No-one wants to open their dishwasher and discover standing water but, don’t overreact just yet. You may manage figure out the problem by yourself, without having to call a plumber or invest in a brand-new machine.
Standing water in your machine may have a number of of causes a few of which can be simple to solve. So, before you call a dishwasher repair service try this list of potential things you may correct on your own. A few of which are not even caused by the machine itself.
It is possible that there is nothing preventing your machine from draining. Rather, the cycle could have been cut short.
The program could have been stopped mid-way for any number of of reasons. Children pressing controls, mistakenly pushing against the control panel, a power surge or opening the machine mid-cycle may all interrupt the cycle and mean your machine doesn’t empty.
If you suspect this could be the situation, or you just want to be sure it’s not the issue run your machine again on a short cycle.
A few machines might have an empty program meaning it’s worth consulting your manual or consulting google to check.
If you have a garbage disposal inspect this before you do anything else as a blocked waste disposal will block your machine from emptying. Run the disposal using plenty of water to make sure there are no blockages.
If you do find a blockage drain un-blocker or a natural alternative could be employed to remove the blockage and so this may resolve the problem.
If you sink is emptying inefficiently this could indicate a plumbing issue as opposed to a problem with your machine.
In the case that the kitchen sink is draining slowly you can attempt putting some bicarb and white vinegar down the drain, letting it sit for a few minutes, then rinsing it away with boiling water.
A plunger might also be employed to attempt to remove the obstruction.
This might be sufficient to let the machine to work again so run a quick cycle at this point. If this hasn’t worked you could remove the water by hand using a jug and also a towel and troubleshoot a few more areas.
Make sure you unplug the dishwasher to stay safe.
If during any of these examinations you suspect you have found and solved the problem you don’t need to go through the remaining issues. Just run an empty cycle to make sure your machine is fixed.
Popcorn, labels from tupperware, plastic covers and smashed glass, plus food debris, may all obstruct the machine filter. Clear glass could also be hard to see if you aren’t looking for it.
Take out the filter then wash it thoroughly before replacing it. Not all filters are obvious and straightforward to remove so you may need to look at the owners manual for this.
The next area to check is the waste pipe. Stuck food, a kink in the hose or a crushed hose may all stop your machine from draining.
Depending on the location of the hose (normally the corrugated one) you could be able to look at it simply by lifting away the kick plate or you might need to move the machine away from under the counter.
Have a look at the pipe in the first instance to see if there are any kinks or it’s been squashed. You may be able to fix these issues by hand which is likely to deal with the issue, but it’s worth noting that once this has happened it is much more likely to happen again so you could need to buy a replacement hose.
If you can’t find an issue you could take off the waste water pipe from the machine and blow through it to check for any blockages. Be sure to put down newspaper or towels first as there might still be dirty water in the pipe.
If you can’t blow through the waste hose this might be the issue.
Disconnect the hose at the sink end in order to give it a thorough clean to remove the blockage. If you are unable to remove the blockage or the waste hose is slit or damaged invest in a brand-new one. If you can clear the obstruction then re-attach the hose and run a short program to check that you have solved the problem.
You may also inspect where the hose connects under your sink as well. This is a likely place for a build-up of gunk so if you do remove the hose give this area a thorough clean as well.
You may manually check the drain valve to ensure it hasn’t stopped working. The drain valve will generally be situated in the bottom of the dishwasher on the valve bracket. Consult your instruction manual if you can’t see it.
Pushing down on the valve or giving it a jiggle should be enough to let you know if it’s seized. If you can see something stopping it from moving carefully extract this. If you are unable to, this might be when you should get in touch with a repair person unless you are confident in ordering and swapping out the component yourself.
Your appliance pump makes use of impellers that can get blocked by broken glass or other debris. Check your pump isn’t blocked by taking off the safety cover and making sure the impellers can rotate freely.
If it doesn’t sound normal your dishwasher pump or motor might be faulty and need to be repaired.
If none of the above examinations has fixed the issue, or you suspect the pump, pump valve or motor are broken, it could be time to call for help.
At least having attempted to troubleshoot you have managed to avoid having to pay a hefty repair charge for a blocked drain.
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