There are some things which seem to happen just to test our patience, such as your dishwasher deciding that it doesn’t want to wash your pots and pans this evening.

The trouble is, you’re only likely to realise this when the dishwasher is full and you put it on its wash cycle. But together we can prevent this from happening enabling you to relax after a hard day at work, rather than spending ten minutes doing the washing up.

The first step to preventing your dishwasher from misbehaving is to be aware of the common faults which occur with most makes and models of dishwashers. Such faults include:

• Leaks
• Drainage Problems
• Broken Cutlery Basket / Spray Arms

Now you’re aware of the common faults which can occur, you can arm yourself with the knowledge on how to fix them. After all, knowledge is power!

Leaks:

If you’ve noticed a puddle of water around your dishwasher as it goes through the wash cycle, you have a leak! But this doesn’t have to cause a major headache as the chances are the solution to fixing the leak is a) straightforward and b) relatively inexpensive.

Should you experience a leak from your dishwasher, it’s probably due to one of the following reasons:

1. The dishwasher isn’t level

   A little known fact is that the seal around the door on a dishwasher is there to deflect water off the back of the door into the tray. If the dishwasher isn’t level and the water rises above the seal, a leak will occur.

   Check that your dishwasher is level, ideally by using a spirit-level. If it isn’t level, adjust the feet at the bottom of the appliance until it is.

2. Too much detergent

   Too much detergent will result in a build up of foam, which is likely to leak from the front of your machine. The solution for this is to use less detergent in your dishwasher.

   We’d also recommend running a maintenance wash, using a specialist limescale and detergent remover, to double-check that there’s no build-up of detergent in your appliance.

3. Broken parts

   Dishwasher level, detergent at the correct level but the dishwasher is still leaking? You have a faulty part somewhere. The likely culprits are drain hoses and inlet hoses which have split.

   Sounds expensive, but it isn’t. Nor is it a complicated job if you follow the advice in our YouTube videos.

Drainage Issues:

By not draining correctly, your dishwasher won’t be able to clean your pots and pans correctly. This will result in dirt and grime still being visible even when the dishwasher indicates that it has completed its cycle.

A common cause of a dishwasher failing to drain is an object becoming stuck and blocking the pump. Remedying the fault will require you firstly to turn off the water supply and disconnecting the inlet hose, before disconnecting the anti-flood switch and removing the base-plate.

Once this has been done, you’ll have access to the drain pump, which you’ll need to unscrew before pulling out the two connections, twisting the pump and taking it out of the appliance, enabling you to remove any debris.

Once the debris is removed, reverse the steps you’ve taken to reattach the drain pump, and hopefully, you’ll see your dishwasher working to its full potential again.

Broken Cutlery Basket / Spray Arm:

A broken cutlery basket may not seem like a major issue for your dishwasher, but if left it can cause further problems which will prevent the dishwasher from cleaning to its full potential.

The reason that a broken cutlery tray can lead to further problems is due to cutlery slipping through holes and preventing the spray arms from spinning properly. Replacing the cutlery basket is straightforward and at eSpares we stock a range of genuine and universal cutlery baskets suitable for whatever make and model you have.

A faulty spray arm will also prevent your appliance from cleaning correctly, as the water will not be distributed throughout the machine as it should be. Fixing the appliance is an easy task and can be done in the time that it takes to boil the kettle for a cuppa.

Step 1: Remove the lower basket enabling you to have unrestricted access to the bottom of the machine.

Step 2: Undo the screw holding the spray arm in place, before removing the damaged spray arm and attaching the new one – job done!

If you can fix any faults at the earliest opportunity, you’ll keep your dishwasher working to its full potential. You can then relax on the couch with your family, whilst your pots are being cleaned to a high standard.

Tags: Common Dishwasher Faults, Dishwasher Cutlery Basket, Limescale and Detergent Remover