home dishwasher question

[FWDbuff]

Ok, question for your guys who may be more experienced at dishwasher repairs. I know nuzzing about it.

Lately, we have noticed that our dishwasher just doesn't seem to be washing dishes/silverware as good as it used to. I do need to say that my wife isn't as vigilant as she should be about rinsing dishes as well as she should.....So after the unit is done, it will have left blobs of (peanut butter, tomato sauce, whatever) on plates or silver. Additonally, if it doesn't leave blobs of whatever, it does leave a greasy film on everything, which makes us have to run it a second time.

I have a theory about the greasy film...could that be grease/oil dumped down the sink drain and backing into the dishwasher??? Is there a check valve on the dishwasher discharge??? Do I need to demand that she stop dumping grease down the sink? (I know I know she shouldnt be doing it to begin with, but she does it.....If I threaten to burn one of her longaberger baskets every time she does it I think I can get her to stop.....)

Is the dishwasher finally getting ready to go to appliance heaven? It was here when we bought the house 5+ years ago...So you gotta figure an average of running at least once a day, sometimes twice.

[JayDudley]

Dishwasher

Your problem could be your detergent. They(the makers) have to change their formula to remove the phosphates. We up here in Idaho have to trek into Washington for the good stuff. I hope this helps.....

[DeputyMarshal]

Assuming you're using good DW soap (same one that gave good results before), adding a rinse agent, the water is hot enough, etc.

Check the nozzles in the rotors. They may have become clogged preventing them from distributing the water as well as they should. Check the drains/filters to make sure they're not partially obstructed.

Grease dumped into the sink shouldn't be getting into the dishwasher since it would have to get in by going through the drain pump.

[Chewy911]

Check the nozzles in the rotors. They may have become clogged preventing them from distributing the water as well as they should. Check the drains/filters to make sure they're not partially obstructed.

Mine was clogged because of the hard water on the nozzles. And the grease is usually blasted away with the nozzles and HOT water. Your dishwasher should have a heating element on it. So i cleaned the nozzles with CLR on the bottom and just replaced the top one (It was pretty cheap). and replaced the heating element and it works like new.
I hope this helps

[Eng34FF]

When ours had the problem we had to clean out the grinder pump. In the drain, before the pump is a grinder that grinds up whatever food is left in the water. There are several screens in front of this that sometimes get clogged. Try cleaning these out and it might help.

[FIREMECH1]

Try running a full bottle of vinegar in a wash cycle, run again as a rinse. Repeat again using CLR, run again as a rinse.

Knowing your water area pretty good, most likely you have a calcium/magnesium (hard water) problem clogging the sprayers.

Not only check your grinder/drain, check your hose to make sure it isn't clogged.

I run CLR once a year to keep it clear of hard water problems that we have here. So far, it is still cleaning like new, after 13 years of use.

FM1

[doughesson]

Mine hadn't been doing as good a job recently so I poured in a box of baking soda and it cleared right up.Another possibility could be that the water filter in your machine is in need to cleaning.You can do it with an (OLD-I don't need to be named as a correspondent in your divorce) toothbrush,if it's needed.

[EastKyFF]

If your dishwasher isn't doing a good job, maybe you should feed her.

[pasobuff]

When ours wasn't cleaning well, we found that the drain was plugged - we also had a problem with water not draining....I took the racks out, took the bottom arm out and cleaned out the drain...actually pulled the whole thing out and made sure the hoses were all clear.....

Works great since then.......

[CaptOldTimer]

When ours wasn't cleaning well, we found that the drain was plugged - we also had a problem with water not draining....I took the racks out, took the bottom arm out and cleaned out the drain...actually pulled the whole thing out and made sure the hoses were all clear.....

Works great since then.......

A kind of a woman that I like! Knows what to do when things don't work correctly. Dives right in and fixes the problem head on!!

[firecat1]

A little olive oil, 2 baggies and a pair of old sox are all this dishwasher needs for maintenance.
















That's because I hate wearing those stupid gloves when washing dishes and my hands get dry some times.

[Firefighter For Hire]

Don't discount "dishwasher heaven." They just don't make them like they used to. I average a new washing machine every 5-6 years and have been told (my daughter used to be a large appliance salesperson) that 5-8 years is now the life expectancy for large appliances.

I bought my first washer and dryer set (mismatched of course) from a used appliance store. It had to have been 15 years old when I got it and I used it for another 15 years, only replacing the heater coil twice on the electric dryer.

I'd go with the detergent recommendation first and if that doesn't seem to work, well...........say a few four letter words, kick it a few times (make sure the front panel gets dented so you have a reminder of how foolish you acted), slam the door a few times, then sit back and have a few beers. It always works for me!!!!!!

[pasobuff]

rofl @FFH!.....

Doesn't it suck that appliances are not made to last any more?.....we have mis-matched washer/dryer set as out old washer had a bearin leak and was coating things in grease every time we used a warm/hot cycle. We are hoping hte dryer lasts a few more years yet.....

Dishwasher and fridge are 'only' 6 years old now...crap!....I hope they aren't reaching the end of their useful life!.....although, my husband DOES was to remodel the kitchen at some point - but that is a BIG project as he wants to ADD to it!...like double the size.....

Anyone here know a good contractor in upstate NY? LOL.....

[gunnyv]

In case you haven't figured it out yet-it's the removal of phosphates from the detergent. Replaced my old dishwasher due to a remodel, same problem in both. Also same problem at work, and according to the other guys, they see it as well.

I read that adding a teaspoon of lemon juice helps, and I have noticed some improvement since I started doing that.

[len1582]

. watch it.

.....................computer issue