The dishwasher pump is continuously running, even at the end of the
cycle. Does anyone have any idea what's likely to be involved in fixing
this?

As far as I can tell, the pump is working fine. There's no water in the
machine. The filter is fine. I could test whether water gets pumped out
okay.

It's a Bosch SGI45E15GB. I was wondering whether a float switch might be
stuck? If so, how easy is that to get to?

I've got nothing to lose by trying to repair it, really, as the machine
is 11 years old, and a Bosch repair would cost £110 plus parts. It's
been run more than once a day on average, so I suspect it might be
deemed unrepairable. So, I've ordered a replacement, but I can easily
cancel that.

Any advice gratefully received.

On 2018-12-29 5:34 a.m., GB wrote:
The dishwasher pump is continuously running, even at the end of the
cycle. Does anyone have any idea what's likely to be involved in fixing
this?

As far as I can tell, the pump is working fine. There's no water in the
machine. The filter is fine. I could test whether water gets pumped out
okay.

It's a Bosch SGI45E15GB. I was wondering whether a float switch might be
stuck?Â* If so, how easy is that to get to?

I've got nothing to lose by trying to repair it, really, as the machine
is 11 years old, and a Bosch repair would cost £110 plus parts. It's
been run more than once a day on average, so I suspect it might be
deemed unrepairable. So, I've ordered a replacement, but I can easily
cancel that.

Any advice gratefully received.

the timer

On 29/12/2018 12:45, % wrote:
On 2018-12-29 5:34 a.m., GB wrote:
The dishwasher pump is continuously running, even at the end of the
cycle. Does anyone have any idea what's likely to be involved in
fixing this?

As far as I can tell, the pump is working fine. There's no water in
the machine. The filter is fine. I could test whether water gets
pumped out okay.

It's a Bosch SGI45E15GB. I was wondering whether a float switch might
be stuck?Â* If so, how easy is that to get to?

I've got nothing to lose by trying to repair it, really, as the
machine is 11 years old, and a Bosch repair would cost £110 plus
parts. It's been run more than once a day on average, so I suspect it
might be deemed unrepairable. So, I've ordered a replacement, but I
can easily cancel that.

Any advice gratefully received.

the timer

Oh dear. Isn't that a pretty expensive component, even if it's available?

On 2018-12-29 5:59 a.m., GB wrote:
On 29/12/2018 12:45, % wrote:
On 2018-12-29 5:34 a.m., GB wrote:
The dishwasher pump is continuously running, even at the end of the
cycle. Does anyone have any idea what's likely to be involved in
fixing this?

As far as I can tell, the pump is working fine. There's no water in
the machine. The filter is fine. I could test whether water gets
pumped out okay.

It's a Bosch SGI45E15GB. I was wondering whether a float switch might
be stuck?Â* If so, how easy is that to get to?

I've got nothing to lose by trying to repair it, really, as the
machine is 11 years old, and a Bosch repair would cost £110 plus
parts. It's been run more than once a day on average, so I suspect it
might be deemed unrepairable. So, I've ordered a replacement, but I
can easily cancel that.

Any advice gratefully received.

the timer

Oh dear. Isn't that a pretty expensive component, even if it's available?


yes and if its 11 years old you're likely out of luck ,
i'm not saying it is the timer it just sounds like it to me ,
they are known to cause run ons along with other things ,
you could try watching the dial as it goes through a cycle but ,
damn it that gets old fast

On Saturday, 29 December 2018 12:34:54 UTC, GB wrote:
The dishwasher pump is continuously running, even at the end of the
cycle. Does anyone have any idea what's likely to be involved in fixing
this?

As far as I can tell, the pump is working fine. There's no water in the
machine. The filter is fine. I could test whether water gets pumped out
okay.

It's a Bosch SGI45E15GB. I was wondering whether a float switch might be
stuck? If so, how easy is that to get to?

I've got nothing to lose by trying to repair it, really, as the machine
is 11 years old, and a Bosch repair would cost £110 plus parts. It's
been run more than once a day on average, so I suspect it might be
deemed unrepairable. So, I've ordered a replacement, but I can easily
cancel that.

Any advice gratefully received.

sounds like a switch contact is stuck on or a triac shorted.


