HEED MY BOSCH WARNING!

Posted by At Your Service on 2013-01-08:

I appreciate reading your post very much. It gives us time to discuss the issue(s) you're having which can help both you and others who are complaining about similar issues.

Among other elements within my background, I have a very healthy education in many appliances. I get the feeling some of what I'm about to express has already been presented to you and may or may not have decided that Bosch is just a poor design in dishwashers. I can assure you this is not the case and think if you'll bear with me, trying a little of what I'm about to relate, it will make the dishwasher run much better.

First, with all respect, Bosch has had some incredible reviews, being listed as the very top in most reviews, from Consumer Reports to J. D. Powers. They've all suggested that Bosch has something going for it or else it wouldn't be rated so high, consistently, within so many publications.

You may, as you've stated, been loading dishwashers for the best portion of your 62 years. What you haven't been aware of is a major change that has taken place within all dishwasher detergents within just the last two years. Congress has required that phosphates be removed from all these detergents. The manufacturers of such didn't release new packaging or naming, they just altered their formulas, making it completely unknown to a great deal of individuals.

So what did the phosphates do and why were they removed? They were removed because of concerns of damaging the environment. After doing their job within the dishwasher tub, they were getting flushed out with any other debris and sent into our water system. Unfortunately, among other things, these phosphates were an active ingredient which activated the detergent. In other words, without the previous phosphates, the detergent would set idle and not do anything.

So without an active ingredient, why do we even put dish washing detergent within the tub? Simple, you add the active ingredient - grease. The debris you place within the tub actually has a chemical reason for being there. Without it, the component needed to activate the detergent is gone; and with it, there is no cleaning that takes place.

So what have we learned? Hopefully one now understands that you never, ever want to pre-rinse your dishes. You want them in the tub, filled with sauces and such, thus allowing the chemical reaction to take place with the detergents to do the job. The extremely large particles, especially pits or bones, you may want to scrape off into the disposal or garbage, but you really do want to give the dishwasher everything you've got. It's why, in part, your son's family isn't having an issue with theirs. They don't try pre-clean everything.

It's true that many dishwashers are now moving away from food grinders. In part, this is because of noise, but more so because of energy rating requirements. It's also because of a difference in design philosophies. The Bosch is a line of European designed dishwashers. As such, they do not use a calrod but an in-line water heater system. This is more efficient and allows hot water to break down the food particles. It means drying time is longer, which many people don't care about, but energy efficiency ratings are maximized.

Finally is the concept of hard water. Many people feel they need to use a rinse aid because, again, one of the things that phosphates did was break down hard mineral deposits. The best solution I could suggest is to use the Finish Powerball tablets. These tablets become an all-in-one solution for cleaning in a dishwasher. One tablet and you can clean an entire load of dishes even in hard water. It really is that simple.

Hopefully I've covered your concerns and, more importantly, giving you a great deal of insight as to some of the recent changes and how to adapt to those changes easier. Remember:

* Don't pre-rinse. Scrape and load.
* Use Finish Powerball tablets for the best results.

For the most part, that's it. Try it and you should be extremely happy with the results. You really do have an extremely nice dishwasher!

Posted by Neil in Philly on 2013-02-15:

I just used my Bosch 800 Evolution and am 90% sure I am returning the unit. After the 90 minute cycle, I opened the unit and was greeted w/ an unpleasant smell coupled w/ wet, soapy dishes with food residue. I thought I put in too much soap, so put it though the rinse cycle. After the rinse cycle, I could still see soap. I had a rising agent and our water boarders on hard, so if anything the soap should be less. After a third cylce and adjusting the "drying temp" to the "hotter" setting, I got clean dishes. 3 cycles and 3 hours for a single load. Also, I hear so much about how quiet the Bosch units are. We'll maybe they were, but this unit is comprable to the 10 year old Fridare it replaced. It's not excessive, but comprable to the noise diswshers have made for years. My guess is Bosch must have redesigned units (I purchased this in feb 2013)and the glowing comments are from prior models w/ higher standards. Really getting frustrated w/ the new appliances that don't work as well as the old ones. Sure they use less water and energy per cycle, but you have to USE more cycles or hand wash to obtain the same results. Very disappointed w/ my Bosch experience.

Posted by AmyInNH on 2013-05-01:

My new 2012 Bosch also works poorly. I'm not buying the argument it's due to changes in the dishwasher detergent as the 20 year old MayTag worked fine and I don't believe the remaining 1/2 box of Cascade then suddenly wouldn't work in the Bosch.
Within the first two months, about as many dishes came out with food on them that had in the whole 20 years I had the MayTag.
A second complaint, ultra poor layout of the tines. Good luck getting your bowls, pots and pans in.
Third problem, it's very fine mesh water filter - needs to be scrubbed regularly - greasy waxy gross. How food particles are redistributed on the dishes and not caught by the filter is beyond me.
Wished I've have gone with the Samsung.