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Fixing A Dishwasher That Won’t Start
When a dishwasher won’t start, you will find it to be the most frustrating thing to ever occur in the kitchen. A serviceman will also come at a price you had probably not budgeted for and it may force you to do the repairs yourself. In this article you will come across the most common parts used to fix a dishwasher that will not function properly. The information will play a vital role in assisting you to know how to fix the dysfunctional part of the dishwasher. At the same time remember that dishwasher repair is fundamental so as to prevent further destruction.
In case a dishwasher is not starting, the problem could be the switches or door latch. The door latch is assembled in a way to hold the door tightly closed during circulation to prevent spillage of water. If it’s proving difficult for the door to close, it means it will be impossible for the dishwasher controls to receive power and hence the washer will not start. This is a sign that the latch assembly such as the switches need to be inspected, as they could be defective.
Note that the door latch is found behind the inner door panel
Steps for opening the door latch
- Remove the screws used for securing the inner door panel
- Separate the outer and inner door
- Since the door latch has two switches wired in a series – activate the switches by putting the catch into the latch assembly manually.
- If both switches are working, remove power from the appliance then commence the repairs
After the door latch starts functioning properly, and the dishwasher still fails to work, check the timer or electronic control. The first step when using a dishwasher is the removal of stagnant water in the tub. If the drain pump motor is not producing any sound when running, then check the timer to ascertain it is not the cause. The timer uses a number of electrical contacts that are motioned by a small motor all of which are inside the timer housing. The timer contacts should also be looked at to determine which contacts control the inlet valve circuits. Always switch off power from the appliances before embarking on these repairs. This is a live voltage check that should only be carried out by an expert.
There is the selector switch used to determine removal of hot or cold water as per the preference of the person washing the dishes. This switch sometimes causes the dishwasher not to start if it were defective. Ensure the switch is properly depressed before starting disassembling. With the competition in this industry, there are so many models of dishwashers that have come up and some use a start relay on the main pump. Sometimes it could be the reason a dishwasher is not starting and therefore you can manually activate it for continuity by turning it upside down and allowing the plunger to drop.
Among other things that could cause the dishwasher not to start are a thermal fuse, and a drive motor. After identifying most of the things that could cause a dishwasher not to function well, you will figure out the nature of dishwasher repair required. And please read our last article about what to do if the dishwasher won’t turn on.
