QUESTIONS & ANSWERS from "Ask-the-Wizard":

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM:

Phil:

One question that I would have for you is whether you are seeing rust just on the sliding dish basket, or are you also seeing a rust-like film on the inside walls as well (it would look like a light brown staining on the walls)?

But assuming that the rust film is there, but it is just alot worse on the sliding dish basket, then the cure for this is citric acid. You can buy special packets of citric acid for your dishwasher, but believe it or not, what will work just as well is to use 'Tang' Breakfast Drink (that comes as an orange powder). Just fill both dishwasher cups with Tang Breakfast Drink powder, and then run your dishwasher through the normal cycle. If rust is really bad, then several treatments may be required. One hint though is to first run the hot water in the sink until it gets very hot, and then turn on your dishwasher. This ensures that your dishwasher starts with hot water.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from "Mare": 

How do I clean melted plastic (Nalgene cap) from the heating element? Do I have to replace the element?

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM:

Mare:

I assume that you are referring to the heating element of your dishwasher, where you were washing your Nalgene bottle and that somehow the plastic cap came in contact with the heating element.

Here is something that you can try, that will hopefully work for you. First, remove all of your dishes, etc. from your dishwasher. Then scrape off all of the plastic that has melted onto the heating element. Be sure to remove it from the underside of the element as well. Try to get all of the plastic off that you possibly can scrape off. Next pour about a half gallon of white vinegar into the bottom of your dishwasher so that it completely covers the heating element. Let the dishwasher sit like this for a day if you can, or at least overnight. Then turn on your dishwasher and let it run with the vinegar in it (but still with no dishes in it). Then run it again with nothing in it.

Hopefully this will remove what little plastic residue that might have been left on the heating element, and also gets rid of the burning plastic (and vinegar) smell from your dishwasher.

Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from "Trevor": 

When the dishwasher is turned on, the light comes on, but nothing happens.

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM:

Trevor:

Since the light is coming on, it appears that you have power coming to your dishwasher (or power at least to the light).

A simple thing that you can do, which most of the time will solve your problem, is to pour a large pot of regular tap water into the inside bottom of the dishwasher. You then close the door and turn your dishwasher on. Hopefully, your dishwasher should then start and run normally.

The reason that this will work most of the time, is that if you haven’t been using your dishwasher for a little while, the water at the bottom of your dishwasher dries out, and the pump loses its “prime”. When you pour the water into the bottom of your dishwasher, it primes the pump.

When you are done, you might want to pour a little vinegar in the water, which will help act as lubricant to the rubber seal around the pump shaft, to help prevent problems in the future.

If this doesn’t work for you, please let us know, and we can try other things to troubleshoot your problems.

Hope this is helpful.

Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from "liyarb": 

Dishwasher keeps getting mildew in bottom of disherwasher where it drains. what can i do to stop this?

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM:

liyarb:

If you are getting mildew forming around the drain of your dishwasher, then there is moisture collecting at the bottom of your dishwasher.

This could be caused either by your dishwasher not pumping out all of the moisture completely, or it could because you are adding moisture by placing rinsed dishes in your dishwasher and the water is dripping down to the bottom.

A couple of other things that you can check are whether the drain area is partially plugged with food residue (leaving a ridge where moisture can puddle), or whether the water in your dishwasher is hot enough to dissolve the detergent that could cake up and also partially block the drain.

Lastly, are you allowing the heat cycle to dry your dishes after running, or are you trying to save energy by air drying, which is not drying out the dishwasher and allowing the standing moisture to create mold at the bottom?

Hope this is helpful.

Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from "Hope": 

Yesterday, for the first time, my dishwasher did not completely drain.  There was about 3 to 4 inches of water.  Can you tell me why?

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM:

Hope:

When a dishwasher has gone through it cycle, finding a small pool of clean water at the bottom of the tub is fairly typical. But if you are finding excessive amounts of water, then something isn’t working correctly. Some things that could be causing this problem include:

DRAIN LINE: Sometimes the drain line can get clogged where the drain line from the dishwasher meets the household drain line. You can disconnect the line and clean it out to remove the clog.

GARBAGE DISPOSAL: Sometimes when the dishwasher doesn’t drain all the way, the problem turns out to be related to the garbage disposal (if you have one). You can check the connection where the dishwasher line drains into the garbage disposal, and if it is plugged, then clean it out. Also, be sure that you garbage disposal is operating and draining properly.

