QUESTION from "Phil":
How do I remove rust forming on the
sliding dish basket of an automatic dishwasher?
ANSWER:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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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