Kitchen Aid DW issue

Turns out it wasn't a clogged inlet--that was clean as a whistle. The pump was going/pretty much gone. To replace the pump would have been more than the new machine she replaced it with. Admittedly, she seems to have gone pretty BOL, and replaced the KA with a Kenmore. The KM is louder than the old machine, but not so much that she can't watch TV (her kitchen and tv room/family room are the same space) and doesn't have "bells and whistles". she just wanted something to wash the dishes and dry them. But the funny thing is, her upper rack and silverware basket sound identical to what's in my 2009 Architect-series KA, that her '07 MOL didn't have--the flip-down racks up top for smaller items, the individual silverware slots.

Now here's the thing: The repairman told her she didn't use it enough and that was the problem. He said these machines are made to be run every day or every other day, and if they aren't, the bearings etc can get bound up or something (this is my retelling of what she said he said...administer grains of salt where needed!) Is that for real? She never washed pots and pans in it, so it would take her the better part of a week to fill it up (and she would Bob-load it, too). So now, between that and the repairman showed here how little water a dishwasher uses compared to running water for handwashing (funny how she believed him, but not me--but I guess what comes around,goes around), she has pledged to wash EVERYTHING in the dishwasher now.

Anyway, thanks Bob and Steve for the advice. Too bad it wasn't as simple as we all thought. Um, also, apparently she left out the part about it making a noise when she texted me in the first place--I think that was a key piece of info!


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Post# 814894 3/20/2015 at 09:47 (3,317 days old) by brib68 (Central Connecticut)
Checkrate/Likes My mom texted me last night to ask my opinion on whether or not to replace her KA dishwasher that wasn't working. I told her it was probably worth having it looked at rather than replacing. The machine is a MOL unit (sorry, I don't have the model#), no Power Scrub jets in the back. She says it partly fills with water, but apparently not enough for it to run. The machine was new in 2007 when she did her remodel. Has anyone experienced such an issue or have any thoughts? Unfortunately, she's half way across the country, so I'm flying a little blind here and jsut trying to get her some advice or direction.

Post# 814897 , Reply# 1 3/20/2015 at 10:02 (3,317 days old) by appnut (TX)
Checkrate/Likes My Kenmore Elite cousin was purchased May 2007. The water inlet valve has gotten some sediment in it and I end up adding about 2 to 3 cups of water each time it fills and that has it performing like it used to. My upper wash arm sometimes slows down to a crawl during the middle of a wash or rinse phase and then speeds back up again.

Post# 814899 , Reply# 2 3/20/2015 at 10:52 (3,317 days old) by brib68 (Central Connecticut)
Checkrate/Likes *Thanks, Bob!* That's pretty much where my mind was going with that. Is that the sort of thing that is fairly easy to check and clear out? My mom is pretty handy--much more so than I am!

Post# 814924 , Reply# 3 3/20/2015 at 15:40 (3,317 days old) by stevet (West Melbourne, FL)
Checkrate/Likes *Not too hard but not too easy either* Brian, as Bob mentioned, the fine strainers in the fill valve can become clogged with debris or lime scale and can be cleaned. But as John L always recommends, simply buy a new valve and replace the old one. In the overall scheme of things, that is probably the best thing to do as it is less work than removing the valve and disassembling it and hoping that you got it all back together properly and not have it leak when you turn the water back on! Also,the fill valves on the tall tubs are very close to the floor and you really have to lay on your stomach to remove the valve and its plumbing. I don't think your Mom will really want to endure that. If she does, tell her to just replace the valve and the machine should return to its original performance level. It just is not worth the time effort and aggravation to clean these valves out. Do it once and do it right! Hope this helps. Steve

Post# 817732 , Reply# 4 4/6/2015 at 11:08 (3,300 days old) by brib68 (Central Connecticut)
Checkrate/Likes *Nope...* Turns out it wasn't a clogged inlet--that was clean as a whistle. The pump was going/pretty much gone. To replace the pump would have been more than the new machine she replaced it with. Admittedly, she seems to have gone pretty BOL, and replaced the KA with a Kenmore. The KM is louder than the old machine, but not so much that she can't watch TV (her kitchen and tv room/family room are the same space) and doesn't have "bells and whistles". she just wanted something to wash the dishes and dry them. But the funny thing is, her upper rack and silverware basket sound identical to what's in my 2009 Architect-series KA, that her '07 MOL didn't have--the flip-down racks up top for smaller items, the individual silverware slots. Now here's the thing: The repairman told her she didn't use it enough and that was the problem. He said these machines are made to be run every day or every other day, and if they aren't, the bearings etc can get bound up or something (this is my retelling of what she said he said...administer grains of salt where needed!) Is that for real? She never washed pots and pans in it, so it would take her the better part of a week to fill it up (and she would Bob-load it, too). So now, between that and the repairman showed here how little water a dishwasher uses compared to running water for handwashing (funny how she believed him, but not me--but I guess what comes around,goes around), she has pledged to wash EVERYTHING in the dishwasher now. Anyway, thanks Bob and Steve for the advice. Too bad it wasn't as simple as we all thought. Um, also, apparently she left out the part about it making a noise when she texted me in the first place--I think that was a key piece of info!

Post# 817748 , Reply# 5 4/6/2015 at 12:43 (3,300 days old) by appnut (TX)
Checkrate/Likes Let's see if John L (Combo52) chimes in on this thread.