Before you call
Dishwasher leaves dishes dirty or will not drain
Two complaints, one usual cause: water is not reaching the dishes with enough force, or it is not leaving. Both are usually blockages you can reach by hand in fifteen minutes.
- 1
Take out the bottom rack and lift out the filter at the base.
Most modern dishwashers have a removable cylindrical filter that unscrews. Rinse it under the tap and clear the coarse screen underneath. A blocked filter recirculates dirty water, which is exactly what "comes out gritty" means.
- 2
Spin each spray arm by hand and check every hole.
They should turn freely. Hold one up to the light — blocked jets are easy to see and clear with a cocktail stick. Hard water in inland San Diego scales them up faster than most people expect, and a partly blocked arm cleans the front of the rack and not the back.
- 3
Check nothing tall is stopping the top arm from turning.
A chopping board or a tall glass catches the upper arm and stops it dead. The load looks fine and half of it comes out unwashed. Close the door slowly and watch for anything that touches.
- 4
Look at the air gap on the worktop, if there is one, and the sink disposal.
The dishwasher usually drains through the disposal or an air gap beside the tap. A disposal that has not been run since something went into it will back the dishwasher up. Lift the air gap cover and clear it — the debris in there is often the whole problem.
- 5
Run the hot tap at the sink until it runs hot, then start the cycle.
A dishwasher that starts with a drum of cold water spends the first part of the cycle heating it, and on a short programme it never gets there. If dishes improve with this one change, the machine is fine.
Where to stop
When to call a technician
Not for our convenience. These are the points where carrying on is either unsafe or makes the repair bigger.
- Water is standing in the bottom after clearing the filter and the air gap.
- There is water on the floor — find the source before running it again.
- The door seal is perished or the door drops rather than swinging.
- It will not start at all, or stops with a code that returns.
An on-site diagnosis is $65.00, credited toward the repair if you go ahead. If this page has already fixed it, better still — you owe us nothing.