Dishwasher that doesn't wash

allIcouldwishfor

I had a Zanussi machine and after a while the cutlery basket developed a few splits in the plastic mesh at the bottom so teaspoon handles and knives were dangling down and interfering with the spray arm thingie. Also, as mentioned above, the spray arm regularly got blocked with sweetcorn. With that machine I only put a plate in every alternate space in the rack, otherwise they were too close to get properly cleaned. The last thing was that the bit where the water feed for the spray arm connected had to be clipped back into place underneath the top rack after every wash otherwise it didn't line up at the back of the machine and no water would get into the spray arm at all. Ours died earlier in the year and we've switched to a bosch which is much less temperamental, for the time being anyway!

moanymoany

Raksha wrote: »

Have you tried ensuring the holes in the swirly arms aren't blocked (sweetcorn is usually the guilty party in this house)?[/quote

I second Racksha - with us it was usually lemon pips.

Also, after checking the little holes, make sure the arms actually whizz round. If something falls down and blocks them them they won't wash properly.

Stacking might be a problem as well.

Sorry AICWF - didn't read before posting!!!!!

wheresmydoshat

when the missus doesn't wash up, i just refuse to make her dinner the next day.

(!)

dannyem

Blimey I could have written the OP.

I have a Zanussi with exact same problems - repair man came and cleaned all the arms etc. Still doesnt wash right. Now to add insult to injury - the door wont shut! So I cant use it at all. :mad:

wheresmydoshat

solution: if the door doesn't shut, while the dishes are being half cleaned you could finish the job with a squirt of fairy liquid and a quick wipe !

kaya

the "swirly arms" that everybody keeps cleaning only get blocked if your filter isnt in correctly or is broken, if a lemon pip can get into the arms and block it then you are allowing all manner of debris in which is getting mashed up inside the recirc pump and redistributed inside the dishwasher, here is a simplified version of how a dishwasher "thinks"

1) power on, checks if door switch is made, turns on drain pump to remove any residual water in the sump, this noise can be heard and usually lasts between 10 and 30 secs, usually a timed process also and does not rely on any sensors to know it has done its job
2)fills with water untill pressure switch in base senses correct level , pumps water from the sump into the swirly arms and begins to heat the water to a predetermined temperature, the signal to stop heating is caused by acivation of a thermosat in the base, during filling you should hear a click, this is the soap draw inside opening, the machine will the recirc the water through the pump and swirly arms with the dissolved soap tablet for a predetermined time
3) after elapsed time the machine will empty itself of water and refill with clean rinse water, pressure switch will activate to tell machine it is full and to start heating, machine should heat to a minimum of 55degC in order to sterilise plates, rinse aid from the despenser in the door is added at this point to help the contents dry correctly, will rinse for a predetermined time period then drain

this is pretty basic and applies to most dishwashers on a basic cycle, other cycles add extra rinses and cold prewashes and apply heat as a final drying process, all dishwashers draw cold water in through a resin filled chamber, this is an inbuilt softner but can only do its job correctly if the salt chamber is full(the salt replenishes the crystals((hence why tablets with added salt are just a gimmic, the salt cannot get to the resin like this))

if you listen to your machine when you turn it on you should hear the drain pump operate first, then the soap draw open, then the water rushing in, then the "swirly arms" rotate

open the door immediatly after the drain pump noise stops, if you have water in the sump the you have a knackered pump/blocked pump/blocked plumbing, you will be washing in diry water

if the water is emptied shut the door again, restart the machine then open the door again immediatly after the water filling noise has stopped, you should have enough water in the base to cover the filter assembly, usually sits ablut an inch below the door level, if you have got this far then you drain system is working ok(drain pump) and you water inlet solenoid is ok as you have proved them both, your machine will now heat up the water and using the recirculation pump force it up through the swirly arms(making them spin), give it 5 mins (you have now proved that your recirc pump is working also) then open the door carefully, the door safety switch will stop the pump working, be carefull not to have your head near the door, you have now proved that your door switch is working, your machine should be full of hot soapy water, proving that the heater is working

if your plates are gritty it could be a broken or incorrectly installled filter, your drain system is not working correctly, you are not rinsing the plates first, your resin chamber is deteriorating(very rare)

if your plates have white marks then your slat(regen) system needs topping up with salt or is knackered, streaks left on glasses can also be a sign you need to add rinse aid or your rinse aid despenser is not working

if your door wont shut check your top basket is pushed all the way back and located correctly on the pipe behind(should sit inside/outside)

its been a few years since i worked in this field but all zanussi dishwashers used to have small "syphon" pipes in the base which would get airlocked/bunged up, remove the bottom swirly arm and the large flat filter below it, check your filters for wear and holes at this point, in the base there should be a plastic dome and 1 or 2 upturned umberella handle looking syphon pipes, you will also see a stainless steel screw holding them in, remove the screw and tubes and clean with warm soapy water then replace in reverse order

isnt it time you got some kitchen paper and cleaned all the slime from the bottom of the door where it meets the base of the machine by the rubber seal?

apologies if any of it is a bit sketchy, if i proof read it my shepherds pie will be burnt, this is the cumulation of 20 years experience and i expect to be assasinated by the society of dishwasher repair engineers any day for giving away there trade secrets(maybe a few of them should print and memorise the above lol), good luck, maybe somebody should start a repair your own forum?

jess1974

I also had the ops problem with my dishwasher, after repeatedly trying to clean filters etc, i lost the will to live and got my husband to take it down the tip, i wash all the dishes by hand now, and would never buy another dishwasher....