STRAINER: Depending on the design of your particular dishwasher, the strainer at the bottom of your dishwasher may be plugged. To check this, turn off the power to your dishwasher and let the unit cool down. Then, depending on the design, remove the strainer (that could be located under the bottom spray arm), and carefully scrub it clean with a brush.

DRAIN VALVE / SOLENOID: Many dishwashers use an electrically controlled valve to open and close flow to the drain. If this valve is sticking or otherwise not operating properly, it could be causing water to pool at the bottom of your unit.

PUMP: The pump that forces the water into your dishwasher also can pump water out of your dishwasher, depending on your unit’s particular design. If the pump isn’t working properly, this could be the cause of your problem.

MOTOR: If the motor that drives your pump isn’t working properly or not getting power, it could be causing your water pooling problem.

TIMER: And lastly, ever once in a while, a water pooling problem can be caused if the timer on your unit isn’t operating properly, and not enabling it to drain at the proper time in the cycle.

As always, be sure that the power to your dishwasher and garbage disposal is disconnected before doing any work on them.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from "Donna": 

Our GFI keeps popping when we run the dishwasher - but we've had it for 8 years and have not relocated any other items.  It won't pop if we run on a low energy cycle - but if we run it on normal it pops.

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM:

Donna:

Regarding your GFI tripping off when you run your dishwasher on its normal energy cycle but not on the low energy cycle, it could be a couple of things happening:

1) as GFIs ("ground fault interrupters") get older over time, they sometimes begin to trip at lower power levels. So in other words, it may have been fine operating at let's say 20 amps for years, but now it trips at 18 amps as the GFI has worn out.

2) Your dishwasher may be exeriencing a power surge when the heater for your dishwasher's normal power kicks on, and this is what is tripping your GFI.

Either way, you probably want a qualified electrician to test your GFI and dishwasher.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from "aldoanddiane": 

Is there a product on the market that you can use to refinish diswasher baskets? They have rust on the plastic.

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM:

Dear aldoanddiane:

You may not need to actually refinish your dishwasher baskets, but rather, it could be that you just need to remove the rust scale from them.

If you go to the Dishwasher page of our online home Maintenance Library, under Maintenance Task #1 we describe how to use "Tang" brand orange drink to remove rust scale from your dishwasher baskets: http://www.home-wizard.com/maintenance/dishwasher.asp

Hopefully this will work for you. If not, just let us know.
Home-Wizard.com
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ADDITIONAL COMMENT from "aldoanddiane": 

Thanks for your reply, but the dishwasher baskets are in need of re-coating the rubberized plastic on the baskets.  I need to clean the rusted area and then re do with a plastic coating.   Is there such a product out there?  I have not been able to find one. Thanks aldo.

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM:

Dear aldoanddiane:

I see. It's not rust scale on the coating of the basket, but rather its that the plastic has deteriorated, and its the metal frame below the plastic that is showing through, and this is what has rusted. Right?

In a case like this, I would suggest that you contact the manufacturer of the your dishwasher (just do a Google search on the brand name, and they should have an "800" number for customer service). And ask them what they recommend for your dishwasher. It will need to be something that is obviously water-proof, but it will also need to be able to withstand high temperatures. Maybe if they are nice, they will even send you a replacement basket, or at least have a reasonable price for replacements.

If this doesn't help, just let us know, and maybe we can come up with something else to help you.

Regards,
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from sea.anchor on 4/15/2008:

After I run my dishwasher there is about a quarter of an inch of water in the bottom when it's done. Dose this mean there is a clog and how do I fix it?

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM ON 4/15/2008:

Dear sea.anchor:

When a dishwasher has gone through its cycle, finding a small pool of clean water at the bottom of the tub is fairly typical. But if you are finding excessive amounts of water, then something isn’t working correctly. Some things that could be causing this problem include:

DRAIN LINE: Sometimes the drain line can get clogged where the drain line from the dishwasher meets the household drain line. You can disconnect the line and clean it out to remove the clog.

GARBAGE DISPOSAL: Sometimes when the dishwasher doesn’t drain all the way, the problem turns out to be related to the garbage disposal (if you have one). You can check the connection where the dishwasher line drains into the garbage disposal, and if it is plugged, then clean it out. Also, be sure that you garbage disposal is operating and draining properly.

STRAINER: Depending on the design of your particular dishwasher, the strainer at the bottom of your dishwasher may be plugged. To check this, turn off the power to your dishwasher and let the unit cool down. Then, depending on the design, remove the strainer (that could be located under the bottom spray arm), and carefully scrub it clean with a brush.

DRAIN VALVE / SOLENOID: Many dishwashers use an electrically controlled valve to open and close flow to the drain. If this valve is sticking or otherwise not operating properly, it could be causing water to pool at the bottom of your unit.

