Dishwasher Leaking
This is one service call I see regularly in Mackay, North Queensland but I am sure it would be happening all over Australia.
- The customers complaint: can be one of a couple things. The most common one is that the dishwasher just pumps all the time and won’t do anything else. This is because most new dishwashers are fitted with a safety float switch in the base of the dishwasher. When the dishwasher leaks for what ever reason the water fills the base of the dishwasher and activates the float safety switch. The float switch turn off the rest of the machine and turns on the drain pump. The drain pump only empties the inside sump of the dishwasher, not the base. As a result the dishwasher will continue to pump until that base is manually dried out.
- The fault: could be a leak from a split hose or leaking seal in one of the pump. Another more common reason is the dishwasher is over sudsing. If a dishwasher has too much detergent for the amount of soiled dishes in it the dishwasher will generate suds on the top of the water which leak over the lip and into the base of the dishwasher. This may take a number of loads before there is enough water in the base to activate the float switch. Some time the water will evaporate out of the base before the float switch is activated.
- The remedy: is usually caused by dishwasher users who use the tablets. There is nothing wrong with the tablets. The fact is they are designed to wash a full load of dirty dishes. If the dishes are rinse clean before they are placed in the dishwasher, there is not enough oils etc. for the detergent to act on. To solve this problem is easy, leave more soil on the dishes? Well that would work. My solution, cut the tablets in half. You can do this even if you have bought the tablets with the red ball in the middle. I suggest putting the tablet on a cutting board and with a carving knife, cut it in half. You will get twice as many loads out of a box full of tablets and still have a clean wash.
If you feel you can check for a leak in the dishwasher yourself Ok, but it maybe advisable to call a dishwasher mechanic just to make sure that the dishwasher is not leaking from somewhere else and drain the sump. Remember there are a lot of electrical connections under the dishwasher as well as water, not a good combination. If you have drained the water and checked for obvious leaks try the dishwasher again with half a tablet and see how it goes. If in any doubt and live around Mackay call me for a service call on 0408776405.
