Dishwasher/Water Smells

Jan_V

Had this same issue with our old dishwasher every now and then too. Can only think that it has something to do with the water itself as the dishes were clean before they even went in there. They were thoroughly scraped, rinsed (sometimes even with hot soapy water) of any and all debris before going in. The dishwasher itself doesn't smell at all, just all the dishes.

Have recently bought a brand new model on the 18th April. First few washes were fine, but then the smell came back again. Had previously filled the salt dispenser with the required litre of water along with the salt to the brim and then filled with rinse aid prior to use as per instructions. I ran it on empty to flush it of any factory manufacturing chemicals etc before using it properly. As said, the first few washes were fine and again like the last dishwasher all the dishes, cutlery and pans are free from any food debris so it certainly hasn't accumulated anything in the filter (which I also cleaned and checked to be sure) but at least the last three washes have resulted in that awful smell.

Have just checked the salt dispenser after reading this and although I don't think it was anywhere near empty I did top it up to the brim again so maybe that will cure it again. We'll see. Will also try the soda crystals in the sink and dishwasher simultaneously method. Just seems weird that this happening in a brand new dishwasher.

Unless somebody else has found a solution to this since the last post a while back? I think I might do what somebody suggested earlier in the thread and leaflet drop my street to see if any of them are having the same problem and take it from there. Good idea to whoever recommended that (think it was Stupc63) Thanks for the tip.

BigSteBargainHunter

emg wrote: »

This is probably a red herring but I get this problem if I have had a meal involving eggs. Makes everything in the dishwasher smell disgusting and I really can't bear it.

Yeah, man totally stinky like Wet Dogs and only when there's eggs on the menu; fried, poached, boiled, scrambled even but not eggs in a cake or meringue (probably not meringue). Whatever, it's rank!

Anyway, I've found a splash of White Vinegar does the trick but you want to put it in before the washer goes on not like I do when I already emptied it and put everything away and then found out about the smell. You'll have to get it all back in the washer and do it all over again because it doesn't go away over time, it still totally kiffs weeks later.

[Stinky Wet Dog Emoticon]

redrider_2

I seem to be getting a similar problem, except I don't have a dishwasher. I have however just had a new combo boiler installed. No problem before. Only hot water causes smell. What could be causing it?

Dead_Eye_Dan

I feel compelled to respond to this question because I managed to work out one of the main causes of smelly plates/cups/glasses and even cutlery whether they are coming straight from the dishwasher, or whether they are being washed up.

The reason is simply this: an open window

If you don't believe me, feel free to test it. Wash up a couple of plates and leave them to dry on the draining board with the window open. I guarantee that they will pick up a strange smell.

The dishwasher is also affected by an open window. When it beeps to tell you it has finished, you open the door, the steam rushes out and then the plates complete the drying process with the residual heat and the ventilation. If you allow air from outside to hit the plates etc at this stage then they will smell. It's best to get them out of there ASAP, make sure they are completely dry and put away in a closed cupboard.

I have noticed that I have opened the door in the kitchen for a few seconds and the smell has almost instantly attached itself to everything on drying on the sideboard.

It sounds almost crazy I know but I promise you its true, I hope this helps someone at least.

dan_weston

ive spent almost three years trying to combat the pond water smell from dishwasher. it had to be one of only a few things so i investigated everything, making changes and seeing what worked and what didnt, i had random results until one day i noticed my tea tasted odd, it had that same pond water odour.

i had the eureka moment. these odours are caused by old lead water supply pipes, i am a groundworker and have dug up many old lead water supplys and the inside of the pipes fur up with a green slime like algea,

what i discovered is that it is the water sitting in this pipe and its slime that taints the water, taste the water without running the tap first and this will give you a clue if you are sensitive to it. run the tap for 20-30 secs and try and again and its gone.

so i tested this on my dishwasher, ran the tap for a minute, then turned on the dishwasher. hey presto no smell. woke the next day, didnt use the water at all and put on dishwasher again... the stink had returned.

this may not work for everyone, for example you may have a very long run of lead pipe to your house it could be a mile long and this would take longer to clear to clean fresh water, but most suburban homes would now be supplied by plastic pipe, and only the pipe from water meter to tap would be lead.

really hope this is the answer you are all looking for, i know it frustrated me for an age, so much so i had to register here to give you all a start at a solution

best of luck
dan @ localdiggers

DSmiffy

Just a follow up to this, I've noticed the pond smell for a few weeks in my dishwasher, tried running all sorts through to clean it, machine cleaner, bleach etc. Then I decided to clean the edges of the door, seals and where the door meets the machine, yuk.... there was a huge pile of gunky black stuff lodged at the bottom of the door, where it meets the machine. Pull the door open and down, and where it meets the machine, put your finger inside a cloth and run your finger from left to right along the inside edge of the door. Lots of build up of food here which isn't touched by the cleaner when the door is closed and running. It doesn't smell as bad now so I figure thats where its coming from.

The_Scriv

Hi,
We have been experiencing the same smelly fishpond smell once it has finished its cycle and the only way was to then carry out a quick rinse program, which seems to do the trick.
I have tried everything. I have cleaned it with dishwasher . I have physically cleaned all the hoses and drains with a flexible cleaning brush but we still had the smell. Then by a process of elimination we then changed the tablets to another brand and this made no difference, the same with the salt and the rinse aid. As nothing was making any difference we then started to leave out the rinse aid. This made no difference. Then the salt. This made a difference so I believe we are on the right track. I then took the cap off of the salt reservoir and flushed it out. I did this by using a turkey baster to suck out the water into a bowl and then allowing the dishwasher to start a wash cycle and fill with water with the salt cap off. The dishwasher fills up the salt reservoir first therfore by opening the door after 1-2 mins you could see the water overpowering from the salt reservoir. I repeated this several times to flush it clear of any salt, then I replaced the lid without filling with any salt.
I am happy to say the fishpond smell has now instantly vanished and we are currently using it without any salt. It is working perfectly every time and without any issues. I will reintroduce the salt at some stage to see if the smells returns but at the moment we are just happy to have got rid of the smell.
I hope this helps?

jicms

I know this is a really old forum but we have the same problem with the plates smelling of pond water. It's particularly noticeable when eating a bowl of cereal and I find myself avoiding breathing in when taking a mouthful. The dishwasher and filters are spotless and I use Finish cleaners regularly. Dishes all look sparkling when they come out of the machine.

I presume it must be our (Thames) water but plates washed by hand are fine.

jicms

Sorry I've just read the last post about the salt reservoir. Sounds hopeful so I'll try this once the salt has run out. Presume you ran the rinse cycle without any additives?