NT

On 29/12/2018 13:07, % wrote:
On 2018-12-29 5:59 a.m., GB wrote:
On 29/12/2018 12:45, % wrote:
On 2018-12-29 5:34 a.m., GB wrote:
The dishwasher pump is continuously running, even at the end of the
cycle. Does anyone have any idea what's likely to be involved in
fixing this?

As far as I can tell, the pump is working fine. There's no water in
the machine. The filter is fine. I could test whether water gets
pumped out okay.

It's a Bosch SGI45E15GB. I was wondering whether a float switch
might be stuck?Â* If so, how easy is that to get to?

I've got nothing to lose by trying to repair it, really, as the
machine is 11 years old, and a Bosch repair would cost £110 plus
parts. It's been run more than once a day on average, so I suspect
it might be deemed unrepairable. So, I've ordered a replacement, but
I can easily cancel that.

Any advice gratefully received.

the timer

Oh dear. Isn't that a pretty expensive component, even if it's available?


yes and if its 11 years old you're likely out of luck ,

I've just checked for the spares for my 12 year old Siemens (Bosch)
dishwasher on the Bosch web site - all the major parts seem to be
available, and cheaper than the likes of espares clones on the small
selection I looked at. Also just bought some filters/bags for my 15 year
old Bosch hoover - looked as though things like the motor and chassis
parts also available.


--
Cheers, Rob

On 29/12/2018 12:34, GB wrote:
The dishwasher pump is continuously running, even at the end of the
cycle. Does anyone have any idea what's likely to be involved in fixing
this?

As far as I can tell, the pump is working fine. There's no water in the
machine. The filter is fine. I could test whether water gets pumped out
okay.

Water level sensor (if it doesn't rely on a simple timer)

More likely - if it pumps all the time and will do nothing else:

There is a drip tray underneath many makes of dishwasher, with a float
switch - this is supposed to detect leaks and go into emergency pumpout
mode.

It can accumulate minor leaks (perhaps a little water getting past a
door seal) and fill up - it takes very little as the float sits in a
slight recess in the drip pan.

Pull dishwasher out, having emptied.
Tilt to one side about 30 degrees and hold there for 30 seconds to run
off any water in the tray.

Test.


--
Email does not work

On Sat, 29 Dec 2018 12:59:55 +0000, GB wrote:

Oh dear. Isn't that a pretty expensive component, even if it's
available?

I suspect that's the labour and parts price.

--
My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub
wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message.
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

In article ,
GB writes:
On 29/12/2018 12:45, % wrote:
On 2018-12-29 5:34 a.m., GB wrote:
The dishwasher pump is continuously running, even at the end of the
cycle. Does anyone have any idea what's likely to be involved in
fixing this?

As far as I can tell, the pump is working fine. There's no water in
the machine. The filter is fine. I could test whether water gets
pumped out okay.

It's a Bosch SGI45E15GB. I was wondering whether a float switch might
be stuck?Â* If so, how easy is that to get to?

I've got nothing to lose by trying to repair it, really, as the
machine is 11 years old, and a Bosch repair would cost £110 plus
parts. It's been run more than once a day on average, so I suspect it
might be deemed unrepairable. So, I've ordered a replacement, but I
can easily cancel that.

Any advice gratefully received.

the timer

Oh dear. Isn't that a pretty expensive component, even if it's available?

I presume you are referring to the drain pump, and not the wash pump?

Some dishwashers have a leak detection system which is a drip tray
spanning the bottom and a float. If the tray catches enough to trip
the float, the machine switches everything off and the drain pump on.
That could explain the state yours is in.
You will probably have to take off a side or rear panel to see in the
tray. Alternatively, you could try tipping the machine to see if the
tray spills out, but you might end up pouring the water into some
electronics which does even more damage. If left for a long time,
the tray may dry out by itself - this can happen when a machine stops
working and is left for ages before being fixed, and then found to
work without anything having been done to it.

