Most common faults in Dishwasher
- Not Draining: This is generally caused by too much
food left on dishes eg. fish bones, fruit seeds, stringy vegetables, etc. A quick rinse under the tap will remove most of this problem and result in a cleaner wash. Other things seem to find their way into the dishwasher as well. Bits of plastic including straws, bread clips, bottle caps and labels which can all end up in the drain pump. Some of these objects can find their way through a filter and into the drain pump and jam it up. - Blocked or kinked hoses: This fault can also be caused by many of the things I mentioned above. Also hoses, particularly the non genuine extended drain hoses can kink if not installed correctly. These kinks sometimes may take months before they actually cause the water from draining out.
- Wash pump not working: This fault can also be caused by the above objects going through the pump filter and becoming lodged in the wash pump. If the dishwasher is not used for a couple months, sometimes the seals in the pump can glue together. In this case the pump needs to be pulled apart and unjammed. The capacitor for the wash pump could also fuse, stopping the wash pump motor from starting.
- Water leaks: Another common problem in dishwashers. This can be caused by numerous faults, from a split or perished hose, pump seals, loose door latch, faulty pressure switch causing the machine to overfill. Another reason is over sudsing. This is usually caused by too much detergent. I covered this in an earlier post.
- No lights: This can be the most expensive repair. First obvious thing before you call a serviceman, make sure there is power to the dishwasher. Easiest way to do this is plug a small hand held appliance into the dishwasher’s power point. If that appliance works, then the fault is in the dishwasher. Most common cause for an electronic board to fuse, is our North Queensland cockroaches. They love dishwashers because they are warm and dark and have food and water in them. Their urine is very corrosive on electronic boards. The easiest way to prevent this fault is, every 2 – 3 months, spray around the dishwasher with a good surface spray.
These are the most common faults and some of these you may tackle yourself. For the others call a trained dishwasher Mechanic. If you live in the Mackay area call me on 0408 776405
