Reasons Why Your Dishwasher Won’t Wash Dishes

Reasons Why Your Dishwasher Won’t Wash Dishes

We discussed what to do about a leaky dishwasher, but what are you to do when your dishwasher won’t wash dishes? As with leaks, you can typically find the source of the problem on your own. If you have any issues, don’t hesitate to call your friendly, local plumbing expert for help!

Here are a few of the most common reasons why your dishwasher won’t wash dishes:

The float switch is stuck or broken

The float switch is usually a plastic disc or cone attached to the floor of the dishwasher. When the right amount of water has filled your dishwasher, the float switch rises to indicate to the dishwasher to stop the water flow.

If the switch gets stuck in the “up” position by things such as a soap scum build-up or a stuck fork, no water will flow. In these circumstances, you’ll need to clean or remove the culprit responsible for the stop in water flow. The switch may also break, needing replacement to tell the dishwasher to fill with water. You should be able to find a replacement on your dishwasher manufacturer’s website.

The door sensor is stuck/broken

Most dishwashers have a built-in safety mechanism to prevent water flow when the door isn’t closed/latched. If your door latch isn’t snapping into place when you close your dishwasher, there may be a fallen object obstructing teh latch. If the latch is working just fine, the electronic switch that monitors water flow is broken and must be replaced.

There’s a problem with the water supply

If there’s water being delivered to your kitchen sink, the problem isn’t in the main supply. Check the valve under the sink that supplies water to your dishwasher. If the valve is open, follow along the supply hose to check that it isn’t kinked. You may need to remove the kick plate to check the full length of hose.

Oftentimes, all you need to do as a homeowner when your dishwasher won’t wash dishes is look at it from a variety of angles and identify a few parts. You should be able to fix many water issues on your own. If it turns out that you need a little help, you can always count on the plumbing experts at A-Abel.