I have a 6 year old GE dishwasher. The past couple of days we noticed
that the dishwasher detergent powder is not being used up. We thought
we've put too much detergent or it didn't get dissolved properly etc..
Today we ran it during the day to observe. Looks like there's not much
water injecting/circulating inside. Previously during rinse cycle a
whole lot of water used to channel its way into the sink drain like
it's supposed to. Now there's hardly any. I'm thinking there's a block
in the water source to the dishwasher.

We've also had another issue with this unit. The dishwasher racks are
corroded and we've repaired some corroded parts with plastic caps /
resin paint. There's still some more corrosion. DH thinks the rusty
bits fell off and blocked the water pipe.

Please offer suggestions on what to look for. Is there anything we can
check before we call the plumber? We do lot of fixing up of basic
plumbing issues at our house.

Thanks.

wrote:
I have a 6 year old GE dishwasher. The past couple of days we noticed
that the dishwasher detergent powder is not being used up. We thought
we've put too much detergent or it didn't get dissolved properly etc..
Today we ran it during the day to observe. Looks like there's not much
water injecting/circulating inside. Previously during rinse cycle a
whole lot of water used to channel its way into the sink drain like
it's supposed to. Now there's hardly any. I'm thinking there's a block
in the water source to the dishwasher.

We've also had another issue with this unit. The dishwasher racks are
corroded and we've repaired some corroded parts with plastic caps /
resin paint. There's still some more corrosion. DH thinks the rusty
bits fell off and blocked the water pipe.

Please offer suggestions on what to look for. Is there anything we can
check before we call the plumber? We do lot of fixing up of basic
plumbing issues at our house.

Thanks.

Hi,
Is your water hard/acidic? If water level is low when filled, you can
adjust the float switch to increase the water level. Also we use only liquid
detergent. Haven't used power detergent long time.

On Aug 22, 10:22 am, Tony Hwang wrote:
wrote:
I have a 6 year old GE dishwasher. The past couple of days we noticed
that the dishwasher detergent powder is not being used up. We thought
we've put too much detergent or it didn't get dissolved properly etc..
Today we ran it during the day to observe. Looks like there's not much
water injecting/circulating inside. Previously during rinse cycle a
whole lot of water used to channel its way into the sink drain like
it's supposed to. Now there's hardly any. I'm thinking there's a block
in the water source to the dishwasher.

We've also had another issue with this unit. The dishwasher racks are
corroded and we've repaired some corroded parts with plastic caps /
resin paint. There's still some more corrosion. DH thinks the rusty
bits fell off and blocked the water pipe.

Please offer suggestions on what to look for. Is there anything we can
check before we call the plumber? We do lot of fixing up of basic
plumbing issues at our house.

Thanks.

Hi,
Is your water hard/acidic? If water level is low when filled, you can
adjust the float switch to increase the water level. Also we use only liquid
detergent. Haven't used power detergent long time.

Our water is not hard. Nobody around here uses water softener. We'll
switch to liquid detergent if that's the only reason. We've used
powder all these years without any issue.

Thanks for your reply.

On 22 Aug, 11:43, wrote:
On Aug 22, 10:22 am, Tony Hwang wrote:





wrote:
I have a 6 year old GE dishwasher. The past couple of days we noticed
that the dishwasher detergent powder is not being used up. We thought
we've put too much detergent or it didn't get dissolved properly etc..
Today we ran it during the day to observe. Looks like there's not much
water injecting/circulating inside. Previously during rinse cycle a
whole lot of water used to channel its way into the sink drain like
it's supposed to. Now there's hardly any. I'm thinking there's a block
in the water source to the dishwasher.

We've also had another issue with this unit. The dishwasher racks are
corroded and we've repaired some corroded parts with plastic caps /
resin paint. There's still some more corrosion. DH thinks the rusty
bits fell off and blocked the water pipe.

Please offer suggestions on what to look for. Is there anything we can
check before we call the plumber? We do lot of fixing up of basic
plumbing issues at our house.

Thanks.

Hi,
Is your water hard/acidic? If water level is low when filled, you can
adjust the float switch to increase the water level. Also we use only liquid
detergent. Haven't used power detergent long time.

Our water is not hard. Nobody around here uses water softener. We'll
switch to liquid detergent if that's the only reason. We've used
powder all these years without any issue.

