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Going through a love hate thing with my dishwasher. About 2 months ago it started really rattling and it was the pump. Replaced the pump. Now it is nice and quiet but the dishes are not coming clean. There are small bits of food left on dishes like they are not rinsing properly and there is a bad film on many of the glasses.
When I had the unit apart to fix the pump, I noticed some clogging in the upper sprayer so I tool a jeweler screwdriver and got most of it out.
My guess is that it is one of 3 things,
clogging in the upper sprayer,
malfunction of the lower spray riser or
water temperature
I have measure the hot water coming out of the sink to be in the 125 degree range.
Problem is I can't figure out where to begin troubleshooting the problem.
Any help would be appreciated!
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Replaced the pump.
I assume you replaced the motor and a pump as an assembly. Correct?
So I can also assume the sump is clean and the chopper does not have stuff wrapped around it.
I noticed some clogging in the upper sprayer so I tool a jeweler screwdriver and got most of it out.
Try tweezers while the stuff is still wet.
My guess is that it is one of 3 things,
clogging in the upper sprayer
Should not make that much of a difference
malfunction of the lower spray riser
Could be but usually you can tell by the sound of the water hitting the door. Try opening it and taking a peek while it is in wash the lower arms should still be spinning some. Often you will see the riser dropping.
water temperature
If you have a Plate Warm cycle try that and check that the heater is on.
Also could check at the end of a cycle during the dry time.
The heater may be shot. Could also check it with a meter.
Be careful DO NOT BURN YOUR FINGERS
Check that it is draining correctly. Unit will have a little water left in the bottom of the tub, about 1/2 inch or less.
Check that it is filling correctly usually to just below the heating element. Could be that when you replaced the pump some gunk was knocked loose from inside the water supply line and you have a partially clogged inlet filter screen in the water valve. |
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Sorry for the delay. Easter last weekend and just now getting back to it.
I did replace the entire motor and pump assembly.
I turned on the heater and the bits of food is mostly disappeared. The problem now is a bad white residue on all the plates like it is not rinsing properly.
Here is what I checked;
Lower Sprayer. The sound is not robust but I do know the riser is rising and spraying as I opened the door a crack and watched it rise up. The thing I noticed was a small piece of lettuce blowing through the hole on the lower sprayer. Not sure if that means anything but I was surprised it did not filter out the food before it pumps it back through the system.
Heater element is definitely working. Opened it mid drying cycle, splashed water on it and it sizzled and evaporated.
Inlet filter - there was no filter but I checked the hose at the inlet for blockage and it seemed clear. I also took off the pump/motor assembly and all seemed clear except for small bits of food near the wiper.
I even ran a couple of cycles with just water and there still seemed to be food bits in the water.
On kind of a hail Mary pass I got out the level. It was not too far off but it is dead on now.
Still seeing residue...
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inlet filter - there was no filter but I checked the hose at the inlet for blockage and it seemed clear. If by inlet filter you mean the water inlet valve does not have a filter screen on it's input side I would replace it. The screen is there to keep crud out of the valve which could hold it open and cause a flood. Also a good idea to drain some water out of your hot water tank on a regular basis. Let it run till the water is nice and clear. Cuts down on crud in the water, makes the tank more efficient and should also improve the tanks lifetime. On the filming problem try a little more soap. If you have changed detergents lately go back to the old type. I still think the best detergents are the old granular type. Try different detergents, they are not all the same and they react differently to different water/mineral combination's. Now that the heater is working correctly minerals will drop out of solution easier, hence the filming. Here is a good link on filming http://www.applianceaid.com/dish.html See #28 Just Google "dishwasher glasses film" and you will find lots of info out there and hopefully a solution which works for you. |
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Well I"m about out of options. The film is definitely soap film not a hard water film. I put very little soap in there and it still leaves a light white powder on the dishes and glasses. I'm starting to think the thing is not filling up enough. I've read that the water level should be just below the heater element. I looked closely and it is more like 1/2 to 3/4 inches below the element. That seems too low.
About a year ago our plumber put a regulator on our water outside. Maybe there is not enough flow? So my question is how can you test this? Should I stop the cycle and just add some hot water?
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Maybe there is not enough flow?
Is a possibility.
So my question is how can you test this?
You really cannot other than what you see as the level in the dishwasher.
The level does seem a little low.
Should I stop the cycle and just add some hot water?
Yes that is what I would do.
If it solves the problem you should remove the machines water inlet valve and check it.
It has a screen filter on the inlet side perhaps this is partially plugged.
If dirty clean it, do not remove it as it is there to keep crud out of the valve.
Is crud gets into the valve it could hold the valve open and cause a flood.
Also a good idea to drain some water out of your hot water tank. Crud collects in the bottom, let it run till it is clear.
Will also make it more efficient. |
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