PUMP: The pump that forces the water into your dishwasher also can pump water out of your dishwasher, depending on your unit’s particular design. If the pump isn’t working properly, this could be the cause of your problem.

MOTOR: If the motor that drives your pump isn’t working properly or not getting power, it could be causing your water pooling problem.

TIMER: And lastly, ever once in a while, a water pooling problem can be caused if the timer on your unit isn’t operating properly, and not enabling it to drain at the proper time in the cycle.

As always, be sure that the power to your dishwasher and garbage disposal is disconnected before doing any work on them.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from Frannie on 4/13/2008:

is dishwasher detergent an acid a base or neutral?

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM ON 4/13/2008:

Dear Frannie:

Most detergents are bases.

Here's a link to a page from Vanderbilt University that describes how you test whether something is an acid, base or neutral:

http://studentorgs.vanderbilt.edu/vsvs/New%20VSVS%20Site/Web%20Lessons%202006/Acids%20and%20Bases/for%20web/Acids%20and%20Bases.pdf

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from nemreh313 on 4/8/2008:

where does one find Tang these days? i thought it was removed from the market due to cancer causing food additives and havent seen it for a long time. can you tell me of an alternative? Kool-aid? or a lemonade mix?

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM ON 4/8/2008:

Dear nemreh313:

I assume that you are using the Tang to clean rust stains out of your dishwasher.

And yes, the good news is that it is still on the market. For example, here is a link to where you can buy it online from Amazon.com (not an endorsement of Amazon.com, just giving an example):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d.html/105-3190927-8233263?ie=UTF8&a=B000FIDJLY

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from GLS on 4/1/2008:

The disposal and dishwasher were already installed in my home so I'm not familiar with the applicances or the install, but sometimes when running my disposal, water backs up into my dishwasher - what's up with that.

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM ON 4/1/2008:

Dear GLS:

Does your sink seem to be draining fine? If not, you should check to see if the drain pipe has gotten plugged, and treat it accordingly (for example, using a product such as Drano).

But if your drain seems clear, then the next thing to check is whether the house you moved into has a dishwasher drain air-gap installed.

A dishwasher drain air-gap helps to ensure proper water drainage without allowing water to siphon back into the dishwasher. It is actually required by building codes in some regions of the country.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from Eduardo on 4/1/2008:

when troubleshooting the washer and the washer fails to fill with water you have already checked water pump for proper operation and the water pump is operational, what is you next step in this procedure?

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM ON 4/1/2008:

Dear Eduardo:

There are two power-activated electronic valves in your washing machine, one for cold water and one for hot water. When your washing machine goes through it cycles, depending on what settings you are using, these valves receive power to them at the appropriate time in the cycle to open and close. In other words, when they receive power, these electronic valves open up to allow either hot or cold water to flow into your washer.

Since you are not getting water to your washer, here are some things that you can check:

1) Close the valves to the water hoses that go to your washer, then disconnect the water hoses from the washer. Then, with a bucket under the hose, open the valve to see if water comes out of the hose. Repeat for the other hose.

2) Check where the hose connects to the washer and see if the screen that is inside of the fitting where the hose connects to washer is plugged up. Be very careful if you are trying to clean out this screen, as with some model washers, this screen can be very difficult to replace.

3) If this inlet screen is clear, then the next thing to check is the electronic valve that controls the hot water (often called a "solenoid" valve). Testing the solenoid valves for your washer is probably something that you want to ask a professional to do for you. To do it yourself you will need to unplug the power cord from the wall, get a owner's manual, and then use a multitester meter to see if the solenoid valve is reading the proper amount across the terminals of the valve (although if it reads 'infinity', then the valve is bad). But again, testing a solenoid valve on your washing machine is something that you should ask a professional to do. 

Hopefully, it will turn out to be just a plugged screen.

Hope this is helpful for you.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from rbyford on 3/16/2008:

When I run our dishwasher I hear a high-pitched buzzing sound while it's running. Also, the soap dispenser doesn't seem to be working right and the dishes are not getting clean. It's in good shape inside but is 13 years old.

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM ON 3/16/2008:

Dear rbyford:

It sounds like you dishwasher has some debris caught in the pump assembly. This could explain both the high-pitched noise and your unit's poor cleaning performance.

Depending on your particular model, you (or a trained technician would have to pull out the dishwasher from its installation and disassemble the lower spray arm section to check for debris in the pump.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from cheermomlm on 3/2/2008:

Why is water pouring from the dishwasher vent into the sink?