Thanks for your reply.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

If the powered detergent has been being used up for 6 years, do you
really think that suddenly there is a need to switch to a liquid? If
you haven't changed powders or the amount you use (and the
manufacturer hasn't changed the formula) then I doubt the powder is
the cause of the problem. Switching to a liquid would be treating the
symptom, not the disease. I might as well throw in the fact that if
the powder got damp and lumpy, then maybe that is causing problems,
but I think you would have noticed that when you tried to fill the
cups.

If you really think there is less water entering the unit, then you
could try disconnecting the supply hose and checking to see if it has
a screen that could be clogged. Maybe there is a way to blow out the
supply lines inside the DW.

While not related to the actual water level, some other things to
check are to make sure nothing is blocking either of the arms from
spinning and/or if something is preventing the detergent cup door from
opening fully. I once had a dishwasher where you had to make sure the
lower rack was pushed back as far as it would go or the detergent cup
door would catch on it and not open fully. The main dishwasher door
did not push the rack back own its own.

I have a GE unit, about 2 years old, and this happens with the *upper* rack.

If the rack is not pushed all the way back when closing the door, the flap on the detergent cup will open only about 1/3 of
the way, leaving a lump of detergent at the end of the cycle.

Tipoff here is when you open the DW door after running, you can hear a "click" as the flap on the detergent cup snaps open.

Eric Law

"DerbyDad03" wrote in message oups.com...
While not related to the actual water level, some other things to
check are to make sure nothing is blocking either of the arms from
spinning and/or if something is preventing the detergent cup door from
opening fully. I once had a dishwasher where you had to make sure the
lower rack was pushed back as far as it would go or the detergent cup
door would catch on it and not open fully. The main dishwasher door
did not push the rack back own its own.

Go to repair clinic.com and check out dishwashers
nice site
wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a 6 year old GE dishwasher. The past couple of days we noticed
that the dishwasher detergent powder is not being used up. We thought
we've put too much detergent or it didn't get dissolved properly etc..
Today we ran it during the day to observe. Looks like there's not much
water injecting/circulating inside. Previously during rinse cycle a
whole lot of water used to channel its way into the sink drain like
it's supposed to. Now there's hardly any. I'm thinking there's a block
in the water source to the dishwasher.

We've also had another issue with this unit. The dishwasher racks are
corroded and we've repaired some corroded parts with plastic caps /
resin paint. There's still some more corrosion. DH thinks the rusty
bits fell off and blocked the water pipe.

Please offer suggestions on what to look for. Is there anything we can
check before we call the plumber? We do lot of fixing up of basic
plumbing issues at our house.

Thanks.

Verify the water level is really low. After it finishes filling and
right before it starts to wash or rinse, open the door and visually
check the level. If low, chances are it is a bad or clogged
solenoid. Take that off and clean it out and make sure it is opening
fully.

It is doubtful that rust clogged the fill line. If anything, rust
bits can clog the pump.



On Aug 22, 4:17 pm, "Larry and a Cat named Dub" hdyman58
wrote:
Go to repair clinic.com and check out dishwashers
nice wrote in message

oups.com...



I have a 6 year old GE dishwasher. The past couple of days we noticed
that the dishwasher detergent powder is not being used up. We thought
we've put too much detergent or it didn't get dissolved properly etc..
Today we ran it during the day to observe. Looks like there's not much
water injecting/circulating inside. Previously during rinse cycle a
whole lot of water used to channel its way into the sink drain like
it's supposed to. Now there's hardly any. I'm thinking there's a block
in the water source to the dishwasher.

We've also had another issue with this unit. The dishwasher racks are
corroded and we've repaired some corroded parts with plastic caps /
resin paint. There's still some more corrosion. DH thinks the rusty
bits fell off and blocked the water pipe.

Please offer suggestions on what to look for. Is there anything we can
check before we call the plumber? We do lot of fixing up of basic
plumbing issues at our house.

Thanks.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

One thing if you do what's described below... make sure the power to the DW is off first!

There are exposed terminals underneath that may be live, accidentally touching them could ruin your day.

Eric Law

"Ashton Crusher" wrote in message ...
I had a GE that was doing that. There is a valve on the pump body
that controls where the water from the pump goes - either it pumps the
water out or it pumps it to the inside. What happened was the valve
was sticking so while the machine was filling it was at the same time
pumping the water out!! It would stick different amounts at different
times so sometimes it worked right, sometimes it didn't work at all
and sometimes it seemed like it was working but the soap didn't get
"dispensed" to a greater or lessor degree because there wasn't enough
water squirting around.

