KoolMore KM-DW2445-PR Panel Ready Dishwasher Review

The strengths are the ones that matter day to day in a busy kitchen, and each one traces back to a figure in its specifications.

• Full-size capacity in a standard 24-inch opening. It comes with one bottom rack, one cutlery rack and two top racks, so a family's dinner plates and glasses fit in one load.
• Quiet operation. The 45 dB rating puts it in the quieter half of the built-in market.
• Genuine sanitizing. The Sanitize option holds 158°F, is NSF certified and is available on the Auto, Normal and Heavy cycles. That matters if you wash baby bottles, cutting boards or anything used with raw meat.
• Efficient. It is ENERGY STAR certified at 240 kWh per year, and the Normal and Auto cycles use roughly 3.0 to 5.9 gallons depending on how dirty the load is.
• Flexible loading. The upper rack adjusts between about 8 and 10 inches of clearance with the top rack out, the lower rack gives 11 to 13 inches, and plates up to 13 inches fit.
• Heated drying with an Extra Dry option and a rinse-aid dispenser that lasts many washes per fill.
• Practical controls. Hidden top-edge touch controls with an LED display, a 1 to 24 hour delay and a child lock keep the front clean and the settings out of reach of small hands.
• Stainless steel tub and inner door, which hold heat and resist staining better than plastic tubs.

The dishwasher ships without a front panel and without a handle. The stainless front in the photos is the bare chassis; the finished look comes from a custom cabinet panel you supply, and the panel, the handle and the install are real additional costs to budget for.

The panel size your cabinet maker needs:

The custom panel measures 23.86 inches wide by 29.53 inches tall (606 by 750 mm). Give those numbers to whoever builds your millwork before they cut anything. The hardware to attach the panel is included; the panel and handle are not.

Running it before the panel arrives

The machine works as a bare stainless box from day one, so a delayed panel does not hold up your move-in. It just will not look finished until the wood goes on.

Getting a flush fit

The unit is 24 inches deep and the cutout is 25 inches deep, so the door sits at or near the cabinet face only if the countertop is at least 25 inches deep.

Door swing and corner installs

The door opens to a 59-inch depth at 90 degrees. A corner installation needs about 2 inches of side clearance and roughly 25.6 inches of front clearance so the door and racks can come out.

These are the numbers to check against your kitchen before you commit.

The 14 versus 16 place-setting gap is a documentation quirk in the manual, not a marketing claim. Plan your loads around 14. The 93 lb weight means you should plan on two people to move it into place.

The cycles cover everything from a quick rinse to a baked-on casserole, and the water and time figures come straight from the owner's manual.

The options are Heated Dry, Extra Dry, Sanitize (158°F, NSF certified, on Auto, Normal and Heavy only), Hi-Temp Wash (135°F maximum, on Auto, Normal and Heavy only), a 1 to 24 hour delay and a child lock.

How the drying works

Drying uses a heating element helped by rinse aid. It is not a mineral drying system and it does not pop the door open at the end of the cycle.

A few details trip up installs, and they are worth settling before the delivery truck arrives.

Power connection

The machine can be wired directly or run from a power-cord kit, so confirm with your installer which setup your unit ships with.

Cutout depth and countertop depth

The cutout is 25 inches deep against a 24-inch unit, which leaves room for the water line, drain and power behind the machine. The countertop needs to be 25 inches deep for the door to sit flush.

Drain and water temperature

The drain needs an air gap or a 32-inch minimum loop, and the hose runs 10 ft at most. The water supply should be 120 to 149°F.

Hard water

There is no water softener built in. In hard-water areas the manual itself recommends a softener.

Rinse aid

The dispenser lasts many washes per fill, but rinse aid is what makes the heated dry work, so keep it topped up.

Error codes

The manual defines three codes you can diagnose before calling service: E1 for a fill that takes too long, E4 for an overflow, and Ed for a communication fault.

Warranty and service

The warranty is 1 year parts and labor for the original purchaser in the US, with service by a manufacturer-designated company, and it excludes damage from improper installation. Support runs through the manufacturer's support email. Technicians are available in 48 states. The machine is not covered by the major third-party reliability surveys, so treat long-term reliability as unproven rather than rated.