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM ON 3/2/2008:

Dear cheermomlm:

If you have water pouring out of your dishwasher air vent into the sink, then it sounds like you have a blockage in your dishwasher’s waste water discharge line. And as a result, the water travels back up through your air vent.

If you look under your sink you should see a hose coming from the dishwasher that is split into two hoses by a “Y” fitting. One part of the split leads to the drain and the other goes up to the air vent connection at the rear of your sink. When your dishwasher drains, an electric pump in the bottom of your dishwasher pushes the waste water from your dishwasher to the drain. If a blockage gets formed in the line between the drain under your sink and this “Y” fitting, then when your dishwasher tries to push the water to the drain, it can’t go this route, so it instead get pushed up the other branch of the “Y”, which is the hose that goes to your air vent. 

The blockage in the line to your drain is typically caused by grease build-up. To clean this out, you will need to disconnect the hose that goes to your drain, and clear out the blockage using something like a bottle brush.

Hope this helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from ndlady45 on 2/16/2008:

Water will not come into my Kenmore Ultra Wash dishwasher. All faucets are turned on. It will come in the side hole but not thru the arms. HELP ME!!!!!

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM ON 2/16/2008:

Dear ndlady45: 

It sounds like your dishwasher arm may have gotten clogged. 

If this is it, there are a couple of things that could have caused your spray arm to become plugged: 

- debris 
- lime crystals 


To clear out your arm, you will first need to remove the arm. The arm is usually held by a nut, which you can remove by holding the arm and turning the nut counter-clockwise. After you have removed the arm, shake it to see if you can get the obstruction (broken glass, pieces of food, etc.) to come out. 

If you notice white lime crystals clogging the holes in the arm, put some rubber gloves and some safety eye glasses on, and then you can try using an old toothbrush and undiluted white vinegar to clear out the holes. If this doesn’t work, then you might want to try a strong acidic cleaner like “CLR”. If you are seeing lime crystals building up, then this is a sign that you have hard water, and may need to consider using a water softener. 

Home this is helpful. 
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from Roger on 8/21/2008
I replaced my garbage disposal an now my dishwasher will not drain...

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM on 8/21/2008
Dear Roger:

When you replaced your garbage disposal, did you knock-out the drain hole in it? When new disposals are installed, and the dishwasher suddenly stops draining, then this is usually the culprit.

If the drain hole in your garbage disposal was knocked out, then let us know and we will offer some other things to check. But again, it sounds like this is likely your problem.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from iggy on 10/1/2008
Hi,
We have a GE quiet power plus dishwasher. Latley we have noticed pieces of black rubber varying in size at the bottom of the dishwasher, both inside and as well on the outside at the bottom of the door. We notice them after a cycle. Is this the end of our dishwasher or will it be worth it to call a repair guy? The warranty is no longer valid.

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM on 10/1/2008
Dear Iggy:

Even though your dishwasher is no longer under warranty, I would suggest calling GE's "Answer Center" at 1-800-626-2005 (toll-free), and ask them for their recommendation. I expect that they will need to ask you some questions such as: whether you are seeing any water leaking from your dishwasher; or if something made of black rubber might have accidentally been placed in your dishwasher; or whether you notice any of your door gasket missing; etc.

If they are not able to help you, please let us know, and we can try something else to help you.

Regards,
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from dw on 10/15/2008
Dishwasher maintenance-- Can we use bleach, tang and vinegar all in one cycle, or must the homeowner use one at a time?
Thank you.

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM on 10/15/2008
Dear dw:

Innovative question! 

Although doing a "bleach / Tang / vinegar" cocktail would definitely save time and energy (and of course we are always looking for ways to help you save energy and time!), unfortunately, we would recommend that you treat the scale problems with your dishwasher one step at a time.

The reason is that each of these treatments is designed to address a particular scale problem with your dishwasher (bleach for mold; Tang for rust; and vinegar for stains). And to allow each one of these treatments to do the best job, it would be most effective to dedicate an entire cycle to just that treatment.

Now if your dishwasher is having problems with mold, rust and stains, and are then wondering what order to do your treatments, then I would recommend that you do them in the order of which of the problems is worse. So if your biggest problem, for example, is rust, then I would suggest doing the Tang treatment first. And so on.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from Kesha on 10/26/2008
We are buying a house, inspection found that when the dishwasher is running water is seeping through to the outside between the brick and foundation. A plumber said it is the dishwasher and drain. Will we have to go through the wall or the foundation to fix this? Is it possible that installing a new dishwasher and drain will repair this?

