"Walter R." wrote in message
...
I have a 20 year old General Electric Potscrubber 1200 dishwasher.
There is a heating coil above the bottom of the tub.

Isn't this coil supposed to come on and heat the water from 120 F to 140
F?? Is 120 F hot enough to do a good job washing the dishes? 120 F would
certainly not be hot enough to sterilize!

It may not come on for every part of every cycle. Some only do for a single
wash and a sani-rinse.

It could be the element, could be the relay that turns on the element, could
be the pump is not pumping as well as it did 20 years ago, could be the
spray arms are partly clogged, could be the filter is partly clogged, could
just be it is wearing out slowly.

DW detergent is so caustic it will probably sterilize anything anyway, but
it is also made to work best at elevated temperatures. Given the age of the
machine, I'd not put a lot of money into it. Even the cheaper models today
will out wash it and use less energy and be quieter doing it.