A common problem which generates a non-fault leak is something such
as a piece of cutlery caught in the door seal during a wash, with the
resulting leaking water eventually triggering the leak detection.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

Float switch stuck, ith detritus.
I hate dishwashers. I won't have one here. Its a silly device that has you
washing things first before you put them in, which is really rather silly.
I'll await a true dish and cutlery washer where you can shove filthy dishes
in one end and get sparkling clean ones out the other.
Brian

--
--
From the sofa of Brian Gaff -

Blind user, so no pictures please!
Today is Yesterdays Tomorrow.
"GB" wrote in message
...
The dishwasher pump is continuously running, even at the end of the cycle.
Does anyone have any idea what's likely to be involved in fixing this?

As far as I can tell, the pump is working fine. There's no water in the
machine. The filter is fine. I could test whether water gets pumped out
okay.

It's a Bosch SGI45E15GB. I was wondering whether a float switch might be
stuck? If so, how easy is that to get to?

I've got nothing to lose by trying to repair it, really, as the machine is
11 years old, and a Bosch repair would cost £110 plus parts. It's been run
more than once a day on average, so I suspect it might be deemed
unrepairable. So, I've ordered a replacement, but I can easily cancel
that.

Any advice gratefully received.

On 29/12/2018 12:34, GB wrote:
The dishwasher pump is continuously running, even at the end of the
cycle. Does anyone have any idea what's likely to be involved in fixing
this?

As far as I can tell, the pump is working fine. There's no water in the
machine. The filter is fine. I could test whether water gets pumped out
okay.

It's a Bosch SGI45E15GB. I was wondering whether a float switch might be
stuck?Â* If so, how easy is that to get to?

I've got nothing to lose by trying to repair it, really, as the machine
is 11 years old, and a Bosch repair would cost £110 plus parts. It's
been run more than once a day on average, so I suspect it might be
deemed unrepairable. So, I've ordered a replacement, but I can easily
cancel that.

Any advice gratefully received.

As I posted on a previous thread: there's excellent help and advice at
https://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/forum...her-help-forum

--
F

On 29/12/2018 15:02, Tim Watts wrote:
On 29/12/2018 12:34, GB wrote:
The dishwasher pump is continuously running, even at the end of the
cycle. Does anyone have any idea what's likely to be involved in
fixing this?

As far as I can tell, the pump is working fine. There's no water in
the machine. The filter is fine. I could test whether water gets
pumped out okay.

Water level sensor (if it doesn't rely on a simple timer)

More likely - if it pumps all the time and will do nothing else:

There is a drip tray underneath many makes of dishwasher, with a float
switch - this is supposed to detect leaks and go into emergency pumpout
mode.

It can accumulate minor leaks (perhaps a little water getting past a
door seal) and fill up - it takes very little as the float sits in a
slight recess in the drip pan.

Had something similar happen on our Miele dishwasher. There was small
leak into the water conditioner due to an O ring hardening with age, and
that would after a few washes put enough water in the drip tray to
disable the machine.

Pull dishwasher out, having emptied.
Tilt to one side about 30 degrees and hold there for 30 seconds to run
off any water in the tray.

Yup that worked as a temporary workaround on ours until the new O ring
turned up.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

Brian Gaff wrote

Float switch stuck, ith detritus.

Likely, but its just one of the possibilitys.

I hate dishwashers. I won't have one here.

More fool you. You wash your clothes by hand too do you ?

Its a silly device that has you washing things first before you put them
in,

Only fools do anything like that. The most I ever do is
knock off stuff like chop bones from the plate before
it goes into the dishwasher with no rinsing at all.

which is really rather silly.

Yes, it is completely silly to use a dishwasher like that.

I'll await a true dish and cutlery washer where you can shove filthy
dishes in one end and get sparkling clean ones out the other.

Thats what all of mine have always done except
that they go in and out the same end, just like they
do with a washing machine because that works
much better and is much cheaper to do it that way.

"GB" wrote in message
...
The dishwasher pump is continuously running, even at the end of the
cycle. Does anyone have any idea what's likely to be involved in fixing
this?

As far as I can tell, the pump is working fine. There's no water in the
machine. The filter is fine. I could test whether water gets pumped out
okay.

It's a Bosch SGI45E15GB. I was wondering whether a float switch might be
stuck? If so, how easy is that to get to?

I've got nothing to lose by trying to repair it, really, as the machine
is 11 years old, and a Bosch repair would cost £110 plus parts. It's been
run more than once a day on average, so I suspect it might be deemed
unrepairable. So, I've ordered a replacement, but I can easily cancel
that.

