Dishwasher Repair
and Information
Aren't you tired of hand-washing your dishes yet? Or having
the kids wash them? And yet, there the dish washer sits,
in the corner of the kitchen, waiting to help you out--except
it's broken. You can't afford a repairman, so instead, you've
chosen to do without. Fortunately, it doesn't have to be
this way. By understanding the basics of how a dishwasher
works and how it runs, you can do many simple repairs yourself
and also do regular preventive maintenance, to make sure
it never breaks down again.
During
a dishwasher's wash cycle, water and detergent are mixed
and heated then sprayed with some force onto the dishes
to clean them. The dirty water is then pumped out, and fresh,
clean, hot water is sprayed onto the dishes to rinse them.
Depending on the type of dishwasher, the dishes are then
air or heat dried.
There
is a large selection of detergents to choose from for the
dishwasher. Some have just a detergent whilst others have
added ingredients such as rinse agents. Whichever you use,
in hard water areas, the machines will need water softer
salts to keep them lime scale free.
As
with many appliances, dishwashers can come in a variety
of styles and options, from the most basic, with single-wash
programs, to the ultra modern, with time delays and digital
display read outs. All of them work in basically the same
way. The door shuts and then presses a latch. Water is allowed
into the tank through the water inlet valve, through either
the hot or cold inlets. A float closes off the valve when
the water reaches a certain level so there is no overflowing.
Modern machines may use a timer for the same job.
The
inlet valve closing releases the detergent and it mixes
with the hot water or at this stage, the detergent and water
are heated together by a heating element inside the main
body of the machine. Poor cleaning can be a sign that the
water is not being heated sufficiently hot enough.
Inside
the dishwasher, the water is forced at pressure through
the spray arms by the motor pump; this forces them to rotate
and spray water over the dishes. Two-way motors force the
dirty water out through the drains by changing their direction
after pumping water in.
After
the detergent and rinse cycles, the dishes are dried by
the heating element. Rinse agents assure that dishes dry
without spotting or streaking. Some dishwashers make use
of fans for air-drying and thermostats rather than timers
to end the cycle.
Here are some useful troubleshooting tips to remember in
case anything goes wrong with your cook’s best friend,
the dishwasher.
When
our dishwasher will not operate. . .