Appliance Repair

Troubleshoot a Dishwasher for Not Cleaning Dishes – Part 2

By November 10, 2022November 11th, 2022No Comments
troubleshooting a dishwasher p2

To read the first article in this series, click here.

Clogged Spraying Arm

The same thing that happens to your shower head can also occur to the spray arms in the dishwasher. Hard water and debris can lodge in the small holes and disrupt the spraying action. These should periodically be removed and cleaned with a soft brush.

Soap Dispenser Not Working

The biggest challenge here is for the detergent to be released at the right moment. If everything you have checked to this point is working okay, the soap dispenser door could get jammed and not release the soap properly. To fix this, you only need to take a soft brush and clean the spring mechanism around the door to ensure nothing clogs it when it goes to release the detergent.

Low Water Temperature

This is an easy check. Just make sure your water heater is set to 120 degrees. Some dishwashers have a heat booster, but that is not always the case, so it is important to ensure your water heater is at the right temperature.

Cheap Detergent

You get what you pay for… that is very much true when we are talking about a detergent. I have tried to use the cheap stuff, but for the few extra bucks, the name-brand works far better. If you can find one with a rinse agent, all the better.

Clogged or Kinked Inlet Valve

If you have been reading our blog, you know how important it is to ensure the water pressure is working properly. The inlet valve is where the water flows into the dishwasher. If this is faulty, you will more than likely hear a very loud noise when you turn the dishwasher on that will almost sound like someone is hammering. If this is the issue, we would recommend an appliance repair technician to check the problem.

Water Pressure Issues

Some of the possible issues we took care of with cleaning, so if you are still having problems and noticing that your water pressure overall is lower, it could be a far more complicated issue. We would recommend calling an appliance technician and plumber to check everything properly.

We hope this helps!