Any advice gratefully received.

That's precisely what they do! You're supposed to scrape waste into the
bin, but that aside, nothing to do.

I can't think through how they'd work for somebody blind/partially
sighted. I *think* it'd be OK, not sure.

On 29/12/2018 15:24, Brian Gaff wrote:
Float switch stuck, ith detritus.
I hate dishwashers. I won't have one here. Its a silly device that has
you washing things first before you put them in, which is really rather
silly. I'll await a true dish and cutlery washer where you can shove
filthy dishes in one end and get sparkling clean ones out the other.
Brian



--
Cheers, Rob

On 29/12/2018 17:15, John Rumm wrote:

Had something similar happen on our Miele dishwasher. There was small
leak into the water conditioner due to an O ring hardening with age, and
that would after a few washes put enough water in the drip tray to
disable the machine.

I have a Miele that does this about once a year. I've had it on its side
and drip pan off and I could not trace any leaks from any water bearing
parts - it was very confusing and remains a mystery still.

--
Email does not work

On 29/12/2018 15:02, Tim Watts wrote:
On 29/12/2018 12:34, GB wrote:
The dishwasher pump is continuously running, even at the end of the
cycle. Does anyone have any idea what's likely to be involved in
fixing this?

As far as I can tell, the pump is working fine. There's no water in
the machine. The filter is fine. I could test whether water gets
pumped out okay.

Water level sensor (if it doesn't rely on a simple timer)

More likely - if it pumps all the time and will do nothing else:

There is a drip tray underneath many makes of dishwasher, with a float
switch - this is supposed to detect leaks and go into emergency pumpout
mode.

It can accumulate minor leaks (perhaps a little water getting past a
door seal) and fill up - it takes very little as the float sits in a
slight recess in the drip pan.

Pull dishwasher out, having emptied.
Tilt to one side about 30 degrees and hold there for 30 seconds to run
off any water in the tray.

Test.


This is good advice. The same with Neff-Seimens-Bosch. When you first
start the machine the pump-out sound you initially hear is the self
testing of the pump on the floor level drip tray . The switch can get stuck.

TW

On 29/12/2018 20:50, Tim Watts wrote:
On 29/12/2018 17:15, John Rumm wrote:

Had something similar happen on our Miele dishwasher. There was small
leak into the water conditioner due to an O ring hardening with age,
and that would after a few washes put enough water in the drip tray to
disable the machine.

I have a Miele that does this about once a year. I've had it on its side
and drip pan off and I could not trace any leaks from any water bearing
parts - it was very confusing and remains a mystery still.



Thanks, Tim. Your diagnosis was indeed correct! Lots of water spilt
onto the floor from the sump, and the machine is working again.

One other issue I found was that the drain hose had become kinked and
had developed a couple of small holes. I suppose those were closed up
inside the kink until I pulled the machine out. Anyway, I have patched
it up with self-amalgamating tape reinforced with duct tape. How long
will that last?

On 29/12/2018 15:19, Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
GB writes:
On 29/12/2018 12:45, % wrote:
On 2018-12-29 5:34 a.m., GB wrote:
The dishwasher pump is continuously running, even at the end of the
cycle. Does anyone have any idea what's likely to be involved in
fixing this?

As far as I can tell, the pump is working fine. There's no water in
the machine. The filter is fine. I could test whether water gets
pumped out okay.

It's a Bosch SGI45E15GB. I was wondering whether a float switch might
be stuck?ÂÂ* If so, how easy is that to get to?

I've got nothing to lose by trying to repair it, really, as the
machine is 11 years old, and a Bosch repair would cost £110 plus
parts. It's been run more than once a day on average, so I suspect it
might be deemed unrepairable. So, I've ordered a replacement, but I
can easily cancel that.

Any advice gratefully received.

the timer

Oh dear. Isn't that a pretty expensive component, even if it's available?

I presume you are referring to the drain pump, and not the wash pump?

