent and knowledge! Total savings $122.00)

P.S. it qualifies for FREE shipping as well. Order placed, ships same day, expect it soon!