Black+Decker BCD6SD Countertop Dishwasher Review

The BCD6SD fits real dishes into a small footprint. It holds six place settings, takes standard dinner plates up to 10 inches across, and swallows long oval and oblong serving platters. One rack carries a cup shelf, the plate racks fold down, and the cutlery basket lifts out.

Six programs cover more than a quick rinse. Delicate, Normal, Rapid, Rinse and more run from a 45-minute quick wash to a 100-minute heavy cycle that ends with a 154°F final rinse.

An LED display and touch buttons show the program, and indicator lights tell you where you are. Delay start runs at 2, 4 or 8 hours, a child lock keeps small hands off the panel, and a low-rinse-aid light warns you before spotting starts. The detergent dispenser takes powder, tablets and pods, and you can pause the cycle to add a forgotten dish before the detergent cup opens.

Efficiency is the practical reason it suits small households and occasional use. It draws 155 kWh a year and 2.0 gallons per cycle, with soil sensing and air drying. The federal reference points for compact dishwashers are 222 kWh a year and 3.5 gallons per cycle, so this machine sits well under both.

Buyers on Amazon most often praise how it cleans, including full-size plates and pots, and how easy it is to set up and use. They also call it quiet enough for an apartment, and the large majority of ratings are four or five stars.

Drying is the biggest compromise. The BCD6SD uses condensing, residual-heat air drying, with no fan and no door that pops open at the end. Plastics and concave cup bases come out with droplets on them.

At 60 dB it is audible in an open-plan kitchen or a living room, and it is not the quietest compact machine you can buy.

It has no water tank and no built-in reservoir, so it must be connected to a running faucet for every cycle, and that faucet is occupied while it runs. It cannot run in a dorm without a sink, off-grid, or from a bottle.

The quick-connect adapter handles standard male or female threaded faucets. Pull-out and pull-down sprayer faucets and cache-aerator faucets are the recurring real-world problem: they usually need an extra adapter or a direct plumbing connection. That is a limit of the hookup design, not a defect.

Several buyers on Amazon report water leakage, most often at the hose fittings. It is the complaint that comes up most often.

There is no water softener, no certified sanitizing cycle (the 154°F final rinse on Heavy is hot, but it is not a certified sanitize cycle), no smart features and no connectivity. One rack and a 10-inch plate ceiling mean stockpots, sheet pans and large roasting trays do not fit. The warranty is one year parts and labor.

The 31 inches of depth with the door open is the number that decides whether it fits under your cabinets and whether you have room to load it. The 17.24-inch height clears a typical cabinet gap, but the door needs that forward swing.

At 44.1 lb one person can lift it, though it is not something you move every day.

The cycle times matter for planning. A 45-minute Speed cycle handles a light load after dinner, while Normal runs 127 to 155 minutes and is the one to start before bed or before you leave.

Water use swings with the program, from 1.1 gal (4.3 L) on Rinse to 3.8 gal (14.4 L) on the heaviest Normal run. The 2.0-gallon figure is the rated cycle, not every wash.

The 5.8–14.5 psi pressure range and the 120°F hot supply are what the machine expects at the tap. Weak pressure or a cold feed shows up as longer cycles and weaker cleaning.

Cleaning

A single spray arm and a three-part filter do the work, and soil sensing adjusts the wash to how dirty the load is. The Heavy program ends with a 154°F rinse. Everyday plates, glasses, cutlery and most pots come out clean; baked-on and burnt pans need a pre-soak first.

Drying

Drying is condensing air dry. The residual heat of the final rinse evaporates moisture, which condenses on the cooler tub and drains away. There is no heated dry element, no fan and no door-pop. Rinse aid, about 3.7 oz (110 ml) with four settings and a default of 3, is what makes the difference.

Hookup

The quick-connect adapter screws onto the faucet aerator threads, male or female. The inlet hose carries water in, and the drain hose hangs into the sink. Press the red pressure-relief button before disconnecting. Route the hoses so the door can close, and check the 31-inch door swing and the 17.24-inch height against your cabinet gap before you commit to a spot.

Error codes point to the first thing to check:

• E1 means a long inlet time: the faucet is closed or restricted, or the pressure is low.
• E3 means the machine is not reaching temperature: check the hot water supply.
• E4 means overflow or a leak: check the hose fittings and the drain.
• Ed means a control-board communication fault.

The machine powers off after 30 minutes idle, and the end-of-cycle buzzer sounds for about 8 seconds.