Hi fellow Ozbargainers! I have a silly question to ask and hopefully someone can point me in the right direction. My relatively old dishwasher suddenly stops draining last night and there is a pool of water in it after a wash cycle. I have checked the filters and it doesn't look like its clogged. The dishwasher still powers on and work when I put it on any cycle, just doesn't drain. My question is, do I call a plumber to check if its a plumbing blockage issue or do I simply buy a new dishwasher? Will a new dishwasher fix the problem? Thanks all in advance.
[RESOLVED] Dishwasher Not Draining - Buy a New One or Call a Plumber?
Comments
Mind to elaborate more? What if its a blockage in the outlet pipe? Thanks in advance!
If it was blocked the machine would throw an error , and there would be water every where.
That makes sense….
Sigh….most likely I have to buy a new one then…
The easiest test is to disconnect the drain hose under the sink into a bucket and run a wash.
if you are already closing in on the idea of buying another, what do you have to lose by trying to fix yourself?
Problem is I dont know how to fix…haha!
only one way to learn, it may never go back together but as I said, if you have already decided/deciding to buy another….
Youtube
which is what i am actively doing now. :)
Might be the pump, they break pretty commonly. might be a $100 fix if you find the right appliance repair tech.
Why would you call a plumber? Whats he gonna do
Unsure hence the question. I initially thought it has to do with blockage in the piping but it seems like a dishwasher issue as suggested by nocure above.
Yep, appliance technician, not plumber. Considering it'll probably cost around $80 to get them to turn up then labour and parts on top it might be better to buy new. Is it a 'good' dishwasher or a cheapie?
Cheapie dishwasher. Came with the house when we bought it. I'll probably have to try fixing it myself based on suggestions above and Youtube, if fails, then proceed to get a new one. :(
Find and open up the pump. It may be blocked. If you can't put back together buy a new one!
Worst case scenario…
One option is to call the manufacturer of your dishwasher and they might be able to tell you whats the issue….we had the similar sort of issue with the dishwasher and ultimately the plumber found that the drainage was little blocked - mind you it wasnt completely blocked as the kitchen sink water was running through…it was sufficiently blocked for the dishwasher to work perfectly !
thanks for suggestion. will try that if everything else fails
If nothing else is wrong, it's either going to be the drain motor or the drain solenoid. Either should be easy enough to replace if you can source a replacement part. Just check your cycle is actually finished, if I stop mine early because there's no noise but it isn't actually finished then the bottom will be full of water and it won't drain unless I "unpause" it.
Use your multimeter to test the solenoid for resistance. Set your meter to the R x 1 setting. Place each of the meter's probes on one terminal each. When the probes touch the terminals, the reading should change from a reading of infinity to a reading of approximately forty ohms. If you receive a reading of infinity, or a reading that is no where near 40 ohms, then you will need to replace the solenoid
thanks all for the input! managed to fix it using drain blockage crystals along with baking soda and hot water. then run a cycle with Finish Dishwasher Cleaner. WALLA!!! :)
Good result
yeah! I am stoked! :) managed to save every single dollar that I initially thought needed to spend.
Great when that happens, always consult youtube/google if it is a non threatening situation and you can save a ton of cash. You've probably extended the life of that dishwasher and now keep an eye out here for any bargains as it may be on its way out in 1-2 years.
You know, I've had a dishwasher for (well in different houses) for over 12 years at a time and they've never been blocked like this and I figure it's from rinsing.
I have a rental and there's a dishwasher there. I've told people to rinse and not leave food on their plates, but clearly they don't and that dishwasher was blocked just like this in about 8 months.
I don't know why people leave food on their plates. It makes the dishwasher stink.
Yes
Mine does that every now and then, I have cleaned out all the drains but still happens so now I just live with it.