Some dishwashers have a leak detection system which is a drip tray
spanning the bottom and a float. If the tray catches enough to trip
the float, the machine switches everything off and the drain pump on.
That could explain the state yours is in.
You will probably have to take off a side or rear panel to see in the
tray. Alternatively, you could try tipping the machine to see if the
tray spills out, but you might end up pouring the water into some
electronics which does even more damage. If left for a long time,
the tray may dry out by itself - this can happen when a machine stops
working and is left for ages before being fixed, and then found to
work without anything having been done to it.

A common problem which generates a non-fault leak is something such
as a piece of cutlery caught in the door seal during a wash, with the
resulting leaking water eventually triggering the leak detection.


Thanks. I think that's what has happened. The door seals are not too
great after this many years.

On Sun, 30 Dec 2018 05:51:16 +1100, cantankerous trolling geezer Rot Speed,
the auto-contradicting senile sociopath, blabbered, again:


That¢s what all of mine have always done except
that they go in and out the same end, just like they
do with a washing machine because that works
much better and is much cheaper to do it that way.

You SHOULD occasionally read your own bull**** that you keep spouting on
every occasion, senile Rot! LOL

--
pamela about Rot Speed:
"His off the cuff expertise demonstrates how little he knows..."
MID:

"TimW" wrote in message
...
On 29/12/2018 15:02, Tim Watts wrote:
On 29/12/2018 12:34, GB wrote:
The dishwasher pump is continuously running, even at the end of the
cycle. Does anyone have any idea what's likely to be involved in fixing
this?

As far as I can tell, the pump is working fine. There's no water in the
machine. The filter is fine. I could test whether water gets pumped out
okay.

Water level sensor (if it doesn't rely on a simple timer)

More likely - if it pumps all the time and will do nothing else:

There is a drip tray underneath many makes of dishwasher, with a float
switch - this is supposed to detect leaks and go into emergency pumpout
mode.

It can accumulate minor leaks (perhaps a little water getting past a door
seal) and fill up - it takes very little as the float sits in a slight
recess in the drip pan.

Pull dishwasher out, having emptied.
Tilt to one side about 30 degrees and hold there for 30 seconds to run
off any water in the tray.

Test.


This is good advice. The same with Neff-Seimens-Bosch. When you first
start the machine the pump-out sound you initially hear is the self
testing of the pump on the floor level drip tray .

Nope, its pumping out what might well have drained back
after the last use and pumping it out so that it doesn't get
sprayed around whats being washed in the initial rinse cycle
that they all have which gets the stuff like egg yoke off the
plates before the hot wash sets that stuff on the plates.
You dont want to spray what may have been sitting in
a dishwasher for weeks getting all grotty while you were
on holiday etc.

The switch can get stuck.

On 29/12/2018 21:20, GB wrote:


Thanks, Tim. Your diagnosis was indeed correct! Â*Â* Lots of water spilt
onto the floor from the sump, and the machine is working again.

One other issue I found was that the drain hose had become kinked and
had developed a couple of small holes. I suppose those were closed up
inside the kink until I pulled the machine out. Anyway, I have patched
it up with self-amalgamating tape reinforced with duct tape. How long
will that last?

Cool -

Your main test now is will it fail again in a non trivial time.

If it does, you might actually have a real leak that's worth having it
slightly to bits for - if not, minor problem or a "heisenleak" like mine

--
Email does not work

Peeler wrote:
On Sun, 30 Dec 2018 05:51:16 +1100, cantankerous trolling geezer Rot Speed,
the auto-contradicting senile sociopath, blabbered, again:


Thats what all of mine have always done except
that they go in and out the same end, just like they
do with a washing machine because that works
much better and is much cheaper to do it that way.

You SHOULD occasionally read your own bull**** that you keep spouting on
every occasion, senile Rot! LOL


--
Chris Green
·

On Sun, 30 Dec 2018 09:39:19 +1100, cantankerous trolling geezer Rot Speed,
the auto-contradicting senile sociopath, blabbered, again:


Nope

LOL

--
Kerr-Mudd,John addressing senile Rot:
"Auto-contradictor Rod is back! (in the KF)"
MID:

On Saturday, 29 December 2018 15:24:25 UTC, Brian Gaff wrote:

Float switch stuck, ith detritus.
I hate dishwashers. I won't have one here. Its a silly device that has you
washing things first before you put them in, which is really rather silly..
I'll await a true dish and cutlery washer where you can shove filthy dishes
in one end and get sparkling clean ones out the other.
Brian

What stops dishwashers doing that is the green water wasting legislation. Dishwasher water use has gotten so low that they don't rinse properly, so it's now common practice to prerinse most of what goes in, resulting in far more than 10x as much water use. Oh look, it's politics again.


