Household Hints & Help

Shermann

(8,640 posts) Sat Oct 14, 2023, 05:42 PM Oct 2023

Choosing normal wash cycle over sensor wash cycle on a dishwasher?

OK I admit this is a First World problem. I recently bought a new KitchenAid dishwasher, and it is far more sophisticated than the 20-year-old GE that it replaced (that one had a good run!). As I understand it, the normal wash cycle will run for 2.25 hours, and the sensor wash cycle is variable based on sensor readings (KitchenAid calls this the ProWash cycle).

That's as far down the rabbit hole as I could get with Google. Google won't tell me WHY you would choose the normal wash cycle when ProWash sounds like a slam dunk in all cases. Any insight into this deep, perplexing mystery?

4 replies

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Highlight:

Choosing normal wash cycle over sensor wash cycle on a dishwasher? (Original Post) Shermann Oct 2023 OP

ProWash takes around 3 hours to complete, with heat drying. I've seen no difference sinkingfeeling Oct 2023 #1

FALSE Shermann Oct 2023 #2

Well, I always pre wash my dishes and mine takes almost 3 hours on the nose when set to sinkingfeeling Oct 2023 #3

Those clean sensors can fail Shermann Oct 2023 #4

sinkingfeeling

(52,993 posts)

1. ProWash takes around 3 hours to complete, with heat drying. I've seen no difference

Reply to Shermann (Original post)

Sat Oct 14, 2023, 06:32 PM

Oct 2023

in the outcome from both.

Shermann

(8,640 posts)

2. FALSE

Reply to sinkingfeeling (Reply #1)

Sat Oct 14, 2023, 07:07 PM

Oct 2023

ProWash takes what it takes based on sensor readings, 2 - 3 hours.

I just did a ProWash run and it was just under 2 hours. I prewashed the dishes this time.

The mystery endures.

sinkingfeeling

(52,993 posts)

3. Well, I always pre wash my dishes and mine takes almost 3 hours on the nose when set to

Reply to Shermann (Reply #2)

Sat Oct 14, 2023, 09:08 PM

Oct 2023

ProWash.

Shermann

(8,640 posts)

4. Those clean sensors can fail

Reply to sinkingfeeling (Reply #3)

Sun Oct 15, 2023, 07:24 AM

Oct 2023

In that case, the ProWash cycle might always run the full duration. So that would be a reason to use the normal cycle.

I sort of had that issue with the old dishwasher. The GE would do one or two extra prerinse cycles based on the clean sensor, and those would sometimes run despite small loads of prerinsed dishes. Sometimes, not always.

You also might not care about getting the maximum cleaning and want to limit the cycle to the two hours for whatever reason.

So maybe we've answered it.

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