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM on 10/26/2008
Dear Kesha:

Unfortunately, the answer is "it depends". If when your dishwasher is running you are seeing water seeping outside your house between the brick and your foundation, the problem could be with you dishwasher and / or its drain. But on the other hand, I've seen cases where the problem has been caused by a dishwasher / sink's drain pipe being routed through an outside wall, and then when the pipe got cold in the wall and froze, it burst. And then when the dishwasher was running, it would leak water between the brick and foundation, just like you described.

So until a trained professional can inspect your dishwasher, drain and plumbing, you won't know for sure what is the actual cause.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from Brad on 8/7/2009
My Maytag Accusense dishwasher will not drain all the way. It usually leaves about 2 inches of dirty water at the bottom when finished. I have to have it manually drain afterwards in order to try to solve this problem. It will always drain some, but it usually takes 2 to 3 times of hitting the Cancel/Drain button for it to drain all of the water out. Any suggestions?

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM on 8/8/2009
Dear Brad:

Some of the most common reasons that could be causing your dishwasher to leave several inches of dirty water at the bottom include:

o the drain hose could have become partially blocked;

o if you have a garbage disposal, then there could be a problem with either your garbage disposal or the lines leading to them; or

o the dishwasher's sump pump has gotten partially blocked or is not working correctly.

Regarding the drain hose, try removing the cover from the air gap and cleaning out anything that could be blocking the line. You can also examine the drain hose and check for debris that could be causing a pressure drop that could be hindering the water from draining completely. 

Sometimes when the dishwasher doesn't drain all the way, the problem is in the garbage disposal. UNPLUG THE DISPOSAL and check the little hole where the dishwasher drains into the garbage disposal. It is about 1/2 way down and about 1/2" in diameter. Try cleaning it out with a metal hanger. Also, make sure your garbage disposal is working right and the water is draining quickly. Remember, even when a garbage disposal is unplugged, the blades of a garbage disposal are VERY SHARP, and you need to be VERY CAREFUL not to cut your fingers.

And if neither the drain hose or garbage disposal or related lines are the source of the problem, then you can also check your dishwasher's sump pump. Take off the lower spray arm ( lift up and turn counter clockwise), then start the dishwasher and let it fill, and when done filling push reset/cancel and see if it drains all the way. Now you need to take off the white nut that is above the fine filter, remove the fine filter. Next look at the hub that has the spray tube attached to it, then turn it to the right a bit and pull off that tube that runs up the back wall. Pull off the plastic screen and there is your sump. There is an insert in the sump that has a screen clipped to it. Squeeze this clip and pull up, and then clean the screen. The check down into the sump, and pull out whatever maybe clogging the drain hole.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from fubar on 8/22/2009
i'm removing my dishwasher and i want to know if there is a way to plug the inlet drain to the garbage disposal or do i have to buy a new disposal

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM on 8/22/2009
Dear fubar:

Many brands of garbage disposals have a "knockout" plug that is removed when you connect it to a dishwasher.

I would suggest that you contact the manufacturer of your garbage disposal ("Google" their name, and they should have a toll-free customer service number), and ask them if two things:

1) for their particular brand/model of disposal, can the knockout plug be replaced after it has been removed; and

2) can then send you a knockout plug.


Was this helpful?
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from kim on 12/28/2009
My dishwasher lights up and pretends it is going through all the cycles, but nothing happens. I hear no sounds and no water comes in. I saw a question where someone said nothing happens and you suggested pouring water in the bottom, that did nothing. Also, I've replaced the control board and it does the same thing still. Any ideas? I've been trying to fix this for 2 months. My dishwasher is only 2 years old and a Frigidaire.

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM on 12/28/2009
Dear Kim:

If your dishwasher is going through the cycles, but you are not getting any water into the unit, then the problem could be one of the following:

1) water lines are blocked coming to the unit.

2) you have a bad solenoid valve.

3) if your unit has a float inside the unit that cuts off the water, then this could be stuck.

To check if you have blocked water lines coming into the unit, first shut off the source of water to the unit, then put a bucket under the solenoid valve, and then disconnect the piping going into the solenoid valve. Open the water supply for the unit, and see if any water comes out of the pipe that was going into the solenoid. If water does come out, then reconnect the pipe, and then disconnect the pipe on the other side of the solenoid valve, and with a bucket underneath it, turn the unit on and let it cycle to see if water comes out.

And if your unit has a float inside of it (a round plastic device that rises up to shut off the water), you can give this a little tap to see if it gets it to drop down.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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