NT

On 29/12/2018 20:50, Tim Watts wrote:
On 29/12/2018 17:15, John Rumm wrote:

Had something similar happen on our Miele dishwasher. There was small
leak into the water conditioner due to an O ring hardening with age,
and that would after a few washes put enough water in the drip tray to
disable the machine.

I have a Miele that does this about once a year. I've had it on its side
and drip pan off and I could not trace any leaks from any water bearing
parts - it was very confusing and remains a mystery still.

Many of them also use the hose in a hose technique for the fill hose
(with the actual water inlet valve screwed right onto the service valve
at the house end rather than inside the machine).

That way any leak in the feed hose is also collected and fed into the
sump tray (and the float switch interrupts power to the fill valve -
thus preventing a possible flood even if it happens in the fill hose).

So if there is not obvious leak in the machine itself, it could be on
the inlet hose.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On 30/12/2018 04:51, John Rumm wrote:
On 29/12/2018 20:50, Tim Watts wrote:
On 29/12/2018 17:15, John Rumm wrote:

Had something similar happen on our Miele dishwasher. There was small
leak into the water conditioner due to an O ring hardening with age,
and that would after a few washes put enough water in the drip tray
to disable the machine.

I have a Miele that does this about once a year. I've had it on its
side and drip pan off and I could not trace any leaks from any water
bearing parts - it was very confusing and remains a mystery still.

Many of them also use the hose in a hose technique for the fill hose
(with the actual water inlet valve screwed right onto the service valve
at the house end rather than inside the machine).

That way any leak in the feed hose is also collected and fed into the
sump tray (and the float switch interrupts power to the fill valve -
thus preventing a possible flood even if it happens in the fill hose).

So if there is not obvious leak in the machine itself, it could be on
the inlet hose.

Oh - I knew about the magic hose, but I did not realise that was how
detection was achieved - cheers - something I can look at closely if it
happens again...


--
Email does not work

On 29/12/2018 15:19, Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
GB writes:
On 29/12/2018 12:45, % wrote:
On 2018-12-29 5:34 a.m., GB wrote:
The dishwasher pump is continuously running, even at the end of the
cycle. Does anyone have any idea what's likely to be involved in
fixing this?

As far as I can tell, the pump is working fine. There's no water in
the machine. The filter is fine. I could test whether water gets
pumped out okay.

It's a Bosch SGI45E15GB. I was wondering whether a float switch might
be stuck?ÂÂ* If so, how easy is that to get to?

I've got nothing to lose by trying to repair it, really, as the
machine is 11 years old, and a Bosch repair would cost £110 plus
parts. It's been run more than once a day on average, so I suspect it
might be deemed unrepairable. So, I've ordered a replacement, but I
can easily cancel that.

Any advice gratefully received.

the timer

Oh dear. Isn't that a pretty expensive component, even if it's available?

I presume you are referring to the drain pump, and not the wash pump?

Some dishwashers have a leak detection system which is a drip tray
spanning the bottom and a float. If the tray catches enough to trip
the float, the machine switches everything off and the drain pump on.
That could explain the state yours is in.
You will probably have to take off a side or rear panel to see in the
tray. Alternatively, you could try tipping the machine to see if the
tray spills out, but you might end up pouring the water into some
electronics which does even more damage. If left for a long time,
the tray may dry out by itself - this can happen when a machine stops
working and is left for ages before being fixed, and then found to
work without anything having been done to it.

A common problem which generates a non-fault leak is something such
as a piece of cutlery caught in the door seal during a wash, with the
resulting leaking water eventually triggering the leak detection.

The same problem but in a different format: our old machine didn't have
a tray or a float, it simply had a microswitch held open by a piece of
dry sponge. When wetted, the sponge would soften and compress, allowing
the switch to operate. Over years the continuous pressure from the
microswitch lever gradually squashed the sponge and triggered despite
there being no water under the machine.

SteveW