"Steve in Virginia" wrote in message
oups.com...

My F-I-L has a Kenmore DW which he rarely uses. He purchased it around
a year ago when he remodeled his kitchen. Recently,on one of the rare
occassions he decided to turn it on, there was a problem. Apparently,
the dedicated 15A circuit is pulling voltage lower than 120 VAC.
Obviously, the DW doesn't work. Before I go pulling the DW out so I
can trace out the voltage drop, any suggestions as to what might cause
a problem like that?

I haven't been over his house to check it out. I just got the news
over the phone Sunday night. My B-I-L looked at it but has no clue
and I don't know how the voltage drop was determined. Then my B-I-L is
no handyman. Actually, I'm genuinely surprised he didn't burn the
house down checking it out. This is a guy who needed to be told that
you can't solder a pipe with water in it! No, I'm not making this up.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Steve

First thing I would do is check the line voltage at the DW junction box
(where the house wiring connects to the dishwasher wiring). Use a good
multi-meter and, preferably, find someone who can properly connect and read
it -- not a complicated task; but there's electricity involved. Be safe.

As the voltage is being measured, start the DW. That will tell you what the
line voltage is doing. If it does drop significantly, look for a faulty
connection, bad switch or a load, perhaps the motor, that's drawing way too
much power. The latter is less likely since the fuse or circuit breaker
should limit the power draw. While you're at it, you might check the
voltage at the motor too. There should be a wiring diagram pasted someplace
inside the mechanical compartment or maybe there's an envelope in there
somewhere with service information which can help.

TKM