Okay folks, heres my report on my GrannyÂs Miele 18 inch built-in dishwasher. It is a German model but in many ways identical to what is sold in the USA.

Click here to view the specs of the UK version of the G 1102 SCi.

The Controls

Using the dishwasher is pretty straightforward. As this is the entry-level unit, there arenÂt too many button to choose from: On/Off, Start/Pause and the cycle selector. Opening the door could be a little easier if the door handle had a bit more grip to it. If you have wet hands you can easily slip off. There is also the option to lock the door.

The detergent dispenser is quite large inside so itÂll most likely handle any kind of tab. The rinse aid dispenser has to be filled a little more carefully as rinse aid can overflow if you pour too fast due to the positioning of the small opening. I think itÂs bets to fill the RA dispenser when the door is half-closed. A feature I dislike is that you have to enter the amount of rinse aid to be added to the cycle via a menu  there isnÂt just the regular dial found in all other dishwashers. Adding salt is a simple as in any dishwasher  no big deal here.

Selecting a cycle is very easy. They are listed from light to heavy. The Sensor Wash cycle is on top as itÂs the one thatÂll be used most of the time. Typically for European dishwashers, the cycles take rater long. Light 122°F takes 90 minutes; Intensive 167°F 2:35 hrs and the triple A-rated high-performance SaveEnergy cycle takes almost three hours. Bare in mind that this machine is set for the German market and these cycle times are nothing unusual here. Miele machines in the US most likely have shorter cycles programmed into them. Unfortunately, this model does not have a countdown timer on it, so youÂll just have to wait for the washer to finish. There are, however, Wash/Dry/End indicator lights - but IMO they are really rather superfluous as you can easily tell by listening, if the machine is washing or drying.

The Racks

Even though, I had never used a Miele dishwasher before, I had no problems fitting a large amount of dishes in the racks.

The bottom rack has two rows of tines. The front row can be folded down and the back row completely removed. Some of the tines are spaced slightly further apart to hold soup plates and such.

The middle rack has MieleÂs fabulous height-adjustment feature. It allows you to set the rack at three different heights  each side independently. You can set one side of the middle rack to the low position to load tall glasses, while having the other side set to high for washing tall plates in the bottom rack. I really love that feature. The cup / utensil rack on the right side can also be adjusted in three positions: all the way up, if you donÂt want to use it, all the way down for cups or halfway in between for utensils, if you still want to place cups underneath it.

The cutlery tray...well..! On the one hand, it really does free up a lot of space in the bottom rack and it doesnÂt interfere too much with loading tall items into the middle rack but: loading each spoon, each fork, each knife, each whatever into itÂs own little slot?! Sorry, but what a pain in the @$$. Okay, okay, before yÂall yell at me I will confess that I have only used this dishwasher a few times and this probably isnÂt enough to make final judgments about the trayÂs usability  but for now: IÂm not too impressed. IÂm really more of a cutlery basket person. ;-) I have to admit, however, that unloading it is a breeze and I love the look of the cutlery all lines up in there.

Performance  Cleaning

ItÂs a Miele  do I need to say more? I havenÂt really loaded it up to the max yet but IÂve already managed to fit quite large loads in there  items stacked over each other and all that. So far, I have no complaints at all about its cleaning performance.

Performance  Drying

This dishwasher uses the CleanAir system. The system consists of a fan and a special chamber outside of the tub. The chamber itself is divided into two separate sections. During the condensation drying part of the cycle, hot & humid air is pulled into one half of the chamber through a vent located above the cutlery tray. Moisture then condenses against a thin metal foil (I suppose itÂs a metal foil) before the air is being blown back into the tub and recirculated. The other half of the chamber is constantly cooled by a flow of cool ambient air. The system is called CleanAir because "dirty" room air never touches the dish load  that is until you open the door. ;-) Be that as it may, the system works quite well: dishes and cutlery are mostly dry at the end of the cycle. Plastic items? It depends. Some plastics dry spotlessly, while others remain almost wet. Typical behavior for Euro dishwashers, though. I also like that the dishes are cooler and there is less steam escaping at the end of the cycle compared to our Bosch at home. However, I have to say that the drying cycle (more specifically the fan that comes on five minutes into to drying cycle) is surprisingly noisy...

Performance  Noise

Overall, itÂs a quiet dishwasher rated at 46 dB. The only times the machine becomes loud(er) is when the recirculation pump is being pulsed on Ân off at the end of each drain and when it fills for the first rinse after the main wash. And, as mentioned before, the drying fan is definitely noticeable. ItÂs about the same noise level as a desktop computerÂs cooling fan. For the most part of the cycle all you can hear is some water sloshing  the recirc pump is practically silent.

Maintenance

This dishwasher must have one of the easiest filters to clean. ItÂs basically just one piece: you take it out, rinse any residue off and put it back in. I usually do this twice a month because I want the filter to be immaculate  but if youÂre not a neat freak like me... you can easily get away with checking the filter every couple months. Other than that, there is practically no maintenance necessary.

To sum it all up

ItÂs a very nice dishwasher: cleans well, dries well and all at a decent noise level. The racks, even though this is an entry-level unit, are flexible. And everything is backed by MieleÂs "Tested for 20 Years of Use / 10.000 Cycles" guarantee.

Hope this helps,

Alex

Built-in

Lower Rack

Middle Rack

Cutlery Rack

All loaded up