That the bottom front cover off and you should be able to see the
valve, it will have the hose that goes to the drain pipe connected to
it. If it's the same design mine was the valve is controlled by an
external solenoid that is connected to the valve lever. You should be
able to move it by hand and feel if it's sticking or not. Mine was
also leaking. It was the last GE I will ever buy. One of the worst
DWs I ever owned, and it was near their top of the line and a Consumer
Reports "best buy".

On Aug 22, 9:30 am, wrote:
I have a 6 year old GE dishwasher. The past couple of days we noticed
that the dishwasher detergent powder is not being used up. We thought
we've put too much detergent or it didn't get dissolved properly etc..
Today we ran it during the day to observe. Looks like there's not much
water injecting/circulating inside. Previously during rinse cycle a
whole lot of water used to channel its way into the sink drain like
it's supposed to. Now there's hardly any. I'm thinking there's a block
in the water source to the dishwasher.

We've also had another issue with this unit. The dishwasher racks are
corroded and we've repaired some corroded parts with plastic caps /
resin paint. There's still some more corrosion. DH thinks the rusty
bits fell off and blocked the water pipe.

Please offer suggestions on what to look for. Is there anything we can
check before we call the plumber? We do lot of fixing up of basic
plumbing issues at our house.

Thanks.

OP here.
We did some more checking over the weekend. We cleaned the drain
filter, it seemed to be ok. We looked at the float mechanism from
inside the dishwasher. It doesn't seem to be sticking. We opened the
front bottom panel of the dishwasher to check the supply line copper
tube. There's no problem there either. But when we turned on the
dishwasher and let it run some time and opened the door, we could
clearly see that the water was very low.

Would it help if we replace the float and float switch?

Looks like Home Depot or similar stores don't carry appliance spare
parts. Is the GE website the only place to get spare parts?

Thanks.

On Aug 28, 5:29 pm, wrote:
On Aug 22, 9:30 am, wrote:





I have a 6 year old GE dishwasher. The past couple of days we noticed
that the dishwasher detergent powder is not being used up. We thought
we've put too much detergent or it didn't get dissolved properly etc..
Today we ran it during the day to observe. Looks like there's not much
water injecting/circulating inside. Previously during rinse cycle a
whole lot of water used to channel its way into the sink drain like
it's supposed to. Now there's hardly any. I'm thinking there's a block
in the water source to the dishwasher.

We've also had another issue with this unit. The dishwasher racks are
corroded and we've repaired some corroded parts with plastic caps /
resin paint. There's still some more corrosion. DH thinks the rusty
bits fell off and blocked the water pipe.

Please offer suggestions on what to look for. Is there anything we can
check before we call the plumber? We do lot of fixing up of basic
plumbing issues at our house.

Thanks.

OP here.
We did some more checking over the weekend. We cleaned the drain
filter, it seemed to be ok. We looked at the float mechanism from
inside the dishwasher. It doesn't seem to be sticking. We opened the
front bottom panel of the dishwasher to check the supply line copper
tube. There's no problem there either. But when we turned on the
dishwasher and let it run some time and opened the door, we could
clearly see that the water was very low.

Would it help if we replace the float and float switch?

Looks like Home Depot or similar stores don't carry appliance spare
parts. Is the GE website the only place to get spare parts?

Thanks.

I buy my parts from he

http://www.triblesapplianceparts.com

there's a brick and mortar store near my house so I can't comment on
their mail order

good luck

nate

writes:

But when we turned on the
dishwasher and let it run some time and opened the door, we could
clearly see that the water was very low.

How low is low? There's normally only an inch or so of water in the
tub when the dishwasher is operating. As long as the pump always has
water at its inlet that should be enough. (As the dishwasher fills,
you should hear the pump transition from not pumping because its inlet
is dry, to alternately pumping and not pumping, to pumping full time.)

Would it help if we replace the float and float switch?

Probably not. According to the service manual for our GE, the float
switch doesn't normally open - the fill ends when a certain amount of
time has passed and the water isn't expected to be high enough to
trigger the float at that point. The float is just a safety if the
timer gets stuck or your water pressure is particularly high.

If you really aren't getting enough water, check for a clogged water
inlet screen or low water pressure.

Dave